Stuart Pankin

Stuart Pankin (born April 8, 1946) is an American actor, who is best known for his role as the voice of Earl Sinclair in Dinosaurs. He is also known for playing anchor Bob Charles in Not Necessarily the News, and Orthodox Jew Ben Heineman in Curb Your Enthusiasm, as well as making many guest appearances in many television shows and for lending his voice to various animated shows and films. Among his approximately three dozen films was Hollywood Knights, and he starred in Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and its sequels, as Commander Plank. He also appeared in Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves and Arachnophobia and as Jimmy in Fatal Attraction.

Early life
Pankin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Dickinson College, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Columbia University.

Career
Early in his career, Pankin frequently performed at St. Vincent Summer Theatre and still returns to perform there often. He was also anchor Bob Charles on HBO's Not Necessarily the News, as well for playing Earl Sinclair in the TV sitcom Dinosaurs and the father on the short-lived sitcom Nearly Departed. Pankin played an Orthodox Jew in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Pankin has made many guest appearances and lent his voice to animated shows. He also appeared in numerous TV commercials.

One of Pankin's earliest film appearances was as asthmatic musician/magician Dudley Laywicker in Hollywood Knights. Among his approximately three dozen film appearances, he starred in Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, Zenon: The Zequel, and Zenon: Z3 as Commander Plank. He also appeared in Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, as the brother of Wayne Szalinski, and also co-starred as a bossy, self-important lawman in the horror/comedy Arachnophobia.

More recently, Pankin also appeared as an absent-minded professor in a series of edutainment 3D films (Encounter in the Third Dimension and Misadventures in 3D), designed for large-screen IMAX theaters. He has been a spokesman in infomercials, including for the  WalkFit Phase 4 Orthotics shoe insert.

Although Pankin is known for comedy roles and game show appearances (e.g., The $100,000 Pyramid), he has sometimes also taken dramatic roles, such as Michael Douglas's character's friend Jimmy, who attempts to hit on Glenn Close's character in Adrian Lyne's hit thriller Fatal Attraction.

Pankin also appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor Podcast on January 24, 2017.

Personal life
Pankin has been married to actress Joy Pankin since 1974; together they have a son, Andy Pankin.

Awards and nominations

 * Cable Ace Award 1 Win (1987), 5 Nominations (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989)
 * Electronic Retail Association (ERA) Best Celebrity Presenter (2006)