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Bob Odenkirk

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Bob Odenkirk is featured in:

Season 10, Episode 5: Hold the Laughter

Bob Odenkirk is an Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, actor, and director. He is widely known for playing the character Saul Goodman first seen in the hit drama Breaking Bad, and for reprising that role in AMC’s Better Call Saul, which ran for six seasons and earned him two Critics Choice Awards, as well as Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award nominations. Odenkirk also served as a producer. In Lucky Hank, the critically-acclaimed new comedic drama for AMC, Odenkirk plays a professor in a middling American town, in the midst of a mid-life crisis. Odenkirk also produces on the series, which is based on the novel Straight Man by Richard Russo. Currently, he can be seen on the new season of FX’s hit show The Bear.

Odenkirk can be seen in the action-thriller Nobody for Universal, from writer Derek Kolstad (John Wick film series) and director Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry), and producer David Leitch (Deadpool 2, Hobbs and Shaw). Odenkirk also produced the feature. It was released theatrically to a strong reception and currently holds an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Odenkirk lent his voice to Disney Pixar’s Incredibles 2, as 'Winston Deavor' a telecommunications mogul who brings the Supers out of retirement. He can be seen in Greta Gerwig's Little Women, as “Mr. March,” opposite a stellar cast including Laura Dern, Saoirse Ronan, Meryl Streep, Timothee Chalamet, Emma Watson. Other feature credits include Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated The Post alongside Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks; and Alexander Payne’s Nebraska.

As an actor he has brought many enduring characters to life, including "Stevie Grant" in The Larry Sanders Show; ex-porn star "Gil Bang" in Curb Your Enthusiasm; "Bill Oswalt" on the FX series Fargo (season 1). Other streaming credits include the Eddie Murphy feature Dolemite is My Name, for Netflix; and the comic-noir feature Girlfriend’s Day for Netflix, which he also co-wrote.

Odenkirk co-created and starred in Mr. Show with Bob and David, which ran on HBO for four years (1995-1998) and has been called "the American Monty Python." In 2016, Odenkirk was seen in the 4-part sketch show W/ Bob and David, which he starred in and executive produced with David Cross.

For his work on Saturday Night Live, Odenkirk garnered an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program" in 1989. The "Motivational Speaker" sketch Odenkirk wrote for his friend Chris Farley, which originated at Second City in Chicago, was recently named by Rolling Stone magazine as the best SNL sketch of all time. In 1993, Odenkirk earned another Emmy Award for writing on The Ben Stiller Show.

Over the years Odenkirk has been instrumental in helping emerging comedy writer/performers get their work on the air. He was an executive producer of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim's first Adult Swim series Tom Goes to the Mayor and was a consultant on their subsequent shows Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Check it Out! with Dr. Steve Brule. In 1997 Odenkirk Executive Produced and co-wrote the HBO 6-episode series Tenacious D starring Jack Black which launched Black's rock/comedy persona.

Odenkirk’s most-recent book, COMEDY COMEDY COMEDY DRAMA was released by Random House in 2022, a New York Times Bestseller. He also co-wrote, along with David Cross and Brian Posehn, the New York Times Bestseller Hollywood Said No! a collection of their unproduced screenplays. In October 2014, McSweeny’s published a book of Odenkirk's comedy writing titled, A Load of Hooey. October 2023, Little Brown Young Readers will publish his next book, a children’s book (of poems) entitled Zilot and Other Important Rhymes, which is illustrated by Erin Odenkirk (his daughter).

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Guests From Episode 5 of Season 10

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Episode Guide

Finding Your Roots Season Ten

Today’s most compelling personalities discover the surprising stories in their own family trees. Mixing cutting-edge DNA research and old-school genealogical sleuthing, FINDING YOUR ROOTS uncovers long-buried secrets, hidden identities, and lost ancestors. Tuesdays at 8/7c.

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WETA | Finding Your Roots
with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

New Episodes: Tuesdays at 8/7c