
Dooley was born Paul Brown in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the son of Ruth Irene (née Barringer), a homemaker, and Peter James Brown, a factory worker. Dooley was a keen cartoonist as a youth and drew a strip for a local paper in Parkersburg. He joined the Navy before discovering acting while at college. He is married to writer Winnie Holzman, with whom he has one daughter, Savannah Dooley (born 1985). Moving to New York, he soon found success as a regular on the stage. Also having an interest in comedy, Dooley was a standup comedian for five years, and a member of the Compass Players and The Second City troupe in NYC, as well as having brief stints as a magician and as a clown. Not afraid of trying different areas of entertainment, he also worked as a writer. He was one of the writers on The Electric Company and appeared in commercials. Besides appearing in many movies, including most notably Popeye, Sixteen Candles, and Breaking Away, Dooley has also appeared as a variety of recurrent characters on numerous television shows, including My So-Called Life, Dream On, Grace Under Fire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, ALF (playing Whizzer Deaver) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine where he played the recurring role of Enabran Tain. He guest starred in other prime time shows like Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, The Golden Girls, and Desperate Housewives. In 2000, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role as an eccentric judge on The Practice. He was also in the infamous alternate ending to Little Shop of Horrors, but was replaced by Jim Belushi in the final cut. In 2010, Dooley played the part of the head chef at Camp Victory, a fictional fat camp, on the short-lived ABC Family original series Huge.
Movie | The Great Buster: A Celebration | Himself | 2018-10-05 |
Movie | Cars 3 | Sarge (voice) | 2017-06-15 |
Series | The Good Doctor | Glen | 2017-09-25 |
Series | The Guest Book | Unknown | 2017-08-03 |
Movie | Other People | Ronnie | 2016-09-09 |
Movie | The Radiator Springs 500½ | Sarge | 2014-05-20 |
Movie | My Santa | Martin | 2013-11-29 |
Movie | Turbo | The Foreman (voice) | 2013-07-11 |
Movie | Hiccups | Sarge | 2013-03-22 |
Movie | Spinning | Sarge | 2013-03-22 |
Series | The Client List | Earl Hudson | 2012-04-08 |
Movie | Cars 2 | Sarge (voice) | 2011-06-11 |
Movie | Thanks | 2011-01-07 | |
Series | Huge | 2010-06-28 | |
Series | Hot in Cleveland | Bearded Man aka Santa | 2010-06-16 |
Series | Modern Family | Murray | 2009-09-23 |
Movie | Horsemen | Father Whiteleather | 2009-02-06 |
Movie | Sunshine Cleaning | Sherm | 2008-01-18 |
Movie | Chronic Town | Eleanor's Father | 2008-04-03 |
Movie | Bedtime Stories | Hot Dog Vendor | 2008-12-24 |
Movie | Celebrating Sixteen Candles | Himself | 2008-09-16 |
Movie | Hairspray | Mr. Spritzer | 2007-07-19 |
Series | Side Order of Life | Unknown | 2007-07-15 |
Movie | Bob & Doug McKenzie's Two-Four Anniversary | Himself | 2007-05-20 |
Movie | For Your Consideration | Paper Badge Sergeant | 2006-11-22 |
Series | The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman | Unknown | 2006-08-04 |
Movie | Mater and the Ghostlight | Sarge (voice) | 2006-07-27 |
Movie | Cars | Sarge (voice) | 2006-06-08 |
Series | Hopeless Pictures | 2005-08-19 | |
Series | Grey's Anatomy | Unknown | 2005-03-27 |
Series | American Dad! | Unknown | 2005-02-06 |
Movie | Come Away Home | Grandpa Donald | 2005-01-20 |
Movie | Employee of the Month | Reverend Ben Goodwin | 2004-01-17 |
Movie | Nobody Knows Anything! | 2004-08-24 | |
Series | Boston Legal | Unknown | 2004-10-03 |
Series | Desperate Housewives | Unknown | 2004-10-03 |
Movie | Comfort and Joy | George | 2003-12-01 |
Movie | A Mighty Wind | George Menschell | 2003-04-16 |
Movie | Insomnia | Chief Nyback | 2002-05-24 |
Movie | The Perfect You | Larry | 2002-03-01 |
Series | Scrubs | Paul | 2001-10-02 |
Series | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Unknown | 2001-09-30 |
Movie | Stealing Time | Hank | 2001-06-17 |
Movie | A Woman's a Helluva Thing | Hank Luckinbill | 2001-06-13 |
Movie | Madison | Mayor Don Vaughn | 2001-01-23 |
Series | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Unknown | 2000-10-15 |
Series | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Unknown | 2000-10-06 |
Series | The Huntress | Unknown | 2000-07-26 |
Series | Providence | Unknown | 1999-01-08 |
Movie | Error in Judgment | Jack Albert | 1999-05-08 |
Movie | Runaway Bride | Walter Carpenter | 1999-07-30 |
Movie | Guinevere | Walter | 1999-09-12 |
Movie | Happy, Texas | The Judge | 1999-12-03 |
Series | Once and Again | Unknown | 1999-09-21 |
Movie | Clockwatchers | Bud Chapman | 1997-06-12 |
Series | The Practice | Unknown | 1997-03-04 |
Movie | Angels in the Endzone | Coach Buck | 1997-01-01 |
Movie | Telling Lies in America | Father Norton | 1997-08-02 |
Series | Ally McBeal | Unknown | 1997-09-08 |
Series | Dharma & Greg | Unknown | 1997-09-24 |
Movie | Loved | Leo Amerson | 1997-10-31 |
Series | Millennium | Unknown | 1996-10-25 |
Series | Early Edition | Unknown | 1996-09-28 |
Series | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Ralphie | 1996-09-27 |
Series | 7th Heaven | Red | 1996-08-26 |
Series | E! True Hollywood Story | Unknown | 1996-08-21 |
Movie | Waiting for Guffman | UFO Abductee | 1996-08-21 |
Movie | God's Lonely Man | Polo | 1996-01-01 |
Movie | Evolver | Jerry Briggs | 1995-02-10 |
Movie | The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | Senator Thatch | 1995-01-18 |
Movie | The Underneath | Ed Dutton | 1995-04-28 |
Movie | Out There | Emmett Davis | 1995-11-19 |
Series | ER | Unknown | 1994-09-19 |
Series | Duckman | Unknown | 1994-03-05 |
Movie | State of Emergency | Jim Anderson | 1994-02-21 |
Series | Chicago Hope | Unknown | 1994-09-18 |
Series | Grace Under Fire | Unknown | 1993-09-29 |
Series | Tales of the City | Herb Tolliver | 1993-09-28 |
Movie | A Dangerous Woman | Tupperware Salesman | 1993-09-10 |
Movie | My Boyfriend's Back | Big Chuck | 1993-08-06 |
Movie | Mother of the Bride | Richard | 1993-02-27 |
Movie | Cooperstown | Sid Wiggins | 1993-01-26 |
Series | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Enabran Tain | 1993-01-03 |
Series | Mad About You | Unknown | 1992-09-23 |
Movie | The Player | Paul Dooley | 1992-04-03 |
Series | The Ben Stiller Show | Unknown | 1992-09-27 |
Series | Batman: The Animated Series | Father Michael Stromwell | 1992-09-05 |
Movie | Perry Mason: The Case of the Heartbroken Bride | Asst. Dist. Atty. Robert Norrell | 1992-10-30 |
Movie | Shakes the Clown | Owen Cheese | 1991-08-28 |
Movie | White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd | Hal Roach | 1991-05-05 |
Movie | Guess Who's Coming for Christmas? | Doc | 1990-12-23 |
Movie | The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson | 1990-10-15 | |
Movie | Flashback | Stark | 1990-02-02 |
Series | Tales from the Crypt | Unknown | 1989-06-10 |
Movie | Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North | Robert McFarlane | 1989-04-30 |
Movie | Last Rites | Father Freddie | 1988-11-18 |
Movie | Lip Service | Gil Hutchinson | 1988-10-17 |
Series | Coming of Age | 1988-03-15 | |
Movie | Superman's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Man of Steel | John Buxton | 1988-02-29 |
Series | The Wonder Years | Pops | 1988-01-31 |
Series | The Murder of Mary Phagan | William Burns | 1988-01-24 |
Series | thirtysomething | Unknown | 1987-09-29 |
Movie | Big Trouble | George Noozel | 1986-05-30 |
Movie | Monster in the Closet | Roy Crane | 1986-05-15 |
Series | L.A. Law | Unknown | 1986-09-15 |
Series | ALF | Whizzer | 1986-09-22 |
Movie | Little Shop of Horrors | Patrick Martin | 1986-12-19 |
Movie | Stephen King's Golden Tales | Chester Caruso | 1985-10-19 |
Series | The Golden Girls | Unknown | 1985-09-14 |
Movie | The Steel Collar Man | Don Liddle | 1985-08-07 |
Movie | O.C. and Stiggs | Randall Schwab | 1985-01-01 |
Movie | Sixteen Candles | Jim Baker | 1984-05-04 |
Movie | Strange Brew | Claude Elsinore | 1983-08-26 |
Movie | Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art | Museum Security Guard | 1983-11-16 |
Movie | Going Berserk | Dr. Ted | 1983-09-30 |
Movie | Hansel and Gretel | Father | 1983-12-05 |
Movie | Kiss Me Goodbye | Kendall | 1982-12-22 |
Movie | Rumpelstiltskin | The Miller | 1982-10-16 |
Series | Faerie Tale Theatre | The Miller | 1982-09-11 |
Movie | Endangered Species | Joe Hiatt | 1982-09-10 |
Movie | The Shady Hill Kidnapping | Detective | 1982-01-12 |
Movie | See China and Die | Ames Prescott | 1981-12-09 |
Movie | Paternity | Kurt | 1981-10-02 |
Movie | Popeye | Wimpy | 1980-12-12 |
Movie | Health | Dr. Gil Gainey | 1980-09-12 |
Movie | Rich Kids | Simon Peterfreund | 1979-08-01 |
Movie | Breaking Away | Ray Stoller | 1979-05-24 |
Movie | A Perfect Couple | Alex Theodopoulos | 1979-04-06 |
Movie | A Wedding | Liam 'Snooks' Brenner | 1978-08-29 |
Movie | Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure | Gazooks (voice) | 1977-04-01 |
Movie | Slap Shot | Hyannisport Announcer | 1977-02-25 |
Movie | Fore Play | Salesman | 1975-03-01 |
Movie | The Dion Brothers | Doctor | 1974-06-16 |
Movie | Death Wish | Cop at Hospital | 1974-07-24 |
Movie | Up the Sandbox | Statue of Liberty Guard | 1972-12-21 |
Movie | The Out-of-Towners | Day Desk Clerk at Hotel | 1970-05-28 |
Movie | Man in the Square Suit | 1966-04-15 | |
Series | Get Smart | Unknown | 1965-09-18 |
Series | Bewitched | Unknown | 1964-09-17 |
Movie | The Parisienne and the Prudes | Ted K. Worrie | 1964-04-29 |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |
Series | The Ed Sullivan Show | Unknown | 1948-06-20 |