Bruce Gerald Vilanch was born on November 23,1948 and is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor.
29 Facts About Bruce Vilanch
2.
From 2000 to 2014, Bruce Vilanch was the head writer for the Oscars, after being an Oscar program co-writer for the previous ten years.
3.
Bruce Vilanch is a featured writer for the Tonys, Grammys, and Emmys.
4.
Bruce Vilanch was born in New York City and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, where he was a graduate of Eastside High School.
5.
Bruce Vilanch is Jewish and attended Hebrew school, was a member of United Synagogue Youth, and had a bar mitzvah ceremony.
6.
For four years, Bruce Vilanch was head writer and celebrity square on Hollywood Squares, next to friend and client Whoopi Goldberg.
7.
Since 1980, Bruce Vilanch has been a reporter and columnist for The Advocate, writing both humorous and serious pieces.
8.
Bruce Vilanch later asked him to write for one of her upcoming Las Vegas appearances.
9.
Bruce Vilanch co-wrote the book for the musical Platinum, which briefly played on Broadway in 1978.
10.
Bruce Vilanch has contributed to concert shows starring Michael Feinstein, Bette Midler and Diana Ross.
11.
Also with Zarr and Morali, Bruce Vilanch co-wrote "Sex Over the Phone," a minor hit for the Village People that later became a cult favorite.
12.
In 2008, Bruce Vilanch co-wrote The Showgirl Must Go On with Midler.
13.
Stage and screen veteran Florence Henderson and Bruce Vilanch teamed for An Evening with Friends in 2010.
14.
Bruce Vilanch had a longstanding friendship with Henderson, writing for her one-woman show as well as several of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour episodes in the early 1980s.
15.
Bruce Vilanch wrote for the Academy Awards from 1989 to 2014, providing topical joke material for the show's hosts.
16.
Bruce Vilanch became head writer in 2000, serving until 2014.
17.
In 1975, Bruce Vilanch made his feature film debut playing a dress manufacturer in the film Mahogany, starring Diana Ross.
18.
Bruce Vilanch played himself in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons titled "Pokey Mom".
19.
Bruce Vilanch appeared in the third season of Celebrity Fit Club in 2006, losing 21 pounds over the course of the show.
20.
On RuPaul's Drag Race 3, Bruce Vilanch appeared as a guest judge dressed as Santa Claus.
21.
Bruce Vilanch played himself in the 2008 film, You Don't Mess with the Zohan and in Walk a Mile in My Pradas, a 2011 American gay body-switching romantic comedy film.
22.
In 2015, Bruce Vilanch played himself in a guest voice role on the Disney XD animated series Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero.
23.
Bruce Vilanch appears as a commentator in The Adonis Factor, the 2010 documentary by Christopher Hines about gay male body image.
24.
In October 2010, Bruce Vilanch co-wrote and hosted the Los Angeles PAWS fundraiser, "An Evening with Tab Hunter".
25.
In May 2017, Bruce Vilanch hosted the celebrity roast of Michael Musto which raised money for the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center.
26.
Bruce Vilanch has won two consecutive Emmy Awards for his writing of the Academy Award telecasts as well as an additional four Emmys for Outstanding Variety Show.
27.
Bruce Vilanch has been the recipient of a number of awards for his work in support of AIDS charities and LGBTQ rights charities:.
28.
Bruce Vilanch is known for his trademark look, which features long blonde hair, distinctive glasses frequently with brightly colored frames, and his collection of double entendre-themed T-shirts.
29.
Bruce Vilanch has often joked that, for years, he was compared to a Wookiee, especially after co-writing the Star Wars Holiday Special.