Chris Tallman

Since launching his acting career in the late 1990s, Chris Tallman landed dozens of roles across a wide swath of the television landscape. Best known for making multiple appearances as Gary the Klansman on the satiric cop show "Reno 911!" (Comedy Central 2003-09), he landed numerous roles on several other of the cable network's comedy programs, including "The Sarah Silverman Program" (2007-2010) and "Crossballs: The Debate Show" (2004), on which he served as host. Tallman also wrote, directed, and starred in the widely-popular Internet comedy series, "Time Belt" (Channel 101, 2003-04), which earned him a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2007 Channel 101 Awards. He may not be a household name, but through sheer hard work and dedication to his craft, Chris Tallman managed to carve out a successful career as a working TV comedy actor.

A native of Madison, WI, Tallman's acting career began in the small theaters in and around his hometown. He soon gravitated towards improvisational comedy, becoming one of the earliest members of the improv organization ComedySportz, and by the late '90s was landing guest spots on shows like "Spin City" (ABC, 1996-2002) and the fantasy cult favorite "Angel" (The WB, 1999-2004), among several others. In 2003 Tallman decided to turn his idea for a nerdy scientist that can travel back in time into one of the Internet's very first webseries. The series was called "Time Belt," and as the show's writer, director and star, Tallman wore various different hats during production. "Time Belt" ran from 2003 to 2004 on Channel 101, and had enough of a devout following for Tallman to be awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2007 Channy Awards. After "Time Belt" ended its eight episode run, Tallman returned to TV acting, landing roles on shows like "House M.D." (Fox 2004-2012), "Parks and Recreation" (NBC 2009-15), and "Community" (NBC 2009-15; Yahoo!, 2015). In 2013, Tallman joined the cast of the live-action superhero comedy "The Thundermans" (Nickelodeon, 2013- ). Tallman played Hank Thunderman, a doting father and husband who just also happens to be imbued with the ability to fly.