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CAST
DAVE THOMAS as DAVE MCGONICAL
Canadian-born comedian, Emmy-award winning writer, performer and director, Dave Thomas plays the irrespressible, but decidedly shady new owner of Molly’s Reach, ‘Dave McGonigal’, in The New Beachcombers. Thomas took on the role, sight-unseen, after a call from longtime friend Jackson Davies.Starting his career at ad agency McCann Erickson, after one year, Thomas became the head writer of the Coca-Cola account. He then moved from the Toronto office to New York at the request of agency client Coca-Cola. He left advertising after three years to work at Second City Company in Toronto with Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Gilda Radner and Eugene Levy. He subsequently co-founded NBC's critically acclaimed comedy series SCTV, along with co-stars Harold Ramis, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin and John Candy. During the show's five-year run, Thomas won an Emmy Award, 4 Emmy nominations for his comedy writing, an ACTRA Award for Best Variety Performer, and the Earl Grey Award in 1993.
With Rick Moranis, Thomas co-created the infamous McKenzie Brothers and co-starred in the cult hit comedy film Strange Brew(MGM). Strange Brew won the Golden Reel Award for the highest box office grossing movie in 1983. The duo won Gold and Platinum Albums and a Grammy nomination. Since the film's release in 1982, the McKenzie Brothers have become a 20-year-plus enduring franchise, and Thomas and Moranis have licensed the characters to the following companies - NBC, CBC, Polygram, MGM, Pizza Hut, Mr. Lubbe, Miller Brewing, Molsons Brewing, Todd McFarlane Toys and Disney.
Thomas has written, directed produced and co-starred in television shows for all the major networks - most notably The Dave Thomas Show (CBS) and Grace Under Fire (ABC). He was co-creator and co-executive producer of America's Funniest People (ABC). He wrote and directed the M.O.W. Ghost Mom(Fox) starring Jean Stapleton and Geraint Wynn Davies and starred in the M.O.W.’s Kids in the Woods(Disney) and Picture Perfect (ABC). He has voiced animated shows like The Simpsons, Duckman, Catdog, Dilbert, Animaniacs, Justice League of America for Warners and Tarzan for Disney. He has appeared in numerous feature films, including Stripes with Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, Spies Like Us ( Thomas was also co-writer with Aykroyd) with Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, The Experts (which he directed) starring John Travolta and Kelly Preston , Boris & Natasha with Sally Kellerman, Coneheads with Dan Aykroyd, and most recently Rat Race with John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg and Cuba Gooding, Jr. In 2001 he played a featured role in the theatrical feature films Who’s Your Daddy(Miramax) and Call Me Irresponsible(Norstar).
Thomas is currently voicing a major role along with Joaquin Phoenix and Rick Moranis in the upcoming full-length Disney animated feature Bears due for theatrical release in 2004 and writing a screenplay entitled Intern’s Diary set for production in early 2003.
In 1996 Mr. Thomas wrote a book, SCTV Behind the Scenes. It is currently in its second printing.
Thomas' production company, Maple Palm Productions, produced an Ace nominated comedy special for Showtime entitled The Time Travels of Henry Osgood starring Bronson Pinchot, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, Martin Short, and Joe Flaherty, a special for CBS in 1990 entitled Standup at Forty strarring Gary Shandling, Bonnie Hunt, Martin Short, George Plimpton and Richard Belzer. In 1992 Maple Palm produced another comedy special, this time for ABC entitled Inside American's Unsolved Mysteries. In 1994 Maple Palm produced a reality pilot for ABC entitled Family Challenge. ABC elected not to pick up the series , so Maple Palm produced 130 hour-long episodes of Family Challenge for the Family Channel with Woody Fraser. In 1999 Maple Palm Productions and Dave Thomas produced Ambushed a movie for HBO, starring Courtney Vance, Virginia Madsen, and David Keith, directed by Ernest Dickerson. Ambushed was the highest rated television show in its time slot when it first aired in 1999.
Currently Thomas is a partner in Animax Interactive, an online production company creating sponsored interactive content and designing Web Pages for such companies as Ford, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers and Verizon.
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