Joel Hodgson

Joel Hodgson (born February 20, 1960) is an American writer, comedian and television actor. He is best known for creating Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) and starring in it as the character Joel Robinson. In 2007, MST3K was listed as "one of the top 100 television shows of all time" by Time. From 2007 to 2013, Hodgson was part of the "movie riffing" project Cinematic Titanic with several of his fellow MST3K alumni, performing live and producing content for DVDs and direct download. He has also served as Creative Lead for Media at Pennsylvania technology firm Cannae. Early life and career Hodgson was born on February 20, 1960, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and later moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin. He was raised in an Evangelical Christian upbringing, and later claimed that the various shows his church would put on had a profound influence on his desire to become an entertainer. Hodgson began his career in seventh grade as a magician and ventriloquist. Joel performed for local events in Green Bay, and attended Ashwaubenon High School. Upon graduation, Hodgson moved to Minneapolis to attend Bethel University (Minnesota) to study Theatre and Mass Media. While there, Hodgson further developed his magic act by adding comedy and began opening for musical acts at Bethel as well as performing in coffee houses and comedy clubs. Hodgson cites a Theatre of the Absurd class at Bethel taught by Dr. David Horn for helping him crystallize the meaning of his comedy. In 1981 he won the Campus Comedy Contest and then the first annual Twin Cities Comedy Invitational in 1982. In November of the same year Hodgson moved to Los Angeles where he became a regular performer at the Comedy Store and the Hollywood Magic Castle, as well as the Comedy Magic Club. At the Comedy Magic Club, Hodgson was spotted by Late Night with David Letterman producer Barry Sand and three months later at age 22 had his network television debut. He later made four other appearances on the Letterman show, as well as four on Saturday Night Live as a guest act. Hodgson also was a featured performer on HBO's "Eighth Annual Young Comedians Special" hosted by John Candy along with Bill Maher, Paula Poundstone, and the Amazing Johnathan. He worked at the Comedy Store while in LA, also doing traveling stand-up in San Jose, San Francisco, Detroit, Kansas City and Minneapolis. Hodgson left stand-up in 1985, citing the need for a creative sabbatical, and moved back to Minneapolis.