Bryan Callen: Assume the Position, Benefits of Tragedy, Body Language | Ep. 134

Align Podcast

Born in the Phillipines, Callen spent the first fourteen years of his life overseas in countries like India, Pakistan, Lebanon, Greece and Saudi Arabia, before moving to the U.S. He went to high school in Massachusetts and earned his B.A. in History at the American University in Washington D.C.

Bryan Callen has spent the last 17 years in Los Angeles fighting traffic because that’s where he seems to find the most work. (Bryan Callen is also writing this but making it seem like someone ELSE is writing this by referring to himself in the 3rd person) Callen got his start as an original cast member of MAD TV. He then went on to play numerous roles on the small and big screen including, “Old School” “Bad Santa”, “Sex and the City”, “Entourage,” “Californication”, “7th Heaven,” “King of Queens,” “Stacked,” “Las Vegas,” “West Wing,”“News Radio,” “Significant Others,” “CSI,” “NYPD Blue,”“Suddenly Susan,” and “Frasier.” He recently finished a two season character arc on USA’s“In Plain Sight”

Callen is not a famous actor but sometimes people look at him and scream “Bilson, ” since that’s the character he played on several episodes of CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother.” His most recent TV role was Captain Frank Dashell, leader of the Undead Task Force, in the short lived but critically acclaimed MTV comedy, “Death Valley”. He’s been recognized for that role exactly 4 times but who cares since he’s been recognized over one million times (I’m guessing) as EDDIE, the Middle Eastern owner of a wedding chapel in a little movie called THE HANGOVER. Not to mention his role as Samir, in HANGOVER II where he played basically the same exact character only Samir had thick, curly, hair and darker skin which is actually a good look on Callen considering his Irish/Italian heritage has left him with a ruddy complexion and thinning, mouse-brown hair. His most recent role on the big screen was in the Lion’s Gate drama WARRIOR where he did an excellent job playing himself.

Between acting gigs Callen spends his time power lifting, taming lions, vanquishing evil and making people laugh as a stand up comic. That’s why he can currently be seen on SHOWTIME performing a stand up comedy special called MAN CLASS.