
Dooley was born Paul Brown in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the son of Ruth Irene (née Barringer), a homemaker, and Peter James Brown, a factory worker. Dooley was a keen cartoonist as a youth and drew a strip for a local paper in Parkersburg. He joined the Navy before discovering acting while at college. He is married to writer Winnie Holzman, with whom he has one daughter, Savannah Dooley (born 1985). Moving to New York, he soon found success as a regular on the stage. Also having an interest in comedy, Dooley was a standup comedian for five years, and a member of the Compass Players and The Second City troupe in NYC, as well as having brief stints as a magician and as a clown. Not afraid of trying different areas of entertainment, he also worked as a writer. He was one of the writers on The Electric Company and appeared in commercials. Besides appearing in many movies, including most notably Popeye, Sixteen Candles, and Breaking Away, Dooley has also appeared as a variety of recurrent characters on numerous television shows, including My So-Called Life, Dream On, Grace Under Fire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, ALF (playing Whizzer Deaver) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine where he played the recurring role of Enabran Tain. He guest starred in other prime time shows like Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, The Golden Girls, and Desperate Housewives. In 2000, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role as an eccentric judge on The Practice. He was also in the infamous alternate ending to Little Shop of Horrors, but was replaced by Jim Belushi in the final cut. In 2010, Dooley played the part of the head chef at Camp Victory, a fictional fat camp, on the short-lived ABC Family original series Huge.
Movie | The Great Buster: A Celebration | Himself | 2018-10-05 |
Movie | Cars 3 | Sarge (voice) | 2017-06-15 |
Movie | Other People | Ronnie | 2016-09-09 |
Movie | The Radiator Springs 500½ | Sarge | 2014-05-20 |
Movie | My Santa | Martin | 2013-11-29 |
Movie | Hiccups | Sarge | 2013-03-22 |
Movie | Cars Toons: Spinning | Sarge | 2013-03-22 |
Series | The Client List | Earl Hudson | 2012-04-08 |
Movie | Cars 2 | Sarge (voice) | 2011-06-11 |
Series | Huge | 2010-06-28 | |
Movie | Horsemen | Father Whiteleather | 2009-02-06 |
Movie | Bedtime Stories | Hot Dog Vendor | 2008-12-24 |
Movie | Chronic Town | Eleanor's Father | 2008-04-03 |
Movie | Sunshine Cleaning | Sherm | 2008-01-18 |
Movie | Bob & Doug McKenzie's Two-Four Anniversary | Himself | 2007-05-20 |
Movie | Hairspray | Mr. Spritzer | 2007-07-19 |
Series | Side Order of Life | Unknown | 2007-07-15 |
Movie | For Your Consideration | Paper Badge Sergeant | 2006-11-22 |
Series | The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman | Unknown | 2006-08-04 |
Movie | Mater and the Ghostlight | Sarge (voice) | 2006-07-27 |
Movie | Cars | Sarge (voice) | 2006-06-08 |
Series | Hopeless Pictures | 2005-08-19 | |
Series | Grey's Anatomy | Unknown | 2005-03-27 |
Movie | Come Away Home | Grandpa Donald | 2005-01-20 |
Series | Desperate Housewives | Unknown | 2004-10-03 |
Series | Boston Legal | Unknown | 2004-10-03 |
Movie | Nobody Knows Anything! | 2004-08-24 | |
Movie | Comfort and Joy | George | 2003-12-01 |
Movie | A Mighty Wind | George Menschell | 2003-04-16 |
Movie | The Perfect You | Larry | 2002-03-01 |
Movie | Insomnia | Chief Nyback | 2002-05-24 |
Series | Scrubs | Unknown | 2001-10-02 |
Series | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Unknown | 2001-09-30 |
Movie | Stealing Time | Hank | 2001-06-17 |
Movie | A Woman's a Helluva Thing | Hank Luckinbill | 2001-06-13 |
Movie | Madison | Mayor Don Vaughn | 2001-01-23 |
Series | The Huntress | Unknown | 2000-07-26 |
Series | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Unknown | 2000-10-15 |
Series | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Unknown | 2000-10-06 |
Movie | Happy, Texas | The Judge | 1999-12-03 |
Series | Once and Again | Unknown | 1999-09-21 |
Movie | Guinevere | Walter | 1999-09-12 |
Movie | Runaway Bride | Walter Carpenter | 1999-07-30 |
Series | Providence | Unknown | 1999-01-08 |
Series | The Practice | Unknown | 1997-03-04 |
Movie | Angels in the Endzone | Coach Buck | 1997-01-01 |
Movie | Clockwatchers | Bud Chapman | 1997-01-01 |
Series | Dharma & Greg | Unknown | 1997-09-24 |
Movie | Telling Lies in America | Father Norton | 1997-08-02 |
Series | Ally McBeal | Unknown | 1997-09-08 |
Movie | Loved | Leo Amerson | 1997-10-31 |
Series | Millennium | Unknown | 1996-10-25 |
Series | Early Edition | Unknown | 1996-09-28 |
Series | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Ralphie | 1996-09-27 |
Movie | Waiting for Guffman | UFO Abductee | 1996-08-21 |
Series | E! True Hollywood Story | Unknown | 1996-03-29 |
Movie | Out There | Emmett Davis | 1995-11-19 |
Movie | The Underneath | Ed Dutton | 1995-04-28 |
Movie | Evolver | Jerry Briggs | 1995-02-10 |
Movie | The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | Senator Thatch | 1995-01-18 |
Movie | State of Emergency | Jim Anderson | 1994-02-21 |
Series | Duckman | Unknown | 1994-03-05 |
Series | ER | Unknown | 1994-09-19 |
Series | Chicago Hope | Unknown | 1994-09-18 |
Series | Grace Under Fire | Unknown | 1993-09-29 |
Movie | A Dangerous Woman | Tupperware Salesman | 1993-09-10 |
Movie | My Boyfriend's Back | Big Chuck | 1993-08-06 |
Movie | Mother of the Bride | Richard | 1993-02-27 |
Movie | Cooperstown | Sid Wiggins | 1993-01-26 |
Movie | Perry Mason: The Case of the Heartbroken Bride | Asst. Dist. Atty. Robert Norrell | 1992-10-30 |
Series | The Ben Stiller Show | Unknown | 1992-09-27 |
Series | Mad About You | Unknown | 1992-09-23 |
Series | Batman: The Animated Series | Father Michael Stromwell | 1992-09-05 |
Movie | The Player | Paul Dooley | 1992-04-03 |
Movie | Shakes the Clown | Owen Cheese | 1991-08-28 |
Movie | White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd | Hal Roach | 1991-05-05 |
Movie | Flashback | Stark | 1990-02-02 |
Movie | Guess Who's Coming for Christmas? | Doc | 1990-12-23 |
Movie | The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson | 1990-10-15 | |
Series | Tales from the Crypt | Unknown | 1989-06-10 |
Movie | Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North | Robert McFarlane | 1989-04-30 |
Movie | Last Rites | Father Freddie | 1988-11-18 |
Movie | Lip Service | Gil Hutchinson | 1988-10-17 |
Series | Coming of Age | 1988-03-15 | |
Movie | Superman's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Man of Steel | John Buxton | 1988-02-29 |
Series | The Wonder Years | Pops | 1988-01-31 |
Series | thirtysomething | Unknown | 1987-09-29 |
Series | ALF | Whizzer | 1986-09-22 |
Series | L.A. Law | Unknown | 1986-09-15 |
Movie | Big Trouble | George Noozel | 1986-05-30 |
Movie | Monster in the Closet | Roy Crane | 1986-05-15 |
Movie | O.C. and Stiggs | Randall Schwab | 1985-01-01 |
Series | The Golden Girls | Unknown | 1985-09-14 |
Movie | Stephen King's Golden Tales | Chester Caruso | 1985-10-19 |
Movie | Sixteen Candles | Jim Baker | 1984-05-04 |
Movie | Hansel and Gretel | Father | 1983-12-05 |
Movie | Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art | Museum Security Guard | 1983-11-16 |
Movie | Going Berserk | Dr. Ted | 1983-09-30 |
Movie | Strange Brew | Claude Elsinore | 1983-08-26 |
Movie | Kiss Me Goodbye | Kendall | 1982-12-22 |
Movie | Rumpelstiltskin | The Miller | 1982-10-16 |
Series | Faerie Tale Theatre | Unknown | 1982-09-11 |
Movie | Endangered Species | Joe Hiatt | 1982-09-10 |
Movie | See China and Die | Ames Prescott | 1981-12-09 |
Movie | Paternity | Kurt | 1981-10-02 |
Movie | Popeye | Wimpy | 1980-12-12 |
Movie | Health | Dr. Gil Gainey | 1980-09-12 |
Movie | A Perfect Couple | Alex Theodopoulos | 1979-04-06 |
Movie | Breaking Away | Ray Stoller | 1979-05-24 |
Movie | Rich Kids | Simon Peterfreund | 1979-08-01 |
Movie | A Wedding | Liam 'Snooks' Brenner | 1978-08-29 |
Movie | Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure | Gazooks (voice) | 1977-04-01 |
Movie | Slap Shot | Hyannisport Announcer | 1977-02-25 |
Movie | Fore Play | Salesman | 1975-03-01 |
Movie | Death Wish | Cop at Hospital | 1974-07-24 |
Movie | The Dion Brothers | Doctor | 1974-06-16 |
Movie | Up the Sandbox | Statue of Liberty Guard | 1972-12-21 |
Movie | The Out-of-Towners | Day Desk Clerk at Hotel | 1970-05-28 |
Movie | Man in the Square Suit | 1966-04-15 | |
Series | Get Smart | Unknown | 1965-09-18 |
Series | Bewitched | Unknown | 1964-09-17 |
Movie | The Parisienne and the Prudes | Ted K. Worrie | 1964-04-29 |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |
Series | The Ed Sullivan Show | Unknown | 1948-06-20 |