The Improv Trick was founded by nationally known actor/comedian/writer Bill Chott. He stands at 6’3”
Bill Chott is one of the few nationally known stars to permanently reside in St. Louis while still remaining successfully busy in Hollywood. His recent credits include a staring role in the Top Ten Farrelly Bros. film The Ringer,” Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place, all while voicing cartoons on Saturday Night Live.
Bill teaches all levels of improvisers from absolute beginners to successful working actors. He teaches improv to the Global Messengers of the Special Olympics, and Bill has coached some of the world's top executives in teambuilding, leadership, and communication. He has produced and performed in shows for Pepsico International, NatWest Markets, Tenneco, and GE. From time to time Bill also performs with Ed Reggi's Paper Slip Theatre.
In LA, Bill teaches and coaches for performers from MAD TV, Nickelodeon, Boston Legal and much more. He is a alumnus of Chicago’s Second City Conservatory and IO Theater. He has co-starred with such giant comedy names as stars as Dana Carvey, Steve Carell, Johnny Knoxsville and Katherine Heigl.
History[]
During his school years, Chott appeared in numerous plays and musicals. He continued appearing when he was in college at Central Methodist College in Fayette, Missouri, with starring roles in both comedic and dramatic plays and musicals. Leaving St. Louis in 1992, he headed to Chicago and immediately broke into improvisational theater at [ComedySportz Chicago]], IO Theater (formerly known as Improv Olympic), and became one of the creme de la creme of The Second City comedy troupe, where he studied at the Second City Conservatory with people such as Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. He was a student of Del Close, co-founder of The Second City.
Career[]
Bill toured the country with The Second City (alongside Tina Fey and Amy Poehler) which resulted in his appearance at a gig in New York City in 1995 with The Dana Carvey Show, reuniting him with Carell and Colbert. Working with fellow castmate Robert Smigel, he was cast as the announcer for the animated short The Ambiguously Gay Duo which continued on after The Dana Carvey Show to Saturday Night Live.
His movies (in chronological order) include Galaxy Quest, Dude Where's My Car, Dancing at the Blue Iguana, Brainwarp, Dante's Inferno, Wild Girls Gone, and The Ringer, his most notable character being Thomas the love-struck Special Olympian from The Ringer.
His television appearances (in date order) include The Dana Carvey Show, Third Rock from the Sun, Freaks and Geeks, Popular, ER, She Spies, Crossballs, Weekends at the DL, CSI, Wizards of Waverly Place, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and MONK.
His voice work includes The Ambiguously Gay Duo, Invader Zim, and Curious George (PBS series).