Patrick Warburton has arguably one of the most recognizable faces and voices in the entertainment industry.
From his iconic “Puddy” character on “Seinfeld” to the voice of paraplegic police officer Joe Swanson in nearly 300 episodes of “Family Guy” and greeting guests during the instructional video “Soarin’ Around the World” on Disney’s California Adventure, Warburton’s signature baritone voice and charming personality are unmistakable.
He’s endured decades of change in the acting world, proving that longevity may seem easy amid the uncertain ups and downs of abandonment culture, but his positive take on comedy has always helped him keep his feet on the ground.
Warburton firmly believes that “Seinfeld” jokes stand the test of time. “I think that’s why the show is in constant syndication and people love it. There’s always the way things change, and this and that… what would fly today? What flew yesterday can’t fly today,” he exclusively told Fox News Digital.
“I used to apologize for being on ‘Family Guy,’ and I no longer apologize because this world is horrible domestic satire. Everyone takes themselves too seriously and… I think in a lot of ways it becomes an overwhelming mess. But we need humor in our lives and we need love and humor, acceptance. It’s all pretty simple.”
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“Seinfeld” actor Patrick Warburton says: “We need humor in our lives.” (Getty Images)
“I used to apologize for being on ‘Family Guy,’ and I no longer apologize because this world is horrible domestic satire.”
—Patrick Warburton
Easy enough for the guy who played Elaine Benes’ boyfriend for 10 episodes on “Seinfeld,” but is still one of the most cited and memorable characters of the long-running series.
Years ago, Warburton told an outlet that he “desperately avoided” Jerry Seinfeld while he was on set for fear of saying something stupid.
“You know, it’s funny. You’re commenting on something that was actually in an interview in Australia,” he said. “I was working on a project down there and they asked me to work on ‘Seinfeld.’ And I said, “Oh, yeah, I avoided Jerry like the plague,” that’s… that’s the story. It’s like, everyone’s curious, “Why? You’re such a horrible person?” It was just because I knew how lucky I was to be on this show and I wanted to achieve my goals, get my laughs, get out there and just not be a problem and just let them say, ‘Let’s bring this guy back.’ .’ That’s what I wanted.”
The misguided remarks seemed to inspire no ill will in Seinfeld when the men met again by chance years later at a Manhattan restaurant.
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus portrayed Elaine Benes, while Warburton played her on-off boyfriend David Puddy in a number of “Seinfeld” episodes. (Joey Delvalle/NBCU Photo Bank)
“I was working on a project down there and they asked me to work on ‘Seinfeld.’ And I said, ‘Oh yeah, I avoided Jerry like the plague,’ that’s… that’s the story.”
—Patrick Warburton
While Warburton only starred in a handful of “Seinfeld” episodes, including the finale, he left a lasting impression on audiences. (oey Delvalle/NBCU photo bank)
“That was a few years ago. I was in New York doing press for ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events,’ and I happened to meet Jerry at a diner…a random diner,” Warburton recalled. “I got a pat on the back, and you know how your brain processes microcomputers? I was like, ‘I bet I know who this person is.’ It’s not just going to be someone saying, ‘Hey, Puddy, can I have your autograph?’ I turn around and there’s Jerry’s face six inches from mine.
“He says, ‘Are you here alone?’ I’m going, ‘ya.’ He says: “Come and join me; I’m having breakfast with Colin Quinn. Then I had breakfast with them and he says, “What are you doing tonight?” I say, ‘I don’t know.’ He says, ‘Come over for dinner.’ So I went to his house. I had dinner with Jerry and his lovely wife and their children and it was just a great evening.”
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His relationship with Seinfeld feels like a high five all round. Despite living on different coasts and growing up from significantly different backgrounds, they’ve recently found that they have a common denominator.
“I was raised very Catholic. My father was in the convent for three months. He almost became a monk…then decided it wasn’t his calling and wanted to do medicine. That being said, my mom was worse than my dad,” Warburton said. “I mean, she’s conscientious, so my mom’s always been about religion. Cut about two years ago when my wife does Ancestry.com, she finds out that I am actually 12.4% Ashkenazi Jew.”
Warburton has more than 100 votes to his name. (Amy Sussman)
Warburton said he was “very excited” to learn about his Jewish heritage and immediately picked up the phone to tell his pal Seinfeld that he was one of the chosen few.
“The first text I sent was to Jerry,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Hey, Jerry, I’m 12.4%.’ He immediately texted me back welcoming me to Yidland (a Yiddish term for Jewish land), so that was very nice.”
Warburton, who has more than 100 voice actors to his credit, said: “Working in voiceover gives you that opportunity, you know, because it doesn’t take a lot of time, you can usually fit into some works. There are things you pursue. I’m a Disney phile, so I love anything and everything Disney.
Warburton’s goal this year is to raise more than $4 million at his annual Celebrity Golf Tournament. (Brian to)
The actor puts everything he has into his work and gives just as much energy to his favorite project: The Warburton, an annual celebrity golf tournament benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
In its 13th year, Warburton has raised more than $22 million for the hospital, ensuring families are never billed for treatment, travel, room or board at St. Jude while suffering from childhood cancer and others life-threatening diseases are treated.
His goal this year as the premier celebrity golf tournament is to break the $4 million mark in entries – no easy feat. He has a few helping hands to support the mission, including Alice Cooper, Mark McGrath, and his nephew “The Bachelor” Zach Shallcross.
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“So golf is the big common denominator. You have your musicians, you have your sport, you have your athletes, you have your actors and you have your business people,” he said. “Everyone says play golf. I’ve found that with so many musician friends that I have, golf is such that if you survive the addiction and get to the other end of it, you end up playing golf every day of life.
“I’ve found that with so many musician friends that I have, golf is that if you survive the addiction and get to the other end of it, you end up playing golf every day of your life.”
—Patrick Warburton
Last year, Warburton’s 12th annual tournament raised $3.9 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (Avra Photography)
Patrick and Cathy Warburton recently celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary. They have four children. (Avra Photography)
“I know so many musicians who play golf every day, starting with Alice Cooper, and it’s a healthy addiction. They play golf. You watch TV, go to bed, wake up, repeat. I’ve met so many musicians golf. We have the big concert on Friday night and we had up to eight or ten members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on stage that same night. Some of my old friends that I’ve known for years performed here, you know, all the time, like Alice Cooper, Robby Krieger from The Doors, Mike Mills from REM.
He added: “We’ve had everyone from Mike Reno and Loverboy to Huey Lewis to Michael McDonald. Stephen Stills was the last to leave the stage at 1:00 a.m. a year ago.
He still thinks about golf, but making sure he can raise as much money as possible for the St. Jude Children’s Research Center keeps him going.
“We’re always raising the bar higher and higher and the goal is to make as much money as possible,” Warburton said. “In the early years we used to break our record every year and that was great. And then we realized that this is not sustainable. We can’t break our record every year. It doesn’t work that way, we did it again last year. So we’re going to do it again this year.”
As any devoted Puddy fan would say, “Yeah, that’s right.”
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