Charles Fleischer

Charles Fleischer (born August 27, 1950) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, and writer, best known for his recurring role as Carvelli in Welcome Back, Kotter, and for appearing in films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Polar Express, Rango, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, and We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story. He made a cameo in Back to the Future Part II and also reprised the role of Roger Rabbit in the Roger Rabbit theatrical shorts. After beginning his career on the comedy club circuit, Charles Fleischer's first big break in comedy television came when he made an appearance on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.

Fleischer was born in Washington, D.C., on August 27, 1950. He studied medicine at Stony Brook Southampton, then part of Long Island University, before transferring to study acting at Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University).

Fleischer began performing stand up comedy as a child. His first appearance was at Camp Kewanee in Pennsylvania, at the age of nine. After studying at Southampton College and training as an actor at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, he moved to Los Angeles in 1970 to pursue a career in comedy. In the 1970s he became a regular on the Los Angels comedy circuit, appearing on programmes including Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and the comedy series Keep On Truckin'.

Fleischer is best known as the voices of Roger Rabbit, Benny the Cab, Greasy, and Psycho in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. After the film's success, he continued to perform the voice of Roger in several Disney television and theme park appearances at several of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and in three follow-up shorts. Other voice roles for Fleischer include The Polar Express and We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story. Notable on-screen roles include Back to the Future Part II and Gridlock'd.

Fleischer had a recurring role on the 1970s TV series Welcome Back, Kotter as Carvelli, as Chuck on the ABC series Laverne & Shirley, and on the Disney cartoon series House of Mouse as the voice of Benny the Cab. Fleischer's first Laugh-In appearance was on January 15, 1973, where he played his homemade musical instruments made from lead pipe and shower wands. He then landed a spot on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on May 15, 1974. He was also a regular on Keep on Truckin'. He guest-starred on The Weird Al Show as a guy in a band. He also appeared on the short-lived Saturday morning show, Wacko.

Fleischer is the originator of the quote "If you remember the '60s, you really weren't there", which has been widely mis-attributed to various other celebrities.

He performed the role of a televangelist on "What God Wants, Part II", on Roger Waters' 1992 album Amused to Death.

Fleischer married Sheryl Strassman in 1977 and divorced in 2006. Together they have two daughters.

"Can Sequentially Linked Gamma-Ray Bursts Nullify Randomness?" (2012), paper submitted to Cornell University