Pauly Shore

An entertainment career was virtually pre-ordained for Pauly Montgomery Shore. At age 4, he sat on the lap of The King himself in the company of his father, comedian Sammy Shore, who opened for Elvis during the early '70s. Around the same time, Pauly's mother, Mitzi, and father opened The Comedy Store on Hollywood's Sunset Strip, giving their son the rare opportunity to hang out and be inspired by such rising talents as Robin Williams, David Letterman and the late Sam Kinison, who became his mentor. At 17, Pauly began writing and performing his own material, creating the persona of "The Weasel," a character that quickly appealed to young audiences. While playing small roles in such movies as 18 Again and Phantom of the Mall, Pauly honed his comedy routine to a frenetic level, gaining the attention of MTV, which, in 1990, gave him his own show, "Totally Pauly." Pauly rose to national attention during a strong four-year run on MTV, also revealing his comedy chops on the 1993 HBO special "Pauly Does Dallas." His initial success on television led to a three-movie deal with Disney, beginning with the box-office hit Encino Man, co-starring Sean Astin and Brendan Fraser.