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 Water Is Finally Blue: The Untold Story of Robert Altman's O.C. and Stiggs | Self – Interviewee (voice) | 2023-07-17 |
Movie | Selfie Dad | Barber | 2020-06-19 |
Movie | The Great Buster: A Celebration | Self | 2018-10-05 |
Movie | Cars 3 | Sarge (voice) | 2017-06-15 |
Movie | Other People | Ronnie | 2016-09-09 |
Movie | The Holy Man | Lou 'The Bull' Devine | 2016-10-01 |
Movie | The Radiator Springs 500½ | Sarge (voice) | 2014-05-20 |
Movie | Spinning | Sarge (voice) | 2013-03-22 |
Movie | Hiccups | Sarge (voice) | 2013-03-22 |
Movie | My Santa | Martin | 2013-11-29 |
Movie | Turbo | The Foreman (voice) | 2013-07-11 |
Series | The Client List | Earl Hudson | 2012-04-08 |
Movie | Thanks | Hank | 2011-01-07 |
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 | Sunshine Cleaning | Sherm | 2008-01-18 |
Movie | Chronic Town | Eleanor's Father | 2008-04-03 |
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 | Mater and the Ghostlight | Sarge (voice) | 2006-07-27 |
Movie | Cars | Sarge (voice) | 2006-06-08 |
Series | The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman | Unknown | 2006-08-04 |
Movie | For Your Consideration | Paper Badge Sergeant | 2006-11-17 |
Movie | Come Away Home | Grandpa Donald | 2005-01-20 |
Series | Grey's Anatomy | Unknown | 2005-03-27 |
Movie | Madison | Mayor Don Vaughn | 2005-04-22 |
Series | Hopeless Pictures | 2005-08-19 | |
Movie | Nobody Knows Anything! | Warden | 2004-08-24 |
Movie | Employee of the Month | Reverend Ben Goodwin | 2004-01-17 |
Series | Desperate Housewives | Unknown | 2004-10-03 |
Series | Boston Legal | Unknown | 2004-10-03 |
Movie | A Mighty Wind | George Menschell | 2003-04-16 |
Movie | Touch 'Em All McCall | 2003-01-01 | |
Movie | Comfort and Joy | George | 2003-12-01 |
Movie | The Perfect You | Larry | 2002-03-01 |
Movie | Insomnia | Chief Nyback | 2002-05-24 |
Movie | I'll Remember April | Earl Schimmel | 2001-04-05 |
Movie | A Woman's a Helluva Thing | Hank Luckinbill | 2001-06-13 |
Series | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Unknown | 2001-09-30 |
Movie | Rennie's Landing | Hank | 2001-06-15 |
Series | Scrubs | Unknown | 2001-10-02 |
Series | The Huntress | Unknown | 2000-07-26 |
Series | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Unknown | 2000-10-06 |
Series | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Unknown | 2000-10-15 |
Movie | Runaway Bride | Walter Carpenter | 1999-07-30 |
Series | Providence | Unknown | 1999-01-08 |
Movie | Error in Judgment | Jack Albert | 1999-05-08 |
Movie | Guinevere | Walter | 1999-09-12 |
Series | Once and Again | Unknown | 1999-09-21 |
Movie | Happy, Texas | The Judge | 1999-12-03 |
Movie | Telling Lies in America | Father Norton | 1997-08-02 |
Series | The Practice | Unknown | 1997-03-04 |
Series | Ally McBeal | Unknown | 1997-09-08 |
Movie | Clockwatchers | Bud Chapman | 1997-06-12 |
Series | Dharma & Greg | Unknown | 1997-09-24 |
Movie | Angels in the Endzone | Coach Buck | 1997-11-09 |
Movie | Loved | Leo Amerson | 1997-10-31 |
Movie | Waiting for Guffman | UFO Abductee | 1996-08-21 |
Movie | God's Lonely Man | Polo | 1996-01-18 |
Series | E! True Hollywood Story | Unknown | 1996-08-21 |
Series | Early Edition | Unknown | 1996-09-28 |
Series | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Ralphie | 1996-09-27 |
Series | Millennium | Unknown | 1996-10-25 |
Movie | Evolver | Jerry Briggs | 1995-02-10 |
Movie | The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | Senator Thatch | 1995-01-18 |
Movie | The Underneath | Ed Dutton | 1995-04-28 |
Movie | Out There | Emmett Davis | 1995-11-19 |
Movie | State of Emergency | Jim Anderson | 1994-02-21 |
Series | Duckman | Unknown | 1994-03-05 |
Series | Chicago Hope | Unknown | 1994-09-18 |
Series | ER | Unknown | 1994-09-19 |
Movie | Cooperstown | Sid Wiggins | 1993-01-26 |
Movie | Mother of the Bride | Richard | 1993-02-27 |
Movie | My Boyfriend's Back | Big Chuck | 1993-08-06 |
Series | Grace Under Fire | Unknown | 1993-09-29 |
Movie | A Dangerous Woman | Tupperware Salesman | 1993-09-10 |
Movie | The Player | Paul Dooley | 1992-04-03 |
Series | Batman: The Animated Series | Father Michael Stromwell | 1992-09-05 |
Series | The Ben Stiller Show | Unknown | 1992-09-27 |
Series | Mad About You | Unknown | 1992-09-23 |
Movie | Perry Mason: The Case of the Heartbroken Bride | Asst. Dist. Atty. Robert Norrell | 1992-10-30 |
Movie | Frogs! | Twittenham | 1991-01-01 |
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 | The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson | 1990-10-15 | |
Movie | Guess Who's Coming for Christmas? | Doc | 1990-12-23 |
Movie | Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North | Robert McFarlane | 1989-04-30 |
Movie | When He's Not a Stranger | Ben McKenna | 1989-11-06 |
Series | Tales from the Crypt | Unknown | 1989-06-10 |
Series | The Wonder Years | Pops | 1988-01-31 |
Movie | Superman's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Man of Steel | John Buxton | 1988-02-29 |
Series | The Murder of Mary Phagan | William Burns | 1988-01-24 |
Movie | Last Rites | Father Freddie | 1988-11-18 |
Series | Coming of Age | 1988-03-15 | |
Movie | Lip Service | Gil Hutchinson | 1988-10-17 |
Movie | O.C. and Stiggs | Randall Schwab | 1987-07-10 |
Series | thirtysomething | Unknown | 1987-09-29 |
Movie | Monster in the Closet | Roy Crane | 1986-05-15 |
Movie | Big Trouble | George Noozel | 1986-05-30 |
Series | L.A. Law | Unknown | 1986-09-15 |
Series | ALF | Whizzer | 1986-09-22 |
Movie | The Steel Collar Man | Don Liddle | 1985-08-07 |
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 | Strange Brew | Claude Elsinore | 1983-08-26 |
Movie | Going Berserk | Dr. Ted | 1983-09-30 |
Movie | Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art | Museum Security Guard | 1983-11-16 |
Movie | Hansel and Gretel | Father | 1983-12-05 |
Movie | Endangered Species | Joe Hiatt | 1982-09-10 |
Movie | The Shady Hill Kidnapping | Detective | 1982-01-12 |
Series | Faerie Tale Theatre | The Miller | 1982-09-11 |
Movie | Rumpelstiltskin | The Miller | 1982-10-16 |
Movie | Kiss Me Goodbye | Kendall | 1982-12-22 |
Movie | Paternity | Kurt | 1981-10-02 |
Movie | See China and Die | Ames Prescott | 1981-12-09 |
Movie | HealtH | Dr. Gil Gainey | 1980-09-12 |
Movie | Popeye | Wimpy | 1980-12-12 |
Movie | Breaking Away | Ray Stoller | 1979-05-24 |
Movie | A Perfect Couple | Alex Theodopoulos | 1979-04-06 |
Movie | Rich Kids | Simon Peterfreund | 1979-08-17 |
Movie | A Wedding | Snooks Brenner | 1978-08-29 |
Movie | Slap Shot | Hyannisport Announcer | 1977-02-25 |
Movie | Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure | Gazooks (voice) | 1977-04-01 |
Movie | Fore Play | Salesman | 1975-03-01 |
Movie | The Dion Brothers | Doctor | 1974-06-16 |
Movie | Death Wish | Cop at Hospital (uncredited) | 1974-07-24 |
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 | What's So Bad About Feeling Good? | Vic | 1968-05-24 |
Movie | Man in the Square Suit | 1966-04-15 | |
Series | Get Smart | Unknown | 1965-09-18 |
Movie | The Parisienne and the Prudes | Ted K. Worrie | 1964-04-29 |
Series | Bewitched | Unknown | 1964-09-17 |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |
Series | The Ed Sullivan Show | Unknown | 1948-06-20 |