Emo Philips

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title: "Emo Philips" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1956-births", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "american-male-comedians", "living-people", "people-from-downers-grove,-illinois", "american-male-film-actors", "male-actors-from-chicago", "21st-century-american-male-actors", "american-stand-up-comedians", "comedians-from-chicago", "20th-century-american-comedians", "21st-century-american-comedians", "male-actors-from-dupage-county,-illinois"] description: "American actor" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emo_Philips" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actor ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Emo Philips
image	Emo Philips Opening for Weird Al Yankovic at the Apollo Theater (40964853051).jpg
alt
caption	Philips in 2018
birth_date
birth_place	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
occupation
years_active	1976–present
website
module	{{Infobox comedian
medium	Stand-up
genre
::

| name = Emo Philips | image = Emo Philips Opening for Weird Al Yankovic at the Apollo Theater (40964853051).jpg | alt = | caption = Philips in 2018 | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | occupation = | years_active = 1976–present | website = | module = {{Infobox comedian|embed=yes | medium = Stand-up | genre = Emo Philips (born Philip Soltanec, February 7, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His stand-up comedy persona makes use of paraprosdokians spoken in a wandering falsetto tone of voice.

Career

The character of Emo Philips appears as a fidgety, possibly mentally disturbed, nervous but highly intelligent individual. Philips constantly moves throughout the routine, often shifting from sitting to standing positions, wandering from end to end on stage, playing with his hair or clothing, or going as far as to partially undress as he delivers punchlines. His comedy, which is largely self-deprecating, is often delivered in a modulated falsetto. His look (occasionally described as geeky, disco and vaudeville-inspired), particularly his hair—a 1970s-style bob with straight-lined front fringe—has been a signature part of his appearance and act for most of his career.

Philips has recorded three comedy albums. His album E=mo², recorded live at Caroline's in Manhattan, New York City won the 1985 New Music Award for best comedy album. It was later re-released along with his Live at the Hasty Pudding Theatre album on a single CD. He also released an album called Emo in 2001. A joke of his was voted funniest religious joke ever in a 2005 online poll. In 2006, he appeared at the Newbury Comedy Festival. He was included in the top 50 of E4s 100 Greatest Comedians, and also appeared number 54 on Channel 4's top 100 greatest standups.

Aside from Philips's long career as a standup comic, he has been featured in acting roles on television series such as Miami Vice and The Weird Al Show. In 2006, he appeared on British television, as a guest on the panel game 8 Out of 10 Cats. Philips has several voiceover credits in animation, including the animated improv series Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist; improvised sitcom Home Movies; talk show parody Space Ghost Coast to Coast; scripted fantasy series Adventure Time as Cuber the mysterious storyteller; and the voice of Dooper in the animated series Slacker Cats. he has also appeared on four episodes of @midnight, in February 2015, April 8, 2016, a 1990s themed episode on September 26, 2016, and the finale episode on August 4, 2017.

He has appeared in feature films including 1989's UHF (as Joe Earley, a rather clumsy school shop teacher who accidentally saws his thumb off) and Desperation Boulevard in 1998. Additionally, he appeared in the original 1992 version of Meet the Parents (also executive producer) and was an associate producer of the 2000 remake.

Around 2001, Philips began to appear more often after a hiatus in the 1990s.

"Weird Al" Yankovic and Philips toured together throughout the US in 2018, in Yankovic's the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, and again in the 2022 iteration. On November 5, 2011, Emo married actress and screenwriter Kipleigh Brown.

Discography

• 1985: E=mo²
• 1987: Live at the Hasty Pudding Theatre
• 2001: Emo
• 2003: E=mo² plus the Entire Live at the Hasty Pudding Theatre

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table title="{{Screen reader-only|Emo Philips' film credits}}"]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Journey to the Center of the Earth	UHF	Meet the Parents	The Can Man	The Fan	Desperation Boulevard	Meet the Parents	The Aristocrats	Relative Strangers	The Seventh Python	Rise of the Kitchen Appliances	American Dirtbags	Dying Laughing	Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe	Weird: The Al Yankovic Story	Stalking Emo}}	Under the Smogberry Trees}}
1988	Nimrod	Film debut role
1989	Joe Earley
1992	Video Store Employee	Independent film
Also executive producer and writer of title theme song
1992	The Can Man	Short film
1995		Screenwriter
Direct-to-video
1998
2000		Associate producer
Remake of the 1992 film
2005	Himself	Documentary
2006	Guest at Hoedown
2008	Himself	Documentary
2014	Blender	Voice role
Short film
2015	Gundealer's Brother-in-Law
2017	Himself	Documentary
2020	Meeks Servant	Voice role
2022	Salvador Dalí
	Himself	Post-Production
	Himself	Post-Production
::

Television

::data[format=table title="{{Screen reader-only|Emo Philips' television credits}}"]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Late Night with David Letterman	Miami Vice	The Bob Monkhouse Show	Emo Philips Live! at the Hasty Pudding Theatre	Stand-Up America	The Max Headroom Show	The Secret Policeman's Third Ball	Showtime at the Apollo	Saturday Live (British TV programme)	Howard Stern's Negligeé and Underpants Party	2nd Annual American Comedy Awards	The Hippodrome Show	The Arsenio Hall Show	The Lowdown	Emo Philips: Comedian and Mammal	Molson Canadian Comedy Releaf	Amnesty International's Big 30	Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist	The Weird Al Show	Space Ghost Coast to Coast	Behind the Music	Home Movies	Late Show with David Letterman	Late Friday	The World Stands Up	Late Night with Conan O'Brien	Just for Laughs	8 Out of 10 Cats	Scott Bateman Presents	100 Greatest Stand-Ups	Slacker Cats	Iron Core Talk	Adventure Time	Review	TripTank	Funny as Hell	@midnight	Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom	SXSW Comedy with Natasha Leggero: Part 2	Welcome to the Wayne	Hunky Boys Go Ding-Dong	Le Lineup du Bordel	Crashing	Vendors
1984—89	Himself	Episode: "Dated 25 September 1984"
1985	Rat Race Contestant	Episode: "Phil the Shill"
1986	Himself	Episode: "#3.6"
1987	Himself	Television special
1987	Himself	1 episode
1987	Himself	Episode: "#1.5"
1987	Himself	Television special
1987	Himself	Episode: "#1.7"
1988	Himself	Episode: "#3.5"
1988	Himself	Television film
1988	Himself	Television special
1989	Himself	Episode: "#1.5"
1989—90	Himself	Episode: "9 February 1990"
1990	Himself	Episode: "Making People Laugh"
1990	Himself	Television special
1991	Himself	Television special
1991	Himself	Television special
1995—96	Emo	Voice role
2 episodes
1997	Dr. Philips / The Slawmeister	2 episodes
1998	Himself	Episode: "Curses"
1999	Himself	Episode: "Weird Al Yankovic"
1999—2004	Shannon	Voice role
3 episodes
2001	Himself	Episode: "October 5, 2001"
2002	Himself	Episode: "#2.12"
2004	Himself	Episode: "#1.2"
2004—05	Himself	2 episodes
2005	Himself	2 episodes
2006	Himself	Episode: "#3.7"
2007	Himself	Episode: "One"
2007	Himself	Television special
2007—09	Dooper	Voice role
10 episodes
2010	Himself	1 episode
2012—16	Cuber / Flour Demon	Voice role
6 episodes
2014	Georgie	Episode: "Revenge; Getting Rich; Aching"
2014	Karl	Voice role
2016	Himself	Episode: "#6.6"
2016—17	Himself	3 episodes
2017		Writer
Episode: "Welcome to Ben's Palace"
2017	Himself	Television special
2017—19	Dennis O'Bannon	Voice role
6 episodes
2018	Cecil	Television film
2019	Himself	2 episodes
2019	Himself	Episode: "The Viewing Party"
2019	Len	Television film
::

Video games

::data[format=table title="{{Screen reader-only|Emo Philips' video game credits}}"]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations
2015	Cuber	Voice role
::

Music videos

::data[format=table title="{{Screen reader-only|Emo Philips' music video credits}}"]

Year	Song	Artist	Notes	"It's All About the Pentiums"
1999	'Weird Al' Yankovic	Directed by 'Weird Al' Yankovic
::

References

References

1. Dessau, Bruce. (August 6, 2001). "Remember Emo Philips?". The Guardian.
2. "Emo Philips".
3. Rossi, Melissa. (October 1985). "Extraterrestrial comic? Nerd god? Or less?".
4. Philips, Emo. (29 September 2005). "The best God joke ever - and it's mine!". The Guardian.
5. ""Slacker Cats" Coming to ABC Family".
6. "Emo Philips".
7. "Weird Al's facebook page".
8. "Kipleigh Brown - IMDb".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::