![](https://pplstatic.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/people/thumbs/P/pamela-adlon.jpg)
Quick Facts
Biography
Pamela Adlon (born 9 July 1966) is an American actress, voice actress, screenwriter, and producer. She is best known for her voice work, in particular as the voice of Bobby Hill on King of the Hill for which she won an Emmy Award, as well as the title character of Pajama Sam in the Pajama Sam video games. She is also known for playing Dolores in Grease 2 and Ashley Spinelli on the animated series Recess, and for her appearances on Californication and Louie, on which she is also a consulting producer. As of 2016, Adlon stars in the FX comedy television series Better Thingswhich she co-created with Louis C.K.. The series won a Peabody Award, and she has been nominated twice for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Early life
Pamela Adlon was born as Pamela Fionna Segall on July 9, 1966, in The Bronx, New York, to Donald "Don" Maxwell and Marina L. Segall. Her father, Don (1933–1994), was a TV comedy writer-producer and author of comic books and science fiction pulp novels. He produced The Dave Garroway Show, which became AM New York, and then The Today Show. He was a page at NBC with Gil Cates, and wrote erotic fiction under various pseudonyms, including "Troy Conway." Adlon's father was born to a Jewish family in Boston, Massachusetts, and her mother is English. Her mother converted to Judaism. Adlon said her parents met at the USO in Paris.
As a child, Adlon lived in the Carnegie House building at 100 West 57th Street. She has said that she and her family lived bi-coastally, moving between Los Angeles and New York because her father was a journeyman writer and producer for TV. She started performing at age nine; one of her father's friends had a radio studio, so she would do voice over work there, and while in Los Angeles, she did acting work. She attended Sarah Lawrence College for a semester.
Career
Adlon made her acting debut at the age of 16 as "Dolores Rebchuck" in the 1982 musical sequel film Grease 2, starring Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer. She then had a recurring role as "Kelly Affinado" in the sitcom The Facts of Life (1983–1984). This was followed by appearances in Bad Manners (1984), Willy/Milly(1986), Say Anything... (1989), Sgt. Bilko (1996), and Plump Fiction (1997).
After a successful career as a child actress, she struggled to find parts in her 20s, which led her to develop a voice-over career. She has said that voice-overs saved her career.
Adlon gained further acclaim and recognition for voicing the starring role of Bobby Hill in the animated comedy series King of the Hill (1997–2010), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 2002. Adlon also gained recognition for voicing Margaret "Moose" Pearson in Pepper Ann (1997–2000), Ashley Spinelli in Recess (1997–2001), Brigette Murphy in Milo Murphy's Law (2016–2019).
Adlon is recognizable for her husky voice, which led to her voicing young boys in numerous animated series and films. She voiced Baloo in Jungle Cubs (1996–1998), the title role in the video game series Pajama Sam (1996–2001), Lucky in 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997–1998), Hector MacBadger in Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks (2003–2007), and Andy in Squirrel Boy (2006–2007), among numerous others. She was nominated for an Annie Award for her role as Otto Osworth in the Cartoon Network animated comedy series Time Squad (2001–2003). She continued to voice characters in films, such as The Animatrix (2003) and as Vidia in the Tinker Bell film series (2008–2015).
Adlon had notable live-action roles as Emma Path in the ABC legal drama series Boston Legal (2007–2008), Marcy Runkle in the Showtime comedy-drama series Californication (2007–2014), and as Pamela in the FX comedy series Louie (2010–2015). She was also a writer and consulting producer for the lattermost series.
![](https://pplstatic.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/people/bio/P/pamela-adlon/Pamela_Adlon_-_Better_Things_(cropped).jpg)
Adlon's professional relationship with Louis C.K. began in 2006, when she played his wife in the short-lived HBO sitcom Lucky Louie. She starred as the friend of Louie (a fictional character based on himself, Louis C.K.) in his FX single-camera series Louie. She appeared in every season but the third. Adlon co-wrote seven episodes of the series and became a consulting producer. She earned a total of four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her work on Louie. She earned two nominations as a producer for Best Comedy Series, one nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for co-writing the episode "Daddy's Girlfriend Part 1", and one nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
In 2015, FX gave a pilot order for Better Things, a comedy created by and starring Adlon. She plays an actress raising three daughters. The pilot was written by Adlon and Louis C.K., who also directed it. It was picked up for a 10-episode series on August 7, 2015. The show, which premiered on September 8, 2016, is semi-autobiographical. Adlon directed and wrote a majority of the series' episodes.
The series received widespread critical acclaim and was honored with a Peabody Award. Adlon received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the first two seasons of Better Things. She also received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, and four nominations for the TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy.
Adlon was represented by manager Dave Becky until November 2017, when she fired him following his involvement in the Louis C.K. sexual harassment scandal.
Adlon had recent live-action roles in the romantic drama film First Girl I Loved (2016), the science fiction action film Bumblebee (2018), and the comedy-drama film The King of Staten Island (2020). She had a guest role as Mrs. Wolowitz in the CBS sitcom Young Sheldon (2017) and a recurring role as Dr. Leigh in the acclaimed NBC drama series This Is Us (2020).
Personal life
In 1996, Adlon married Felix O. Adlon, the son of German director Percy Adlon. They divorced in 2010 and he subsequently moved to Germany. They have three daughters who are also actresses: Gideon, Odessa (who now professionally goes by Odessa A'zion), and Valentine “Rocky”, to whom Adlon has said she is a single parent.
Adlon splits her time between the Upper West Side of Manhattan and Los Angeles.
In January 2020, Adlon became a citizen of the United Kingdom.
Filmography
Film
Title | Year | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Grease 2 | 1982 | Dolores Rebchuck | |
Bad Manners | 1984 | Girl Joey | |
SpaceCamp | 1986 | Girl in Launch Control Gallery | Uncredited |
Willy/Milly | Willy / Milly Niceman | ||
Say Anything... | 1989 | Rebecca | |
Kiki's Delivery Service | Ket (voice) | English Disney dub | |
After Midnight | Cheryl | Segment: "Allison's Story" | |
The Gate II: Trespassers | 1990 | Liz | |
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane | Pussycat | ||
FernGully: The Last Rainforest | 1992 | Fairy #2 (voice) | |
Bed of Roses | 1996 | Kim | |
Sgt. Bilko | Sgt. Raquel Barbella | ||
Father Frost | Marphuska | ||
Two Guys Talkin' About Girls | Tracy | Direct-to-video | |
Plump Fiction | 1997 | Vallory Cox | |
Princess Mononoke | Additional voices | English dub | |
Eat Your Heart Out | Samantha | ||
Some Girl | 1998 | Jenn | |
Waiting for Woody | Lyza | Short film | |
O' Christmas Tree | 1999 | Baby Bear (voice) | Direct-to-video |
Dirk and Betty | 2000 | Daisy | |
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust | Leila (voice) | ||
Gen¹³ | Additional voices | Direct-to-video | |
Recess: School's Out | 2001 | Ashley Spinelli (voice) | |
Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street | Direct-to-video | ||
The Trumpet of the Swan | A.G. Skinner (voice) | ||
Net Worth | Unknown | ||
The Animatrix | 2003 | Jue / Manabu (voice) | Segments: "Final Flight of the Osiris" & "Beyond" |
Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade | Ashley Spinelli (voice) | Direct-to-video | |
Recess: All Growed Down | |||
Brother Bear | Additional voices | ||
Teacher's Pet | 2004 | Trevor / Taylor / Tyler (voice) | |
Lucky 13 | 2005 | Brenda | |
Tinker Bell | 2008 | Vidia (voice) | |
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure | 2009 | Uncredited | |
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue | 2010 | ||
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures | Additional voices | ||
Conception | 2011 | Tay | |
Secret of the Wings | 2012 | Vidia (voice) | |
Dino Time | Ernie Fitzpatrick (voice) | ||
9 Full Moons | 2013 | Rachel Stevens | |
I Know That Voice | Herself | Documentary | |
The Pirate Fairy | 2014 | Vidia (voice) | |
Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast | |||
Truckin' | Perri Pinkston | Short film | |
First Girl I Loved | 2016 | Sharon | |
Best Fiends: Boot Camp | 2017 | Hank (voice) | Short film |
Best Fiends: Visit Minutia | |||
I Love You, Daddy | Maggie | ||
All Square | 2018 | Debbie | |
Bumblebee | Sally Watson | ||
Best Fiends: Fort of Hard Knocks | Bandit Slug (voice) | Short film | |
Best Fiends: The Immortal Cockroach | 2019 | Hank (voice) | |
Trouble | Rousey (voice) | ||
The King of Staten Island | 2020 | Gina | |
Holler | Rhonda |
Television
Title | Year | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Little Darlings | 1982 | Angel Bright | Television film |
The Facts of Life | 1983–1984 | Kelly Affinado | 12 episodes |
The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins | 1984 | Tatyana | Television film |
Night Court | Andy / Stella | Episode: "Bull Gets a Kid" | |
The Jeffersons | Stevie | Episode: "Try a Little Tenderness" | |
E/R | 1984–1985 | Jenny Sheinfeld | 3 episodes |
The Redd Foxx Show | 1986 | Toni Rutledge | 7 episodes |
Pleasures | Claudia | Television film | |
Disneyland | Jesse | Episode: "The Leftovers" | |
The Bronx Zoo | 1988 | Lisa | Episode: "Ties That Bind" |
ABC Afterschool Special | Jill | Episode: "A Family Again" | |
Wiseguy | 1989 | Tanya Medley | 3 episodes |
Star Trek: The Next Generation | Oji | Episode: "Who Watches the Watchers" | |
21 Jump Street | Dori the Psychic | Episode: "Old Haunts in the New Age" | |
Life Goes On | 1991 | Ruth Beale | Episode: "Armageddon" |
Down the Shore | 1992 | Miranda Halpern | 13 episodes |
Darkwing Duck | Heatwave (voice) | Episode: "The Frequency Fiends" | |
The Heights | Rosie | Episode: "Splendor in the Past" | |
Bobby's World | 1992–1998 | Derek Generic (voice) | 13 episodes |
Rugrats | 1992–2004 | Dean / Baby Drew Pickles / Additional voices | 7 episodes |
The Addams Family | 1993 | Mortimer (voice) | Episode: "Sweetheart of a Brother" |
Problem Child | 1993–1994 | Additional voices | 26 episodes |
Edith Ann: A Few Pieces of the Puzzle | 1994 | Irene (voice) | Television special |
Edith Ann: Homeless Go Home | |||
Duckman | Unknown voice | Episode: "Ride the High School" | |
Phantom 2040 | 1994–1996 | Sparks (voice) | 26 episodes |
Capitol Critters | 1995 | Violet (voice) | Episode: "If Lovin' You Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Rat" |
Jumanji | 1996–1997 | Rock (voice) | 5 episodes |
Jungle Cubs | 1996–1998 | Baloo (voice) | 21 episodes |
Adventures from the Book of Virtues | Zach Nichols / Boy (voice) | 26 episodes | |
Murder One | 1996 | Amy Scott | Episode: "Chapter Fourteen" |
Relativity | Marcy Sedaris | 2 episodes | |
Quack Pack | Dewey Duck (voice) | 37 episodes | |
Edith Ann's Christmas (Just Say Noël) | Irene / Tomas (voice) | Television special | |
The New Batman Adventures | 1997 | Mother / Sarah / Child (voice) | Episode: "Never Fear" |
Breast Men | Margaret | Television film | |
The Blues Brothers Animated Series | Bobby G. (voice) | 8 episodes | |
Recess | 1997–2001 | Ashley Spinelli (voice) | 129 episodes |
Pepper Ann | 1997–2000 | Moose Pearson / Additional voices | 30 episodes |
King of the Hill | 1997–2010 | Bobby Hill / Clark Peters / Additional voices | 258 episodes |
101 Dalmatians: The Series | 1997–1998 | Lucky (voice) | 42 episodes |
Cow and Chicken | 1998 | Cousin Sow (voice) | 3 episodes |
Hercules | Brutus (voice) | Episode: "Hercules and the Kids" | |
Oh Yeah! Cartoons | Pete Patrick (voice) | Episode: "Pete Patrick Private Investigator" | |
The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald | 1998–2003 | McNugget #1 (voice) | 6 episodes |
The Woody Woodpecker Show | 1999 | Lester the Termite (voice) | 3 episodes |
Todd McFarlane's Spawn | Judy (voice) | 2 episodes | |
Godzilla: The Series | Animal's Son / Female Soldier (voice) | Episode: "Future Shock" | |
Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot | 1999–2001 | Rusty (voice) | 26 episodes |
Rocket Power | 1999–2002 | Young Tito / Schoolgirl / Bawling Kid (voice) | 5 episodes |
Teacher's Pet | 2000 | Tyler / Tayler / Trevor (voice) | 3 episodes |
The Wild Thornberrys | Tano (voice) | Episode: "Cheetahs Never Prosper" | |
The Oblongs | 2001 | Milo Francis Oblong / Jared Klimer / The Debbies (voice) | 13 episodes |
The Wild Thornberrys: The Origin of Donnie | Saiful (voice) | Television film | |
Dexter's Laboratory | 2001–2002 | Beau / Brother / Kid (voice) | 3 episodes |
Lloyd in Space | 2001–2003 | Zoit (voice) | 3 episodes |
Time Squad | Otto Osworth / Additional voices | 17 episodes | |
Teamo Supremo | 2002 | Scooter Lad / Timmy / Patty Perkin (voice) | 2 episodes |
As Told by Ginger | Dustin (voice) | Episode: "April Fools" | |
Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks | 2003–2007 | Hector MacBadger (voice) | 46 episodes |
What's New, Scooby-Doo? | 2003 | Chris / Eddie / Janey Miller / Bobby Blather (voice) | 2 episodes |
Six Feet Under | Nathaniel / Isabel / Evil Nurse (voice) | Episode: "Everyone Leaves" | |
Kid Notorious | Unknown voice | Episode: "The Nazi Party" | |
All Grown Up! | 2003–2004 | Sean Butler (voice) | 7 episodes |
Bratz | 2005 | Roberta (voice) | Unknown episodes |
Unscripted | Pam | 4 episodes | |
Rugrats Pre-School Daze | Lucas (voice) | 4 episodes | |
Danger Rangers | 2006 | Carl / Martin (voice) | Episode: "Safe and Sound" |
Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Ashley Spinelli (voice) | Episode: "Lax: Experiment #285" | |
Lucky Louie | Kim | 13 episodes; also writer | |
Squirrel Boy | 2006–2007 | Andy Johnson / Additional voices | 18 episodes |
The Wedding Bells | 2007 | DeDe Stoller | 2 episodes |
Shorty McShorts' Shorts | Unknown voice | Episode: "Troy Ride" | |
American Dragon: Jake Long | Monica | Episode: "Game On" | |
Boston Legal | 2007–2008 | Attorney Emma Path | 4 episodes |
Californication | 2007–2014 | Marcy Runkle | 80 episodes |
WordGirl | Eileen / The Birthday Girl / Additional voices | 8 episodes | |
El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera | 2008 | Tattoo / Marni (voice) | Episode: "Wrong and Dance/Love and War" |
The Drinky Crow Show | 2008–2009 | Mademoiselle DeBoursay / Claire / Additional voices | 7 episodes |
Monk | 2009 | Sarah Longson | Episode: "Mr. Monk On Wheels" |
Ace in the Hole | Susanna Morella | Unsold pilot | |
True Jackson, VP | 2010 | Babs | Episode: "Little Buddies" |
Ben 10: Alien Force | Kevin's Mom (voice) | Episode: "Vendetta" | |
Zevo-3 | Angel (voice) | 2 episodes | |
Pound Puppies | 2010–2013 | Gwen / Taboo / Additional voices | 9 episodes |
Phineas and Ferb | Melanie / Additional voices | 8 episodes | |
Louie | 2010–2015 | Pamela | 14 episodes; also writer and producer |
The Mighty B! | 2011 | Murdock (voice) | Episode: Gorilla's in the Misdt |
Love Bites | Colleen Rouscher | 2 episodes | |
Mongo Wrestling Alliance | Acid Alice Kleberkuh (voice) | 8 episodes | |
Pixie Hollow Games | Vidia (voice) | Television special | |
The Problem Solverz | Sweetie Creamie / Additional voices | Episode: "The Mayan Ice Cream Caper" | |
Beavis and Butt-Head | Crystal / Sapphire / Additional voices | 3 episodes | |
Unsupervised | One-Eyed Donnie (voice) | Episode: "Field of Dreams... and Dogs" | |
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness | Fang (voice) | Episode: "Challenge Day" | |
ThunderCats | 2012 | Pumyra / Wolo Mother (voice) | 6 episodes |
Parenthood | Marleise Deigan | 2 episodes | |
Bob's Burgers | 2012–2020 | Olsen Benner / Additional voices | 16 episodes |
Out There | 2013 | Joanie Novak / Henrietta Miller / Astoria (voice) | 10 episodes |
Pixie Hollow Bake Off | Vidia (voice) | Television special | |
Uncle Grandpa | 2013–2017 | Mary / Additional voices | 4 episodes |
Chozen | 2014 | Unknown voice | Episode: "Beef" |
Sofia the First | Rosey (voice) | Episode: "The Enchanted Feast" | |
Rake | Glenn Shepard | 2 episodes | |
TripTank | 2014–2016 | Donnie / Wanda / Tina / Additional voices | 11 episodes |
Stone Quackers | 2015 | Binky / Mean Cop / Hawk (voice) | 2 episodes |
Teen Titans Go! | 2015–2019 | Rose Wilson (voice) | 4 episodes |
Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | 2015 | Drab Lieutenant (voice) | Episode: "It's a Colorful Life" |
Playing House | Pam | Episode: "Celebrate Me Scones" | |
Guardians of the Galaxy | Ma Raccoon / Sis Raccoon (voice) | Episode: "We Are Family" | |
Adventure Time | 2015–2016 | Gunther (voice) | 2 episodes |
Mr. Pickles | 2016 | Mary (voice) | Episode: "Cops and Robbers" |
Sanjay and Craig | Chido (voice) | 2 episodes | |
The Loud House | Tabby (voice) | Episode: "Dance Dance Resolution/A Fair to Remember" | |
Milo Murphy's Law | 2016–2019 | Brigette Murphy / Additional voices | 24 episodes |
The Big Bang Theory | Halley Wolowitz (voice) | 10 episodes | |
Better Things | 2016–present | Sam Fox | 42 episodes; also creator, writer, director, executive producer |
Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures | 2017 | Elan / Ymojin (voice) | Episode: "The Lost Crysals of Qalydon" |
Jeff & Some Aliens | Kiki / Alice / Additional voices | Episode: "Jeff & Some Love Simulations" | |
Star vs. The Forces of Evil | 2017–2019 | Various voices | 6 episodes |
Costume Quest | 2019 | Jackie Carver / Additional voices | 3 episodes |
Young Sheldon | Mrs. Wolowitz | Episode: "A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast" | |
Rick and Morty | Angie Flynt / Vermigurber's Child (voice) | 2 episodes | |
Pete the Cat | 2019–2020 | Mrs. Toad / Grumpy's Mom (voice) | 3 episodes |
This Is Us | 2020 | Dr. Leigh | 2 episodes |
Day by Day | Miss Carol | Episode: "Relocation" |
Video games
Title | Year | Voice role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside | 1996 | Pajama Sam | |
Fallout | 1997 | Nicole | |
Grim Fandango | 1998 | Carla / Pugsy | |
Pajama Sam 2: Thunder and Lightning Aren't so Frightening | Pajama Sam | ||
Pajama Sam's Lost and Found | |||
Arthur's Thinking Games | 1999 | Arthur Read | |
Arthur's Reading Games | 2000 | ||
Pajama Sam 3: You Are What You Eat from Your Head to Your Feet | Pajama Sam | ||
Escape from Monkey Island | Dainty Lady Figurehead | ||
King of the Hill | Bobby Hill | ||
Pajama Sam's Games to Play on Any Day | 2001 | Pajama Sam | |
Run Like Hell | 2002 | Jinx | |
LeapFrog: Phonics Program Series | 2002 | Leap | |
LeapFrog: Fiesta in the House/Town | 2003 | ||
Final Fantasy X-2 | 2003 | Shinra | |
Chicken Little | 2005 | Abby Mallard | |
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII | 2013 | Madam | |
Lego Dimensions | 2015 | Rose Wilson | Uncredited |
Awards and nominations
Golden Globe Awards
Year | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Better Things | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated |
Peabody Awards
Year | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Better Things | Area of Excellence | Won |
Primetime Emmy Awards
Year | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | King of the Hill: "Bobby Goes Nuts" | Outstanding Voice-Over Performance | Won | |
2013 | Louie | Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
2014 | Outstanding Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
2015 | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
2017 | Better Things | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
2018 | Nominated |
Writers Guild of America Awards
Year | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Louie | Best Comedy Series | Nominated | |
2013 | Won | |||
2015 | Won | |||
2017 | Better Things | Best New Series | Nominated |