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Jim Staahl (born March 20, 1947) is a writer and actor who portrayed Mindy's ambitious politician cousin, Nelson Flavor in Seasons 2 and 3 of Mork and Mindy, in addition to writing the episode I Heard it Through the Morkvine


Biography[]

Jim, is a native of Evanston, Illinois After High School he became a Theatre Arts major at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received his B.A. in Theatre Arts with a Minor in Radio and Television from the University of Illinois.

He is a Writers Guild of America (WGA) Board Member and a current member of the WGA Waiver Committee.

Jim continues to write and perform but has also taken on a Teaching role, serving as an Emeritus Adjunct Associate Professor at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, and as an instructor at UCLA Writers Extension Program.

Career[]

He began his professional career as a resident member of Chicago's Second City Theater. He stayed with Second city for 5 years, and his Second City resident company’s cast included Betty Thomas, Eugenie Ross Leming, Anne Ryerson, David Rasche, John Candy, Bill Murray and Tino Insana, and he also wrote for SCTV, and roles as writer and performer would often overlap.

As Writer[]

Staahl performed and wrote for an array of Variety shows starring Steve Allen, Sid Caesar, Martin Mull, Steve Martin, and Marty Short. Jim was also a co-head writer for shows that starred John Candy, Mike Myers, Howie Mandel, Fred Willard and Louie Anderson. He served as a writer on the Steve Martin led anthology skit show Twilight Theatre in 1982, in which Pam Dawber appeared. Jim was also the star and co-head writer of his own series, Laugh Trax.

Jim's half hour writing credits include Mork and Mindy, Married People, Lightning Force, The Searcher, Charles In Charge, Young Hercules, Sledge Hammer and Lightning Force. Staahl has also written numerous TV pilots for NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX. He received two Emmy nominations for writing on Bobby's World, an animated series he co-created with Howie Mandel and co-produced for 8 years. Staahl has written animation series for Disney, Sony Wonder, Warner Brothers, Film Roman, DIC and Dream Works. He also co-wrote multiple episodes for Emmy Award winning Disney series, Teacher's Pet. Feature writing credits include Here Come the Munsters, The Beverly Hillbillies, Under Surveillance, Star Kid II and Blow Hard.

As Performer[]

He left SC with fellow alumni Jim Fisher and Tino Insana, to form a comedy trio, 'The Graduates'. They performed on college campuses, clubs and in corporate presentations across the country and on numerous television shows, including “The Tonight Show” although as Staahl recalls this potential shot at the big time had the the misfortune to fall on the first Tuesday in November, a Presidential Election Day, meaning their show didn't air till 3am.[2] The Graduates eventually broke up because the life on the road became to arduous. However Jim continued on with Jim Fisher as a writing team.

Jim's first onscreen acting credit came in the anthology piece Cracking Up (1977) with a host of other improv and comic actors, Aside from Mork & Mindy, as an actor Jim has numerous network appearances and was a series regular on network series: CBS-TV's Goodnight Beantown and Normal Life, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. he has also made appearances in Faerie Tale Theatre, It's a Living, Goof Troop, and King of Queens among other shows and TV Movies, His most recent TV appearance being in 2018 The G Spot

Staahl has also appeared in a number of features including Spies Like Us, Max Dugan Returns, Airplane II, and Night Shift.

Mork & Mindy: Landing Nelson[]

Jim helped to start an improv group at the Comedy Store in Hollywood with Cherie Eichen, Marty Short, Taylor Negron and Robin Williams, and it was through this connection that he ended up getting an audition for Mork and Mindy:

"Robin told me they were adding a character and got me an audition. I was so nervous for the screen test. Just when the screen test is half way, Robin bounds onto the set and starts improvising with me. I was freaked, thinking, this isn’t the time to screw around, this is my life here.

But, like any improviser you go with the moment so I played along. The taping was a disaster but I landed the job."

References[]

External Links[]

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