Paul Dinello (born November 28, 1962) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and an alumnus of DePaul University, Chicago-based The Second City, Improv Institute, and Annoyance Theatre. He is best known for his role on Comedy Central's Strangers with Candy as Joffrey Jellineck, the closeted gay art teacher at Flatpoint High, who carries on a not-so-secret relationship with his colleague Chuck Noblet (Stephen Colbert).In 2003, Dinello co-authored the novel Wigfield with Amy Sedaris and Colbert, which they promoted by creating a traveling play.Most recently, Dinello has made guest appearances on Colbert's show The Colbert Report as Tad, the building manager. The character is often berated by Colbert, who forces him to do dangerous things. Dinello has made at least five appearances on The Colbert Report, including a tumbling act with Colbert and their Strangers costar Sedaris in July 2006. After a prolonged absence, Dinello returned as Tad on 12 July 2011 to help Colbert interview activist Dan Savage, in the role Colbert's "heterosexual accountability-buddy" and potential companion to a gay wedding. They resumed their insinuations of a sexual relationship from Strangers with Candy.Dinello was also a writer, producer and director for the Strangers with Candy film, which was released in July 2006. In January 2009, Participant Media announced it would produce Dinello's next film, Mr. Burnout (about a burned out teacher seeking to rekindle his love of teaching).He was one of the main cast in the show Exit 57, also starring Sedaris and Colbert. He also appeared as Mr. Rooney in the film Be Kind Rewind, alongside Jack Black and Mos Def.Dinello recently directed the Nickelodeon original movie Gym Teacher: The Movie, starring Christopher Meloni and Sedaris.Dinello co-authored Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People, published in 2010, with Amy Sedaris. He can be seen with Sedaris in the "Mummified Hand" episode of the Science Channel show Oddities.
He was nominated for a 1993 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Revue for "Truth, Justice, or the American Way", at the Second City Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
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An alumnus of the Second City and Annoyance Theatre in Chicago, IL.
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Strangers with Candy
2005
series Strangers with Candy / written by
The Wrong Coast
2004
TV Series story editor - 13 episodes
Strangers with Candy
TV Series created by - 30 episodes, 1999 - 2000 written by - 30 episodes, 1999 - 2000
Strangers with Candy: Retardation, a Celebration
1999
TV Short
Random Play
1999
TV Series additional writer - 3 episodes
Wheels of Fury
1998
Short writer
Exit 57
TV Series creator - 12 episodes, 1995 - 1996 writer - 1 episode, 1995
Stephen Colbert's Live Election Night: Democracy's Series Finale - Who's Going to Clean Up This ****?
2016
TV Movie written by
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV Series writer - 225 episodes, 2015 - 2016 written by - 3 episodes, 2015
The Colbert Report
TV Series writer - 773 episodes, 2010 - 2014 consultant writer - 193 episodes, 2005 - 2006
The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
2010
TV Special
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Stephen Colbert's Live Election Night: Democracy's Series Finale - Who's Going to Clean Up This ****?
2016
TV Movie supervising producer
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015-2016
TV Series supervising producer - 227 episodes
The Colbert Report
TV Series supervising producer - 773 episodes, 2010 - 2014 consulting producer - 1 episode, 2010
The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
2010
TV Special consulting producer
Bollywood Hero
2009
TV Series consulting producer - 3 episodes
Wheels of Fury
1998
Short executive producer
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Difficult People
2015
TV Series
Paul
The Colbert Report
2005-2014
TV Series
Tad / Dougie St. James / Pavlos
Gym Teacher: The Movie
2008
TV Movie
Mr. Tipple
Be Kind Rewind
2008
Mr. Rooney
Strangers with Candy
2005
Geoffrey Jellineck
The Wrong Coast
2004
TV Series
Various Celebrity Voices
Strangers with Candy
1999-2000
TV Series
Geoffrey Jellineck
When
1999
Strangers with Candy: Retardation, a Celebration
1999
TV Short
Mr. Sears / Nurse Troy
Wheels of Fury
1998
Short
Dusty Bits
Shock Asylum
1997
Short
Mr. Gaxton
Plump Fiction
1997
Jimmy Nova
Exit 57
1995-1996
TV Series
Various
Straight Talk
1992
Casey
Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Gym Teacher: The Movie
2008
TV Movie
Me & Lee?
2007
TV Movie
Strangers with Candy
2005
Wheels of Fury
1998
Short
Shock Asylum
1997
Short
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Colbert Report
2005-2006
TV Series consultant - 4 episodes
The Wrong Coast
2004
TV Series story editor
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Strangers with Candy
2005
lyrics: "Superconductor Made of Cans" / writer: "She's a Fig Neutron", "Schizophrenalize", "Betrayal", "Superconductor Made of Cans"
Exit 57
TV Series performer - 1 episode, 1995 writer - 1 episode, 1995
Editorial Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Colbert Report
2005
TV Series assistant editor - 1 episode
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Ass Backwards
2013
special thanks
Janeane Garofalo
1997
TV Movie special thanks
Smile If You Want More
1994
thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2016
TV Series
Himself
The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards
2013
TV Special
Himself - Winner: Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
Oddities
2010
TV Series
Himself
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2006
TV Series
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Cleanflix
2009
Documentary
Mr. Rooney
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2014
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
2014
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Variety Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
2014
PGA Award
PGA Awards
Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television
The Colbert Report (2005)
2014
WGA Award (TV)
Writers Guild of America, USA
Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) - Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
2013
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Variety Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
2013
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
2013
PGA Award
PGA Awards
Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television
The Colbert Report (2005)
2012
PGA Award
PGA Awards
Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television
The Colbert Report (2005)
2012
WGA Award (TV)
Writers Guild of America, USA
Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) - Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2016
PGA Award
PGA Awards
Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television
The Colbert Report (2005)
2016
WGA Award (TV)
Writers Guild of America, USA
Comedy/Variety - Talk Series
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015)
2016
WGA Award (TV)
Writers Guild of America, USA
Comedy/Variety - Talk Series
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015)
2015
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
2015
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
2015
PGA Award
PGA Awards
Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television
The Colbert Report (2005)
2015
WGA Award (TV)
Writers Guild of America, USA
Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) - Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
2013
WGA Award (TV)
Writers Guild of America, USA
Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) - Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
2012
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
2012
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Variety Series
The Colbert Report (2005)
2011
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series