Jay Johnson

BIOGRAPHy

Ventriloquist and actor Jay Johnson is best known for his role on the television show Soap. He played Chuck Campbell, a ventriloquist who believed his puppet Bob was real and demanded everyone treat Bob as human. Jay also starred in Broken Badges, a Stephen Cannell CBS production. He played a psychologically depressed police officer who was also a ventriloquist. He has also appeared as a celebrity guest on many game shows and hosted two series of his own, So You Think You Got Troubles (1983) and Celebrity Charades (1979). Jay’s television roles also include guest appearances on the following: Mrs. Columbo, The Love Boat, Gimme a Break!, Simon & Simon, The Facts of Life, Empty Nest and Dave’s World. In 1999, he reprised his role of Chuck (and Bob) Campbell in an episode of That 70’s Show. Post-2000 appearances include: the 2001 TV Movie What’s Up, Peter Fuddy?, an appearance on Reno 911!, and the role of Christopher Davis—biological father of “The Miniature Killer” Natalie Davis—on CSI. Jay Johnson: The Two and Only, written and performed by Jay Johnson, opened on Broadway to rave reviews at the Helen Hayes Theatre on September 28, 2006. Johnson won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event for the show. He is the only ventriloquist to ever be nominated and win an American Theatre Wing Tony Award or an Ovation Award. Jay Johnson continues to tour the globe.

Career Path

1977	Landed his very first television role as Chuck Campbell on ABC's controversial sitcom 'Soap,' playing a ventriloquist who insisted his puppet Bob be treated as fully human, a character he inhabited for 56 episodes over four seasons.
1979	Hosted 'Celebrity Charades,' one of two series he fronted in the late 1970s and early 1980s, alongside 'So You Think You Got Troubles' in 1983.
1983	Starred in 'Broken Badges,' a Stephen Cannell CBS production, as a psychologically troubled police officer who also happened to be a ventriloquist, a role that let him extend his signature art form into dramatic territory.
1999	Reprised Chuck and Bob Campbell in a guest episode of 'That '70s Show,' reintroducing the beloved characters to a new generation of viewers.
2006	'Jay Johnson: The Two and Only' opened at Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre to rave reviews, a one-man show written and performed by Johnson that used ventriloquism to deconstruct and celebrate the art form itself.
2007	Won the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event for 'The Two and Only,' becoming the only ventriloquist in history to receive a nomination and win both an American Theatre Wing Tony and an Ovation Award; the original Bob puppet was inducted into the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History the same year.
2009	Featured alongside Jeff Dunham and other veteran performers in the comedy documentary 'I'm No Dummy,' directed by Bryan W. Simon, which examined the history and craft of ventriloquism.
2024	Brought 'The Two and Only' back to the stage with two live performances at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre during the Sedona International Film Festival, presenting the original Tony-winning cast of characters to a new audience.
1990s	Guest-starred across a broad range of network comedies including 'The Facts of Life,' 'Gimme a Break!,' 'Simon and Simon,' and 'Empty Nest,' building a steady television presence between stage work.

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