Life and Career
Kazurinsky was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, but spent most of his childhood in Australia, where he lived until the age of 16. At age 11, Kazurinsky attended the Huntley Evans School of Performing Arts, where he studied the creative arts for six months before quitting due to intense hazing.
Kazurinsky worked in St. Louis, Missouri, as an advertising executive and copywriter for a department store chain. He moved to Chicago to start a comedy career and joined the Second City mainstage in 1978. He was discovered by Saturday Night Live and joined SNL as a writer and cast member in 1981. A producer at SNL, who was also a friend of Kazurinsky's, bumped Paul Reubens (later known for his character Pee-wee Herman), from the line-up and put Kazurinsky in his place.
On Saturday Night Live, Kazurinsky played various characters and was known for his celebrity impersonations. There were reports that he often clashed with then-executive producer Dick Ebersol regarding the show's creative direction. In 1984, he decided to leave SNL due to creative differences with the producers.
Read more about this topic: Tim Kazurinsky
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