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Andrew Lauer

Andrew Lauer is an American actor and filmmaker whose career has moved comfortably between performing and working behind the camera. Born in Santa Monica on June 19, 1965, he acted from ages nine to 11 before stepping away in favor of a more normal childhood. He later captained his high school gymnastics team and became a triathlete, competing in events including Alcatraz, WildFlower and Malibu. Lauer attended San Diego State University before transferring to the University of New Hampshire, where he chose Theater & Arts and Journalism. While supporting his studies as a busboy at the New York Friars Club, he encountered the work of veteran comedians including Red Skelton, Milton Berle, Henny Youngman and Lucille Ball. After traveling through Europe and settling in New York to begin his career, he returned to Los Angeles in 1987 and developed his comedy skills with The Groundlings. His screen credits include Never on Tuesday, Born on the Fourth of July, For the Boys and Iron Man 3. He is probably best known as Charlie on the NBC comedy series Caroline in the City, a role that placed his comic instincts at the center of a network sitcom. Behind the camera, Lauer directed and produced the family feature Adventures of a Teenage Dragon Slayer, starring Lea Thompson and Wendie Malick. He also directed, wrote and produced The Tehuacan Project, a 2007 film about deaf children in rural Tehuacan, Mexico, narrated by Adrien Brody and Esai Morales and executive produced by his former college roommate Brad Pitt. His documentary Gridiron Heroes, about high school football players who suffered serious injuries, won Best Feature Documentary at the International Family Film Festival in 2015. Other filmmaking work includes the supernatural thriller Intermedio, the short film Little Cuba and Sahaya Going Beyond, a project about people fighting HIV in India. Taken together, Lauer’s career reflects a performer with firm comedy roots and a filmmaker drawn to both entertainment and real-world stories.