Toby Radloff

Toby Radloff is a file clerk who has worked at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He has become a minor celebrity owing to his appearances in Cleveland writer Harvey Pekar's autobiographical comic book American Splendor. Radloff has a distinctive manner of speech and quirky mannerisms. He is a self-proclaimed "Genuine Nerd", and is proud of it. The comic book appearances eventually led Toby to starring in a series of MTV segments throughout the 1980s and acting in the low budget, cult horror films Killer Nerd, Bride of Killer Nerd, and Townies. He also appeared on the cable access program The Eddie Marshall Show. He became a local celebrity for his takes on nerd topics such as cheese, yo-yo's, hamburgers, the internet, world politics and (of course) being a nerd.In the 2003 film American Splendor, the award-winning film adaptation of Pekar's comic, Radloff is played by Judah Friedlander, but also appears as himself in the documentary sections of the film.In 2006, Wayne Alan Harold released a DVD profile of Radloff called Genuine Nerd and the pair are currently filming another dark comedy called Aberration Boulevard. The longtime friends and collaborators also podcast regularly via the Lurid Podcasting System.On August 3, 2006, Radloff tried out to be the next "Wack Packer" on The Howard Stern Show, but lost in the finals because Stern and crew felt that he was too famous.He currently lives in Berea, Ohio.Radloff's distinctive mannerisms and dialect may have provided the inspiration for the popular Comic Book Guy character of The Simpsons. The voice of Homer Simpson, Dan Castellaneta, portrayed Harvey Pekar in the stage adaptation of Pekar's comic book series American Splendor. Some speculate this link between American Splendor and The Simpsons is more than just coincidence.