Curtis Armstrong is an American actor, writer, and producer who has a net worth of $4 million. Armstrong is best known for playing Dudley “Booger” Dawson in “Revenge of the Nerds” (1984), a role he reprised in “Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise” (1987), “Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation” (1992), and “Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love” (1994).
Curtis has more than 160 acting credits to his name, including the films “Risky Business” (1983), “Better Off Dead” (1985), and “Ray” (2004) and the television series “Moonlighting” (1986–1989), “The Closer” (2011–2012), and “New Girl” (2013–2018). He hosted and executive produced the TBS competition series “King of the Nerds” from 2013 to 2015, and he is credited as a writer on “A Goofy Movie” (2005) and a 2000 episode of “The Famous Jett Jackson.” Armstrong has lent his voice to numerous animated projects, such as “Planes: Fire & Rescue” (2014), “The Terrible Thunderlizards” (1993–1997), “American Dad!” (2005–present), “The Emperor’s New School” (2006–2008), “Dan Vs.” (2011–2013), “Robot and Monster” (2012–2015), and “Monsters at Work” (2021). In 2017, Curtis published the memoir “Revenge of the Nerd: Or . . . The Singular Adventures of the Man Who Would Be Booger.”
Early Life
Curtis Armstrong was born on November 27, 1953, in Detroit, Michigan. He grew up in a Catholic household with mother Norma (a teacher), father Robert (a Navy veteran), and sister Kristin. Sadly, Robert passed away from COVID-19 in May 2020 at age 92. Curtis attended Berkley High School, and after graduating in 1972, he enrolled at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
Career
Armstrong made his big screen debut in 1983’s “Risky Business,” then he starred as “Booger” in 1984’s “Revenge of the Nerds.” In a 2006 interview with “The A.V. Club,” Curtis said of the film, “I owe a great deal to that movie and I loved making it. But I’ve said this a lot: That character is as far from me as it’s possible to be. People feel like they know who he is, and when they see me they just assume that I’m going to be like that guy. For me, to be that kind of anti-social misfit was something that I found to be a real challenge.” Armstrong followed “Revenge of the Nerds” with roles in 1985’s “Better Off Dead” and “Bad Medicine” and 1986’s “The Clan of the Cave Bear” and “One Crazy Summer.” From 1986 to 1989, he played Herbert Quentin Viola on ABC’s “Moonlighting” alongside Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis. In the ’90s, he guest-starred on “Murphy Brown” (1990), “M.A.N.T.I.S” (1995), “Lois & Clark” (1995), “Cybill” (1995), “Ellen” (1996), “Suddenly Susan” (1996), and “3rd Rock from the Sun” (1999) and appeared in the films “Big Bully” (1996), “Jingle All the Way” (1996), and “Safety Patrol” (1998). Curtis played a campus cop in 2002’s “Van Wilder,” and he portrayed Herb Cohen, Frank Zappa’s manager, in 2003’s “My Dinner with Jimi.” In 2004, he co-starred with Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller in “DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story” and portrayed Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun in “Ray,” which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Motion Picture of the Year.
Armstrong guest-starred on “Grey’s Anatomy” (2005), “Ghost Whisperer” (2007), “Psych” (2008), “My Name Is Earl” (2009), and “House” (2009), and from 2008 to 2013, he played Dr. Parker/Dr. Dawson on The CW series “The Game.” He appeared in the films “Man of the House” (2005), “National Lampoon’s Pucked” (2006), “Akeelah and the Bee” (2006), “Southland Tales” (2006), “Smokin’ Aces” (2006), and “American Pie Presents: The Book of Love” (2009), and from 2011 to 2012, he had a recurring role as Peter Goldman on the TNT police procedural “The Closer.” Curtis guest-starred on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (2010), “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2011), “Rules of Engagement” (2011), “Scandal” (2012), and “Bones” (2013), and he played Dr. Foster in 14 episodes of Fox’s “New Girl” from 2013 to 2018. He appeared in the films “Flypaper” (2011), “Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star” (2011), “Sparkle” (2012), “Malibu Rescue” (2019), and “Malibu Rescue: The Next Wave” (2020), and from 2013 to 2016, he had a recurring role as the angel Metatron on The CW’s “Supernatural.” In 2018, Armstrong starred on the YouTube Premium series “Champaign ILL,” and in 2021, he began voicing Mr. Crummyham on the Disney+ series “Monsters at Work,” which is part of the hugely successful “Monsters, Inc.” franchise.
Personal Life
Curtis was married to Cynthia Carle from 1980 to 1987, then he wed Elaine Aronson on January 2, 1994. Armstrong converted to Judaism after the wedding, and the couple welcomed daughter Lily in 1996. Curtis is a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, a literary society “dedicated to the study of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the Victorian world.” Armstrong is a fan of Harry Nilsson’s music and has written the liner notes for re-releases of some of Nilsson’s albums.
Awards and Nominations
In 2004, Armstrong won a Horror Genre Award for Best Actor for “Conversations” at ShockerFest. He received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for “Dan Vs.” in 2013, and the show earned him a Behind the Voice Actors Award nomination for Best Male Lead Vocal Performance in a Television Series – Comedy/Musical in 2014. Curtis also shared a Behind the Voice Actors Award nomination for Best Vocal Ensemble in a New Television Series with his “Robot and Monster” castmates in 2013, and that year he also earned a Best Vocal Creation of a New Character (First Time Being Animated) nomination for the series.
Real Estate
In 1993 Curtis paid $585,000 for a house in Los Angeles, California. Today this home is likely worth $3-4 million.
| Net Worth: | $4 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Nov 27, 1953 (68 years old) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Profession: | Actor, Voice Actor, Singer, Television producer |
| Nationality: | United States of America |