Actor, comedian and Michigan native Dave Coulier – perhaps best known for portraying Joey Gladstone or “Uncle Joey” for eight seasons on the hit ABC television series, Full House — will perform a family-friendly comedy show and share stories about his life and career when he visits Oakland University on Monday, Nov. 6.
Sponsored by the Student Life Lecture Board, the event is free for OU students, faculty, staff, alumni and the general public. Tickets are limited to four per person and can be picked up at the temporary CSA Service Window in the lower level of the Oakland Center (next to the Bear Cave). Doors open at 6 p.m. while the comedy show and lecture starts at 7 p.m. in the Banquet Rooms at the Oakland Center. There will be a meet and greet after the presentation.
“Dave Coulier is a local Michigander who made it ‘big’ in his career, yet has not forgotten his roots,” said Jean Ann Miller, director of the Center for Student Activities & Leadership Development at OU.
“We hope he will be a source of inspiration and motivation for OU students to follow their dreams and aspirations and be equally successful at it as he has been fulfilling his,” Miller added.
Born and raised in St. Clair Shores, Coulier got his start in stand-up comedy at Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods by impersonating the principal and other staff over the school’s PA system. He was also a member of the school’s varsity ice hockey team, playing defense alongside future NHL player John Blum.
Two years after graduating from high school, Coulier moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in stand-up comedy, and by age 19 he had become a regular performer at the Comedy Store. He also found work as a voice-over artist on several Saturday morning cartoon favorites, including Scooby and Scrappy-Doo (1979), The Jetsons (1985), and The Muppet Babies (1986-91), where he portrayed Animal, Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf and Statler, and Bean Bunny.
In 1984, Coulier began hosting his own series, Out of Control, on Nickelodeon and in 1987 he began voicing Peter Venkman on The Real Ghostbusters. That same year, he was cast as Joey Gladstone, the childhood best friend of Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) on Full House.
On the show, Gladstone moves in with Danny after the death of Danny’s wife, Pam. He helps raise Tanner’s three daughters — DJ, Stephanie and Michelle — along with Danny’s brother-in-law, Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos), who also moves into the home.
The role made Coulier a household name and introduced millions of viewers to his unique comedic style, which featured imitations of cartoon-character voices, such as Popeye, Bullwinkle, Pepe LePew, Elmer Fudd, and many more. Like Coulier, the character also had a passion for sports, particularly ice hockey.
“Dave is a huge Red Wings fan, and wore their jerseys on some episodes of Full House,” Miller said. “He’s also an avid fan of the Detroit Tigers and wore several Tigers throwback jerseys on Full House, including a Tigers old English ‘D’ cap.”
When Full House ended in 1995, Coulier followed up his success on the show by hosting his second prime-time hit series, America’s Funniest People, which ran on ABC for four seasons. He has also hosted ABC’s World’s Funniest Videos, Animal Kidding on the Animal Planet Network, and America’s Most Talented Kids on the PAX Network.
In addition to his hosting duties, Coulier continues to be a sought-after voice-over artist, with his credits including Pinky and the Brain (1996), Extreme Ghostbusters (1997), The Zeta Project (2002), Dexter’s Laboratory (2002), Teen Titans (2003), Felix the Cat Saves Christmas (2004), Robot Chicken (2005-16), Bob & Doug (2009), and China, IL (2011-15).
Coulier has also appeared on several popular television shows, including How I Met Your Mother, The View, Oprah: Where Are They Now?, Skating With Celebrities, The Surreal Life, Watch What Happens Live, Good Morning America, and The Today Show. He is currently co-starring on Fuller House, a continuation of the 1987-1995 Full House television series, which began airing on Netflix in 2016.