Personal: Robert "Bobcat" Goldthwait was born May 26, 1962, in East Syracuse, N.Y., and is known for his neurotic and over-the-top characters that have popped up in movies (Zed in the "Police Academy" flicks), TV (the voice of Mr. Floppy in "Unhappily Ever After"), video (a deranged rocker in Twisted Sister's "Leader of the Pack") and on the stage as a deranged stand-up comic.
As a youth: Although Goldthwait didn't read a lot when he was young, he is trying to catch up these days when he's on tour.
As an adult: "I think reading is important," Goldthwait said. "I try to read while I'm on the road. And I also get into listening to books on tape."
Still, Goldthwait's livelihood requires reading and writing.
He's written episodes of "Unhappily Ever After," "The Moxy Show," "Save the Planet," the "HBO Comedy Half Hour" and the motion picture "Shakes the Clown" (which he also directed). And he acts in television programs and movies — "ER," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" on TV and the current film "Blow" — and has lent his voice to animated programs like "The Simpsons" and "Buzz Lightyear," so he says he has to know how to read.
For his child: "I think it is so important for kids to read," Goldthwait said. "It helps them in their development."
Goldthwait lives with his 14-year-old daughter, Tasha. "I read to her when she was small. But now she's doing things on her own. She loves her computer. And she gets a lot of reading material off that."
However, the improved technology does have its downside, according to Goldthwait. "The other day, she asked me a question and I told her to look it up in an encyclopedia. She looked at me and said, 'My computer crashed. So I can't.'"
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com