Baum was a
football player at
UCLA but transferred to the
University of California, Davis to receive more playing time. At UC Davis, he earned a degree in political science while performing impromptu comedy routines in the school library and food commons. Bruce also performed as a singer/songwriter while at UC Davis, playing small clubs in and around the Sacramento area. He returned to UCLA to earn a master's degree in film and, while working on film school projects, became friends with comedians such as
Garry Shandling,
Robin Williams, and
Bob Saget. He joined the stand-up circuit in 1977, performing at
The Comedy Store. He also appeared frequently on the 1979-80 revival of the TV game show
Make Me Laugh. In 1981, Baum, billed as Bruce "Baby Man" Baum, recorded the comedy song "
Marty Feldman Eyes", a parody of the
Kim Carnes hit "
Bette Davis Eyes". He also starred as "Baby Man" in the movie
The Adventures of Babyman: Born To Be Raised. Other song parodies include "Don’t Cha Wish Your Boyfriend Was Bald Like Me?" and "Cowifornication",a parody of "
Californication". Baum has a band called
NogginBlast. From 1983 to 1984, Baum appeared several times as a panelist on
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. In 1986, he appeared with
Dallas stars
Jenilee Harrison and
Audrey Landers on
Super Password with
Bert Convy. Baum has appeared in several television programs since the early 1980s, including
The Stockard Channing Show,
Growing Pains,
Full House, and
Northern Exposure. He also appeared as an animated version of himself on
The Simpsons, guest-starring with
Jay Leno,
Janeane Garofalo,
Steven Wright, and
Bobcat Goldthwait in the episode "
The Last Temptation of Krust". Baum performed in short films and sketches on
Comic Strip Live and
The Sunday Comics for
FOX in the late 1980s and early 1990s, then appeared on ''
America's Funniest People on ABC. He also served as a creative consultant for three seasons of Whose Line Is It Anyway?''. == Bibliography ==