Early career Kattan was a member of several
improvisational comedy (improv) and
sketch comedy troupes, one of them being
The Groundlings in Los Angeles. His father was an original member of the troupe. Kattan also did some minor roles on TV, including the second episode of the second season of
NewsRadio, "
No, This Is Not Based Entirely on Julie's Life", as a photo shop employee.
1996–2003: Saturday Night Live received his star on the
Walk of Fame) Kattan moved to New York City to work on
Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2003. His recurring characters included
Mr. Peepers,
Mango,
Azrael Abyss, Kyle DeMarco from
The DeMarco Brothers,
Gay Hitler, and, most notably, one half of the
Butabi Brothers with fellow
SNL (and Groundlings) cast member
Will Ferrell, known for their trademark head-bobbing. Kattan and Ferrell continued the characters in the 1998 film
A Night at the Roxbury.
SNL celebrity impersonations Kattan's celebrity impersonations included
Clay Aiken,
Christiane Amanpour,
Antonio Banderas,
Andy Dick,
Larry Fine,
Bill Gates,
Ben Affleck,
David Gest,
Elián González,
Anne Heche,
Julio Iglesias Jr.,
Steve Irwin,
Chris Kirkpatrick,
Ricky Martin,
Al Pacino,
Kid Rock,
David Lee Roth,
Paul Shaffer,
David Spade,
Kerri Strug (also appeared in
Weekend Update with Strug as her fictional brother, Kippy),
Geraldo Rivera,
Robert Downey Jr.,
Queen Elizabeth II, and
Anthony Fauci. During his time on
SNL, Kattan starred in the films
A Night at the Roxbury,
House on Haunted Hill (1999),
Monkeybone (2001),
Corky Romano (2001), and
Undercover Brother (2002).
2004–present: Post-SNL work In 2004 Kattan appeared on
Broadway as Xanthias in
Stephen Sondheim's
The Frogs. He was later replaced in the role by
Roger Bart. Kattan appeared in a Diet Pepsi Max commercial during
Super Bowl XLII in 2008 that featured the song "
What Is Love" and had many actors in the commercial performing the head bob from
A Night at the Roxbury. In August 2009, Kattan starred in the
Independent Film Channel (IFC) miniseries
Bollywood Hero, where he portrays himself and the difficulties he faces after a career as a comic actor, trying to attain leading man status. From 2009 to 2014, Kattan appeared in a supporting role in the sitcom
The Middle as Bob, a colleague of Frankie Heck's at Mr. Ehlert's car dealership. Kattan appeared in an episode of
How I Met Your Mother as a star in "
The Wedding Bride", a fictional movie within the show. He played himself portraying Jed Mosely, the film's villain, which the screenwriter bases on his girlfriend's ex-fiancé, series protagonist,
Ted Mosby. He reappeared as the character in the fictional film's sequel,
Wedding Bride 2. On December 17, 2011, Kattan made a guest appearance on the
Saturday Night Live Christmas show, hosted by
Jimmy Fallon, and again briefly on the final episode of
SNL's 37th season. In June 2014, Kattan reprised his role as former
SNL character
Mango in a preview of the music video for
Sharaya J's "Shut It Down", featured in a fashion campaign by
Alexander Wang. In 2015, he voiced Kakie, a cake monster, in the film
Hotel Transylvania 2. From 2016 to 2018, Kattan voiced the title character in the animated series
Bunnicula. In 2017, Kattan was a contestant on
season 24 of
Dancing with the Stars paired with professional dancer
Witney Carson. He was the first celebrity dancer eliminated. Kattan reunited with fellow
SNL alumni Jimmy Fallon,
Horatio Sanz, and
Tracy Morgan during the December 18, 2018, cold open of
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which also featured
Ariana Grande, in a reprisal of their performance of "
I Wish it Was Christmas Today". It was the first time since 2011 that Fallon, Sanz, Kattan, and Morgan were all present for a performance of the song. In 2022, Kattan was announced as a HouseGuest competing on the
third season of
Celebrity Big Brother. In 2023, Kattan did voice work in the film
Leo as Alligator #1. ==Personal life==