John Ross Bowie is known for everything from “The Big Bang Theory,” where he played Sheldon’s nemesis Barry Kripke, to the harried dad on “Speechless,” to numerous guest roles on “The Neighborhood” and “Veep” and “Grace and Frankie” and “The Rookie.” He’s also the author of a new memoir titled “No Job for a Man,” a phrase his father often used when talking about the acting profession.
“I think he deep down harbored a wish to go into a more creative field,” said Bowie. “He spent most of life working in the paper industry, very similar to what Michael Scott (on ‘The Office’) did, and he didn’t enjoy the job at all. And at one point, he said he would rather get a laugh than a sale.”
Bowie had the same creative aspirations — and fears — as his father, which is why he spent most of his 20s trying other things. He taught at his old high school. Then he had a series of corporate jobs. Then: “A friend of mine had been riding me to try improv classes. It was the strangest nothing-left-to-lose moment: I’m incredibly depressed, let’s go into comedy.” He’s been a working actor since 1999.
