Trivia - French Stewart

I’ve been obsessed with sitcoms since I was in diapers—seriously, name one and I’ve probably watched it (more than once). But few made an impression on me quite like the first few episodes of “3rd Rock from the Sun.” Created by the brilliant Bonnie and Terry Turner, this hilariously off-the-wall sitcom aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC—and it was like nothing I’d ever seen before.

The premise? Four eccentric extraterrestrials land on Earth (aka the third rock from the sun) and try to navigate life disguised as a typical human family. What could go wrong? Everything—and that’s what made it one of the wildest, most original, and side-splittingly funny shows of the ‘90s. I was hooked from the pilot, and to this day, I still crack up whenever I catch a rerun.

My favorite character? Easy. Harry S. Solomon—played to absolute perfection by French Stewart. With his squinty eyes, antenna-arm stances, and ridiculous one-liners, he stole every scene. As French once hilariously put it: “The way the character was originally described to me was he would be an idiot on any planet. So he’s got to be the biggest idiot in the universe!” Mission accomplished.

To celebrate my recent podcast interview with the man himself—French Stewart, (Episodes 115 & 116) who’s currently starring in the heartfelt new indie gem “Bob Trevino Likes It” (now playing in theaters)—we’ve put together a fun and fascinating Trivia Challenge all about his wild and wonderful career!

Think you know your 3rd Rock, your sitcom deep cuts, and your Stewart filmography? Dive in, test your knowledge, and rediscover why French Stewart is one of the most unforgettable comedic (and now dramatic) actors of the '90s and early 2000s. Let the trivia fun begin!

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French earned his Screen Actors Guild card for playing Yogi Bear with Hanna-Barbera's Shakey Quakey Tour. It was a short-lived career move though, as he was fired for pulling off his bear head in front of the children.

Stewart toured in regional theatre for seven years before breaking into television with the role of Razor Dee, a spaced-out DJ on the final season of “The New WKRP in Cincinnati” in 1992.

French is the only actor to appear in both “Stargate” and “Stargate Universe.”

The fictional facility housing the Stargate in the film was the largest set of the production, it was built and later filmed in the former Spruce Goose Dome located in Long Beach, California.

Stewart appeared on "MADtv" and guest-starred in the “Seinfeld” episode "The Opposite".

French attended West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M University) in Canyon, Texas for two semesters in 1982-1983.

He is an alumnus of the AADA (American Academy of Dramatic Arts), Class of 1985.

In 1996, he was cast on “3rd Rock from the Sun”, which lasted for six seasons, and where Stewart was noted for his talents at physical comedy.

In the episode on “3rd Rock From The Sun” where they go to New York City to start a different life, Harry gets a job as the President of NBC. As President, he arranges a new schedule for the spoof of “Will & Grace” (which is produced by NBC).

A lot of the sets on 3rd Rock were used more than once, hence the similar designs in some places. For example, the classroom used for Harry's (French Stewart's) night school was also Dr. Mary Albright's (Jane Curtin's) classroom.

John Lithgow, Kristen Johnston, and French Stewart are the only cast members who appeared in all 139 episodes of the series “3rd Rock From The Sun”.

During 3rd Rock's height of popularity, French appeared in numerous commercials and was a spokesperson for the beverage Clamato (a clam drink).

The story of how French Stewart came up with Harry's squinting look on 3rd Rock is somewhat of an accident. He had done his first audition for the show. Feeling the audition went well, he went home and decides to take a bath while smoking from his bong. His agent then calls him and tells him that casting wants to see him again right now. He asked his agent to stall them for an hour so he could get his head straight. When he returned, he had a more squinted look in his eyes. Casting noticed his squinting, but they liked the difference in his performance.

French had difficulty finding roles after this series as casting directors couldn't see him as anything other than the wacky Harry.

“3rd Rock From the Sun” costars Kristen Johnston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and French appeared in live-action movie versions of famous cartoon shows. Johnston played Wilma Flintstone in “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas,” Gordon-Levitt played Cobra Commander in “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” and Stewart played the title character in “Inspector Gadget 2.”

French Stewart took over the lead role of “Inspector Gadget 2’ (2003) from Mathew Broderick who played the character in the 1999 film “Inspector Gadget.” None of the actors from the first film reprised their roles, with the exception of D. L. Hughley, who returned as the voice of the Gadgetmobile.

The film “Inspector Gadget 2’ was shot entirely in and around Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

French starred in the Nickelodeon movie “Clockstoppers” which was the first feature film directed by Jonathan Frakes which was not part of the "Star Trek" franchise.

French appeared in the role of ‘Seaman Happy’ in the film “McHale’s Navy” (1997) which starred Tom Arnold. The film was based on the 1962–1966 television series of the same title. Ernest Borgnine was the only member of the series' cast to appear in the film.

According to his book "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor", Bruce Campbell mentioned that during filming of the film “McHale’s Navy” (1997) the McHale's crew were rarely given specific instructions in many scenes other than to follow Tom Arnold around. He and French Stewart were not given any direction at all for their sequence in the talent show, so they scripted out a vaudeville act using naval and nautical terms all by themselves. Despite this, most of their sequence ended up playing in the background while the camera focused on Arnold and Debra Messing.

In 2000 he was Nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program playing Icarus on Disney animated series “Hercules”.

He starred in the WB show “Charmed” as a genie at the end of season 2.

He was an executive producer for “Has Anyone Seen My Baby?,” a drama on the Lifetime network that portrayed the life of a woman who lost her child on an African safari in the early 1970s.

He guest-starred in the "Run Away Runway" episode of Disney's animated series “Phineas and Ferb” as fashion designer Gaston Le Mode (2008)

In 2013, he joined the CBS series “Mom” as series regular Chef Rudy. On the popular sitcom he was reunited with his 3rd Rock costar Kristen Johnston.

He has guest-starred on the TV show “The Middle” as Principal Cameron (2013 to May 13, 2015).

Jane Curtin and French costarred in the 2021 film “Queen Bees”

Stewart produced and co-starred in the dual role of Queen Victoria and Sigmund Freud in “Watson: The Last Great Tale of the Legendary Sherlock Holmes” at the Sacred Fools Theater Company, where he is a member, and was co-artistic director of its 2012–2013 season.

In May and June 2012, he appeared at Sacred Fools as Buster Keaton in the original play “Stoneface: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Buster Keaton,” written by his wife, Vanessa Claire Stewart.

The film, “Bob Trevino Likes It “(2024) was written and directed by Tracie Laymon.  inspired by the true, unexpected friendship that writer/director Tracie Laymon found when looking for her father online. Lily played by Barbie Ferreira is the onscreen version of Laymon, while John Leguizamo plays the role of the online friend. French Stewart also appears in the film, playing Lily's estranged father. The film premiered at the 2024 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 9, where it won the festival's Grand Jury Award and Audience Award in the Narrative Feature categories.

Some facts are taken from IMDB & Wikipedia.

Don't miss my fascinating interview with the incredible French Stewart! He shares wild behind-the-scenes stories, Hollywood chaos, and insights into his iconic alien squints in the latest two hilarious episodes of the Hollywood Obsessed podcast. You’ll find exclusive insights and stories that you won’t hear anywhere else!

Click the links below to listen now and get inspired!

Episode 115 - HERE

Episode 116 - HERE