| Hal Magee Sparks III* was born September 25, 1971 as 1/2 Cherokee. Hal was raised in the humble little town of Peaks Mill Kentucky where he singed his eyebrows, got his left ear pierced three times (at the ages of 4, 8, 12) and got his first KISS album at age 5.
When he was 14 he and his father moved to Chicago, Illinois. He did not watch tv for the Sixteen days after graduating from highschool, Hal drove to California. While in California, Hal did stand-up in comedy clubs and coffeehouses by night, and chased down acting gigs by day. He earned small roles on such series as Lois & Clark and Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman--and a meaty part in the 1989 Billy Bob Thornton classic Chopper Chicks in Zombietown where he played Lance, a blind orphan with an uzi. ("I needed the money," he explains.) He also performed on stage in productions such as The Glass Menagenerie and Brighton Beach Memoirs Although the going was sometimes tough, he found alternate routes for his creativity by writing scripts, playing music and tinkering in his basement full of video- and sound-editing equipment.
Hal studied writing with John Truby's Writers Studio and has written and starred in his own sketch comedy pilot titled Here Comes the Neighborhood .
May 18, 2000, after ten months of hosting Talk Soup, Hal filmed his last episode. Hal decided to call it quits. It appears that he didn't exactly favor the material they showed on Talk Soup. Hal's immediate plans include a role in the independent film "Stages," directed by "Talk Soup" head writer Brad Gyori. He is also planning to do guest spots on the Oxygen channel game show I've Got a Secret and segments for MTV's Say What? Karaoke , while pitching two animated series and eyeing more regular TV and feature work. Hal is currently living in North Hollywood, studying kung foo san soo, which he practices with Sifu Jon Fong at a Los Angeles health club, and is working on a comedy and musical album. He doesn't drink milk or eat red meat, and prefers tofu and fish over chicken. Hal's top three rants are "Nutrition, Religion and Motivation," What Hal likes in a girl: "A sense of humor, good abs, small feet, brown eyes--don't trust girls with blue or green eyes! You just can't trust 'em. And I have a theory about women who dye their hair: She's probably trying to be something she's not." He also noted that he prefers brunettes over blondes.
Fathers Name: Hal Magee Sparks II ??? Father's Musical Talent: Is the member of a bluegrass band called The Buzzard Rock String Band Mother's Name: Cris McCray Mother's Occupation:Nurse ??? Mother's Musical Talent: Plays the auto harp Parent's Marital Status: Divorced Siblings: Sister Talk Soup: May 18, 2000, Hal filmed the last episode Television:
Nightstand(The Follow Up Show) ... Guest Star Film:
Lost and Found ... Co-Star Theatre:
Pretty Blonde Seeking Kurt Comedy Experiences:
Comic Relief's American Comedy Festival ... Sketch/Stand-up Marital Status: presently single
* His father would say Harry Magee Sparks III |
first time until he was 15! Before that he listened to old radio and comedy albums. He attended New Trier Highschool where he himself admitted to being a bad student. After failing all his finals, drama was the only elective open to him. Hal was in a production of The Elephant Man where he played Ross, the Elephant Man's owner. Hal was deepyly involved in Martial Arts for most of his life (Kung Foo San Soo, Wushu Kempo, Tae Kwon Do) and received his black belt at 16. As a member of the famed Second City Comedy Troupe, his quick wit and affable personality quickly gained him recognition and acclaim. Hal was voted "The Funniest Teenager in Chicago" by the Chicago Sun Times.
Earlier in his career he served as a gag writer for Fox Television's The Sunday Comics Hal wrote, produced and performed comedy segments for the Disney Channel's Omba Mokumba for two seasons. Hal auditioned to be on Talk Soup several times, each time getting an ambiguous response. However, the last time he tried, he was successful, and Hal became Talk Soup's host! Talk Soup fans are most likely to have caught a glimpse of Hal on NightStand, also broadcast on 