Why Don Cholodecki From Bridesmaids Looks So Familiar

The cast of Kristen Wiig's uproarious 2011 comedy Bridesmaids contains plenty of comedy pinch hitters, including Chris O'Dowd (The IT Crowd), Ellie Kemper (The Office, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live), Wendi Academy Award nominee Melissa McCarthy, as well as dramatic actors with serious funny bones like Rose Byrne and Jon Hamm. As a matter of fact, the movie is stacked top to bottom with hilarious actors, even in its smallest roles, including Annie's (Wiig) boss, Don Cholodecki (Michael Hitchcock).

Throughout Bridesmaids, Annie's life, from her relationship with her best friend Lillian (Rudolph) to her pathetic love life to her career completely deteriorates, and when we first meet her, she's working a dead-end job at a local jewelry store rather than run her own bakery, which closed down. While at work, Annie is constantly picked on by her boss, perpetually — and unfavorably — compared to her younger, beautiful, and more personable Kahlua (Kali Hawk, best known for New Girl and Game Night). When Annie has a particularly contentious encounter with a young teenager that ends in profanity and disaster, Don is forced to fire her.

If Don looks familiar to you, there's a good reason why — Hitchcock is a serious comedy veteran who has appeared in some of the most popular funny movies around, and on top of that, this multi-talented performer has also worked as a writer on some of your favorite shows. Here's why Don Cholodecki in Bridesmaids, played by Michael Hitchcock, looks so familiar.

If you feel like Michael Hitchcock looks familiar but can't place him, it may be because one of his most iconic comedy performances was over twenty years ago. After appearing in comedy legend and director Christopher Guest's showbusiness parody Waiting for Guffman in 1996, Hitchcock was paired up with fellow Guest stalwart Parker Posey to play a high-strung couple in 2000, which takes on the high-octane world of professional dog shows. As Meg and Hamilton Swan, Posey and Hitchcock are saddled with a neurotic and troubled dog Beatrice, whose bad behavior is more than likely due to the fact that her owners are constantly making a scene in front of her.

After Best in Show, Hitchcock continued his streak with Guest and his band of regular actors, appearing in 2003's A Mighty Wind, 2006's For Your Consideration, and 2016's Mascots. Christopher Guest always assembles his same core cast for each project, and as a part of it, Hitchcock has become a comedy legend in his own right.

Hitchcock is plenty talented in front of the camera, but the truth is that he's actually just as talented behind the scenes as well. After appearing in the first season FOX's uber-popular acapella comedy Glee as a rival glee club director, Michael worked on the show in its writer's room, eventually moving from writer to consulting producer and then co-executive producer for its fifth and sixth seasons. He also appeared in a few more episodes throughout Glee's run, for good measure.

Years later, Hitchcock returned to the writer's room for the CW's dark comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, writing for all four of its seasons and moving from co-executive producer to full executive producer after its first two seasons. You can also catch Hitchcock on this smart, incisive musical show, playing eccentric conspiracy theorist Bert throughout its run.

Between Best in Show and popular shows like Glee and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, you've definitely seen Hitchcock somewhere before... but in case you missed those, you've definitely seen the actor in any one of the popular shows he's appeared in over the years.

Throughout his career, Hitchcock has appeared in an astounding number of comedies, including Space Force, Veep, Arrested Development, The Goldbergs, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Party Down, Black Monday, United States of Tara, Pushing Daisies, The League, and more. If you're a fan of MADtv — which launched the careers of Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele, among many others — you probably caught Hitchcock in one of his appearances on the sketch show, which he did while also working as one of the show's writers.

All in all, Hitchcock's performance in Bridesmaids is yet another testament to his comedic skills and prowess as an actor, and if you're curious about any of his previous roles, there's plenty to choose from. Bridesmaids is available to rent or buy on major streaming platforms now.