Brandon Hardesty
| Brandon Hardesty | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Brandon Allan Hardesty April 13, 1987 Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for | Acting, directing |
| Website | [1] |
| Internet information | |
| Web alias(es) | ArtieTSMITW |
| Web hosting service(s) | YouTube |
Brandon Allan Hardesty (born April 13, 1987) is an American comedic performer and actor. Hardesty posts original comedy videos as well as "uncanny" recreations of scenes from movies, playing every part himself. The Village Voice writer Julian Dibbell has called his works "web culture at its finest."
Brandon Hardesty was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the youngest child in the family. Hardesty's mother collected silly hats and placed a suit of armor in the dining room "just for fun"; his father wrote jingles in addition to teaching music and directing the church choir. Hardesty's parents described him as sweet-natured, funny, and introverted. His parents withdrew him from his small Christian elementary school in second grade, fearing that the attending was too rigid for their son. Instead, he was home-schooled until middle school.
While at Baltimore Lutheran School, a teacher convinced Hardesty into acting in the school's theater productions, though he was too self-conscious to allow his family to attend his performances. He practiced his social skills while working as a cashier at Weis Markets, a nearby grocery store where he worked on weekends and after school.
In college, Hardesty majored in film, while making YouTube videos on the side. After attracting attention with his video, Strange Faces and Noises I Can Make III, a producer, Edwin Marshall, expressed interest in professionally representing Hardesty. The same video got national attention from a popular Geico commercial in 2007 and 2008. In late 2007, Hardesty auditioned for a role in the film Bart Got a Room. Shortly thereafter, Beverly Strong of Strong Management took over as Hardesty's manager, and represents him to this day, along with Nic De Armendi of JLA Talent. Hardesty no longer resides in Los Angeles. He currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland where he is pursuing a degree in early childhood education.
On YouTube, Hardesty goes by the username "ArtieTSMITW," which is an abbreviation for "Artie: The Strongest Man in the World," a character from one of his favorite childhood shows, The Adventures of Pete and Pete. His most popular videos are his Re-enactment videos, in which he chooses a movie scene, and re-enacts it, playing all the characters. One of his most popular and strikingly real performances is the drill instructor from Full Metal Jacket, originally portrayed by R. Lee Ermey. Another popular series is Strange Faces and Noises I Can Make, in which he demonstrates the strange faces and noises he can make. He has parodied the Internet sensation 2 Girls 1 Cup with "1 guy 1 lunchable".
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