The Official Website of Jeffrey Combs

QUICK LINKS

Jeff’s Upcoming Projects
___
If life were perfect, next month would mark the fifth season premiere of The 4400. This is sadly not the case as the show was abruptly and officially cancelled last December. There has been a strong fan effort to try and renew the show, and Jeff has openly given his moral support to the cause, but it has all unfortunately fallen on deaf ears. That said, we still have four wonderful seasons of the program to enjoy.

The 4400 has detailed, rich storylines, great characters, and really interesting plot twists. This series is also a lot more accessible than Star Trek as it’s something that could possibly happen and it’s set in present day, instead of far into the future. it doesn’t matter if you like horror, science fiction, or any other genre, I would recommend this show to anyone. All four seasons are now available on DVD and are easy to rent or buy.

Dr. Kevin Burkhoff is one of my favorite characters in Jeff’s diverse career. He first appears in Season 2, the first full season of the program. (Season One aired as a five episode mini-series). Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at Jeff’s three wonderful seasons on the show in more depth. New fans will find lots of information to get them started and diehards can reminisce about a show that was cancelled far before its time.
___
*Just a little note to those who have never seen The 4400 previously. This guide will have many “spoilers” that may ruin some plot twists and points. If you want to watch the seasons without any knowledge of what’s to come, I would highly suggest viewing the show before reading these posts.
___

___
The Burkhoff Brief - Part One
___
Series Background

4,400 people, abducted at different times over the past fifty years by “future humans” are simultaneously returned to a beach near Seattle, Washington. They have all gained some sort of ability, such as healing, precognition, and telekinesis, and have not aged a day since they went missing. The “future people” who abducted them have chosen to “seed” these 4400 people back into the timeline of earth to help shape its future and save it from an unknown catastrophe. The show focuses on a group of returnees and their journey to move on with their lives and become a part of society once more.

Several agents from NTAC (National Threat Assessment Command), a division of Homeland Security are put on the case to follow the course of the 4400’s return. Two of these agents, Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie) and Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch) lead the investigation into the returnees’ whereabouts and how it affects the rest of society.
___
___
Dr. Kevin Burkhoff
___

“What attracted me to Kevin was the kind of contrasts in him. On the one hand, he’s brilliant…he’s really top of his game that way…but he’s also kind of abrasive and impatient with mediocrity…He just kind of doesn’t operate on the same sort of cylinders as you or I do, and that’s one of the reasons why he’s so brilliant.” - Jeff in 2007
___

Kevin Burkhoff spent several years as a tenured professor of Neurochemistry at Stanford University. He then went on to take up residence at Western Washington University in Bellingham. There he studied dormant neural pathways, discovering possible new ways to “wake up” parts of the brain that would lead to special abilities much like the ones many returnees brought back with them to earth. Because of this, Burkhoff has been referred to as “The Father of the 4400,” as his extensive research relates directly to this phenomenon. At the age of thirty, Kevin suffered his first attack of paranoid personality disorder and was hospitalized two years later.

Jeff plays Kevin with such a wonderful vulnerability and gentleness mixed with this lovely, humorously quirky edge. There is a multi-leveled dynamic Jeff brings to Kevin that gives him such depth and personality, that he’s become a favorite of many fans. Jeff has created such a well-rounded, deep and interesting character, it’s such a shame he didn’t have the chance to explore him further. With Kevin, Jeff attained a brand new set of fans who first discovered him on The 4400 and went back through his catalogue to fully enjoy his other performances.

Continue Reading »

Two of Jeff’s performances are now out on DVD!
___

___
The 4400 - Season 4

This is the most recent (and sadly last) season of this absolutely wonderful show. Jeff plays Dr. Kevin Burkhoff, a neuroscientist who is considered “The Father of the 4400” as his research into dormant neural pathways relates to the abilities with which the 4400 were returned. Jeff is fantastic in this role and he truly made Kevin so memorable and real.
___
SPECIAL FEATURES

Jeff is in several of the special features, including two scenes of the blooper reel! My favorite involves a rather “heavy butterfly”! He is also featured in a wonderfully charming extended scene in the Director’s Cut of the season (and series) finale, “The Great Leap Forward.”

He also appears in two absolutely brilliant deleted scenes. One is an amazingly tense scene from the season premiere, “Wrath of Graham” and the other is an incredibly sweet and romantic moment between Kevin and Tess from “Tiny Machines.” These two scenes are worth the price of the DVD boxset alone!
___
All four seasons of The 4400 are now out on DVD in North America*. I would strongly recommend watching the series in order to fully comprehend and enjoy them. Watch out later this month for a special three part series on the show.

*Season 4 of The 4400 will be out in the UK on June 30th. You can pre-order the set at HMV UK.

___

___
Abominable

Jeff has a wonderful cameo in this oldschool horror movie about a rampaging sasquatch that causes havoc in a small mountain town. He plays Buddy, the quirky, oxygen-dependent clerk of the local general store who seems to know more than he lets on about the strange occurrences in the town.

This version is a re-release of the original DVD that was put out in 2006. The special features remain the same and include an absolutely fantastic commentary with Jeff and director Ryan Schifrin over Jeff’s scenes in the film, a wonderful featurette including interviews with Jeff and others about working on the film, and a great stills gallery with loads of photos.

There is recent news that Schifrin has planned a sequel to the film and that Jeff will be a major part of it! This new film is being written by Schifrin’s Spooks comic co-writer, Larry Hama. Hama is best known for his writing on the G.I. Joe comic series, so the new film will have a more military plotline. Click here for more exclusive info.

For more information on Abominable, check out last month’s Combs Cameo.
___
Both DVD’s are readily available online to rent or buy and check your local stores for them as well!

QUICK LINKS

Contact the blogstress

___
Happy May, Everyone!!!
___

Jeff at Monster Mania, May 2006. Photo by RokPhotoz
___
Here are the updates for this month:
___

UPDATE

• Jeff’s film Wizard of Gore in which he plays a Circus Geek finally has a tentative release date of August 19th! Thanks to Joe for this info. More details soon!
___
NEWS

• Jeff will be featured in a new film called Mineville that starts production in the fall. Directed by Beyond Re-Animator co-star Jason Barry, the film focuses on Irish immigrant mineworkers in 1910 who forged iron ore, the material from which much of the Manhattan we know today was built. The story deals with a friendship between two boys from different backgrounds and their struggle to leave their pasts behind and grow into adulthood.

The big budget period drama will film for 10 weeks in New York. This sounds like an absolutely incredible opportunity for Jeff to be truly recognized as the great actor he is! This is so amazing! Go Jeff!
___
• Jeff has just completed filming a new sci-fi feature entitled, The Darkest Evil which is a modern retelling of H.P. Lovecraft’s classic tale, “The Dunwich Horror.” Jeff plays Wilbur Whateley, part of a strange, inbred family that threatens to unleash an other-worldly evil on the earth. The film will have a limited theatrical release in the fall with a possible airing on the Sci-Fi channel. More exclusive info here.
___
• There is early word that Jeff will be part of the sequel to Ryan Schifrin’s 2006 fun sasquatch horror movie, Abominable! He will return as the loveable Buddy and have a lead role! Written by Larry Hama, who is best known for his G.I. Joe comic series, the plot will have a military aspect. Schifrin has described this second film as, “Think Aliens and Predator, but with Buddy and Preston thrown into the mix….”

More exclusive info here.

At the end of the first film, Buddy’s fate was uncertain and Schifrin, a fellow fan, had expressed interest in bringing Jeff back for a sequel (jokingly called Abominables) soon after the first film was completed in 2006.
___
• Jeff has also recently lent his distinct voice to an adaptation of the graphic novel, The Night Driver which he describes as a “dark, noir-ish Night Gallery type of thing.” He plays the lead, Hurdis Jones, a traveling salesman who picks up a mysterious hitchhiker. Soon afterwards, Hurdis begins experiencing bizarre hallucinations and his trip becomes a terrifying descent into the unknown. The man once known as Hurdis Jones has become The Night Driver.
___
Click here for more info on Jeff’s upcoming projects
___
Phew! Jeff is already incredibly busy and it’s not even halfway through the year yet! Take care of yourself, Jeff! We’re all excited about your many upcoming projects. There’s so much to look forward to!
___
Read on for more news!
Continue Reading »

QUICK LINKS

Contact the blogstress

___
EXCLUSIVE!
___
I just received some exclusive info from the writer/director of Abominable, Ryan Schifrin on the newly announced sequel!

___
Ryan writes:

“Larry [Hama] finished writing the script and it really came out well. Not only is Jeff’s character “Buddy” making a return, he’s one of the main characters this time.

So, like a weed growing out of a sidewalk crack - living where there shouldn’t be life - Buddy has taken over the sequel, and he’s front and center this time. Matt McCoy’s character is also making a return. I guess you could call it a “Buddy” movie… pun intended!”

___

Then I asked Ryan if he could reveal a little bit of the plot:

“Well, Buddy will definitely have survived being bitten and have the scars to prove it. We’re still keeping the plot under wraps, but there is a military component, which Larry Hama really did a stellar job with, and the ending of the last one clearly sets up that there’s more than one of the furry critters out there. Think ALIENS and PREDATOR, but with Buddy and Preston thrown into the mix….”

___

Buddy as a main character!!! This is awesome news! And the sequel’s concept sounds amazing! Ryan also tells me that they don’t have a date set yet to start filming, but when there’s more info, it will be posted here.

For anyone hasn’t seen the original Abominable yet, you must! It’s a wonderful, “oldschool” horror that is just so incredibly fun!

For more information on Abominable, see this post and visit the official site or the MySpace page. Anchor Bay’s re-release of Abominable is out on May 6th. You can pre-order it here.

Thanks again to Ryan Schifrin for this exclusive info!

BREAKING NEWS!

Jeff will be featured in a new film called Mineville that starts production in the fall. Directed by Beyond Re-Animator co-star Jason Barry, the film is “the untold true story of Irish immigrant workers who mined the Iron Ore that was used to build the then new city of Manhattan in 1910. This is a personal and politically driven story about two boys, from opposite ends of society, struggling against their own demons to break free of their upbringing. As a glimmer of hope appears on the horizon in the form of a wealthy, so-called Union Leader, their dreams are shattered as they watch him take control of their town and ultimately their destinies.” (synopsis courtesy of N. Barry)

The big budget period drama will film for 10 weeks in New York. This sounds like an absolutely incredible opportunity for Jeff to be truly recognized as the great actor he is! Go Jeff!
___
Also, writer/director of Abominable Ryan Schifrin just had an interview with CHUD.com and revealed he and writer Larry Hama (who co-wrote Schifin’s comic series, Spooks) are now working on a sequel to the film and Jeff will be a part of it! At the end of the first film, Buddy’s fate is somewhat uncertain, so it would be easy to bring his character back! Writer Hama is best known for his work on the G.I. Joe comic series, so this sequel may have a more military plotline. Read more here. Thanks to Holly for the link!
___

Abominable
___
”Jeff was amazing, he’s so brilliant with crafting these unique characters, and he’s just a genius.” - Ryan Schifrin, writer/director of Abominable
___

Photo by Theresa Eastman-Schifrin
___
Abominable is the story of a wheelchair-bound man, Preston Rogers (Matt McCoy) who has recently lost his wife in a fatal climbing accident. He returns to the same area with his male nurse Otis (Christian Tinsley) where the tragedy occurred to try to make peace with the situation and get some closure.

Soon after they arrive, Preston begins to notice odd occurrences in the woods. He then spots a large creature that could only be one thing - a sasquatch! When his young female neighbors begin to disappear, Preston must convince someone of what he’s seen before he becomes a target for the hungry beast.

___

___

Jeff plays Buddy the Clerk, a scruffy, oxygen dependent local who runs the small general store. He’s a sort of storyteller, filling the audience in on the details of the tragic events in Preston’s past. He seems to know more than he lets on about the suspicious occurrences in the area, but keeps mostly to himself.

Continue Reading »

QUICK LINKS

Contact the blogstress
___

Jeff wraps today on his latest film The Darkest Evil which is a modern retelling of H.P. Lovecraft’s classic tale, “The Dunwich Horror.” The film tells the story of several scholars headed by Henry Armitage (Dean Stockwell) who discover the secret to destroying mysterious, other-worldly beings that threaten humankind.

Jeff plays Wilbur Whateley, part of a strange, inbred family that helps unleash these beings on the world. Griff Furst and Sarah Lieving round out the cast as two characters that battle against the villainous Whateley clan.

This sounds like an absolutely perfect role for Jeff and another wonderful addition to his Lovecraft library!

Lovecraft’s “Dunwich Horror” is a fantastically eerie tale and director Leigh Scott (Frankenstein Reborn) has told me he’s stuck pretty close to the original storyline. Scott has also mentioned what a joy it was to work with Jeff. For anyone interested, you can read “The Dunwich Horror” here.

The film will have a limited theatrical release(!) this fall and a potential run on the Sci-Fi Channel in the U.S. It will be released on DVD sometime in 2009. More details as the film goes into post production. This is so exciting! Congratulations, Jeff!

Click here for more on Jeff’s upcoming projects

There are numerous trading cards that feature Jeff’s roles from Star Trek. Many of them can be found in this gallery and they are wonderful memorabilia that show Jeff’s ability to play several different roles in one piece. There are also various other, lesser-known trading cards featuring Jeff’s diverse characters. Below are some great examples of collectible cards from his movies and television shows.

Click on any of the thumbnails of the cards to see larger versions.

___

The Frighteners
___
______
___
These are from a full set of 72 trading cards distributed by the Canadian company Dart Flipcards to promote The Frighteners. There are some great cards featuring Jeff as Special Agent Milton Dammers from various scenes in the film. The cards themselves are very shiny with a foil base, so they look a little odd when scanned.
___
______
___

AVAILABILITY: These cards are relatively hard to find, but they do show up on ebay every so often. I found this set at the Festival of Fear in Toronto in 2006, part of a massive convention called Fan Expo. Finding this set of cards was the capper to a wonderful weekend. Jeff was in attendance (complete with Sheriff Jimmy mustache!) and although the con was incredibly crowded and rather stressful, he was still very kind to all of his fans.
Continue Reading »

QUICK UPDATE

Jeff starts shooting his upcoming sci-fi/action film, The Darkest Evil today in Lafayette, LA!

The film will air on the Sci-Fi Channel here in the U.S. and will be released on DVD sometime next year. More details soon!

Here’s wishing Jeff all the best for the production!
___
Also, last month, Jeff lent his distinct voice to an adaptation of the graphic novel, The Night Driver which he describes as a “dark, noir-ish Night Gallery type of thing.” (quote courtesy of SciFi Talk). Jeff plays the lead role, Hurdis Jones, a traveling salesman who picks up a mysterious hitchhiker. Soon afterwards, Hurdis begins experiencing bizarre hallucinations and his trip becomes a terrifying descent into the unknown.

This new venture is headed by Darin Scott, who wrote and directed Jeff’s incredible film, Caught Up. You can read “The Night Driver” preview comic here. It looks very cool!

The animation is still being worked on and the project will most likely be out by the end of this year or the beginning of next.

Click here for more info on Jeff’s upcoming projects
___

___
I’ve received a wonderful con report from Etha and several pictures from SanFam of Jeff’s recent appearance at I-Con 27. It looks like Jeff had an absolute blast and all his fans did too!
___
If anyone wants to add their memories or photos to this post, please email me at darias_diner@yahoo.com

Click here for info on Jeff’s other upcoming conventions
___

Here are Etha’s thoughts on the convention:

___

Etha meets Jeff for the first time!
___

The con was great and they had a huge variety of activities, and thus a great variety of fans. On Friday I played a DS9-era RPG all night, and didn’t really do much else and Jeff was doing autographs, but I ended up waiting until the second Saturday autograph session.

On Saturday, I got to see a lot of Jeff (insert massive squee here). I got there a bit late (around 12:30) and went immediately to the autograph table, which had a fairly long line. I spent pretty much the whole time in line (and much before) trying to think of something vaguely intelligent to say and utterly failing, so when my turn finally came, I just sort of babbled incoherently about how much I loved him as Weyoun, and how after watching that I saw him in a bunch of other movies and loved his stuff and the level of fannish incoherence of it was rather embarrassing, but he was really nice about it. I got my picture taken with him, and he signed my Re-Animator cover “Etha - Parts” and also signed one of the DVDs. After that he shook my hand and thanked me, which was really nice.
Continue Reading »

Jeff has just been announced as a special guest at the upcoming HorrorHound Weekend from August 29-31 in Indianapolis, IN!

More info here

HorrorHound is a relatively new horror convention that is run by the same organization that puts out HorrorHound magazine. It looks like an absolutely wonderful event and Jeff is a headliner!

Click here for more of Jeff’s upcoming conventions

BREAKING NEWS!
___
Jeff will start shooting a new thriller entitled, The Darkest Evil next week in Lafayette, Louisiana! This is so exciting! Congratulations, Jeff!

More details as I receive them!

Click here for more of Jeff’s upcoming projects