Hidden Page —————————- The first portrayal of Dungeons and Dragons, an Interview with Robbie Rist —————————————————————-Hidden Page
In a recent blog post, I confidently claimed to have discovered the first mention of Dungeons and Dragons in visual media. However, one of my astute Twitter followers, Jaycee Baron @jayceebaron, proved me wrong by pointing out an earlier instance in the 80s TV show Simon & Simon. In Season 1, Episode 3 titled "Trapdoors," we can see a young Robbie Rist (famous for his role as Cousin Oliver in the Brady Bunch) engaging in an obvious role-playing game before his mother interrupts him, signaling bedtime. Undeterred, Robbie then proceeds to connect his computer and modem, revealing his hacker skills as well.
This revelation pushes back the timeline even further than the well-known appearances of Jamie Gertz in the D&D commercial of 1984, Tom Hanks in the movie Mazes and Monsters in 1982, Henry Thomas in ET in 1982, and Tom Cruise in Taps on December 20, 1981. Robbie not only played D&D on television in Simon & Simon (with the episode airing on December 8, 1981), but he also beat Matthew Broderick to the role of a hacker, predating the movie WarGames released in 1983.
Growing up, I always enjoyed watching Robbie Rist on screen. Of course, he was most famous for his role as Cousin Oliver on the Brady Bunch, but I also remember seeing him in other shows like Love American Style, the Bionic Woman (which I recently binged with my friend @Steph), Big John Little John, and various ABC specials. However, what surprised me was learning about his successful voice acting career. Robbie voiced Michaelangelo in all three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, and he even went on to lend his voice to characters in popular shows like Naruto (he voiced Choji Akimichi, a favorite of my son James).
Realizing that there's so much more to Robbie Rist than I initially knew, I have decided to reach out to him and see if he would be interested in answering a few questions for us.
How did you feel when you discovered that your portrayal in Simon & Simon might be one of the earliest depictions of Dungeons and Dragons in visual media?
Were you familiar with Dungeons and Dragons before filming that episode? Did you have any personal experience with the game?
Had you ever played Dungeons and Dragons or any other tabletop role-playing games outside of your on-screen portrayal?
How did it feel to be part of the early wave of incorporating gaming and hacker culture into mainstream media?
What drew you to voice acting, and how did you become involved in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies as the voice of Michaelangelo?
With a successful voice acting career, including notable roles like Choji Akimichi in Naruto, what do you enjoy most about this aspect of your work?
Are there any particular challenges or differences in approaching voice acting versus on-screen acting that you've encountered throughout your career?
As a multi-talented performer, how do you balance your various artistic pursuits, from acting to music?
Do you still engage in tabletop gaming or have any favorite hobbies or pastimes related to gaming or hacking?
Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to tell us about?
Robbie Rist is a versatile actor and accomplished voice artist, best known for his role as Cousin Oliver on the beloved sitcom The Brady Bunch. With a career spanning several decades, Robbie has left a lasting impact on both on-screen and voice acting realms. You can follow him via his website (http://robbierist.net/ ).