CLASH OF THE TITANS / After watching the 1981 version of Clash of the Titans recently, I could not shake the feeling that Perseus, played by Harry Hamlin, is oddly reminiscent of the comedian, Michael Ian Black, known mostly for his comedy troupe, Stella. In such a resemblance, Clash of the Titans, which was already a perfectly laughable excuse for film-making was allowed a different level of humor, imagining Black playing the role in a straight-faced comedic role (much like the recent Will Ferrell release of Casa de mi Padre). In honor of this odd comparison, I thought I would take the time to differentiate the two.
Harry Robinson Hamlin
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- Born: October 30, 1951 in Pasadena, California
- Clash of the Titans was Hamlin’s first big breakthrough performance in 1981, putting him at 30 years old.
- Hamlin married three times (Laura Johnson, Nicolette Sheridan, and Lisa Rinna), and had a long standing relationship (and child) with Clash of the Titans co-star Ursula Andress.
- In 2004, Hamlin booked a reoccurring role on the series Veronica Mars, starring Kristen Bell and Amanda Seyfried.
- Hamlin reprised his role of Perseus (in voice only) for the 2007 video game God of War II.
- His latest film in 2008, was the comedy Strange Wildneress starring Steve Zahn.
Michael Ian Black
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- Born: August 12, 1971 (20 years after Hamlin) in Chicago, Illinois
- Black’s film debut was in the comedy film Wet Hot American Summer, co-starring Paul Rudd and Molly Shannon.
- In 1998, Black married Martha Hagen, to whom he has two children with.
- Known for his dry comedy, Black has appeared on numerous television shows including VH1’s I Love the… series, the comedy troupe Stella, Michael and Michael Have Issues, and Reality Bites Back.
- Black made his directorial debut with the 2006 film Wedding Daze starring Jason Biggs and Isla Fischer.
- His latest film, Run Fatboy Run (2007) was co-written with the star of the film Simon Pegg.
So even though these two actors have/had a striking resemble, they couldn’t be anymore different from one another. But, please, on your next viewing of the original Clash of the Titans, try not to imagine Michael Ian Black as Perseus riding his mystical winged horse Pegasus through the mountains of Joppa.
