Weathercaster & Comic Fritz Coleman and host Ric Drasin on ActorsE Chat
Fritz Coleman is NBC4 Southern California’s weathercaster for NBC4 News at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. A Southern California broadcasting icon, Coleman is well known for his sense of humor and extensive knowledge of weather. He joined NBC4 in February 1982 as the weekend weathercaster, and moved into weekdays in June 1984.
Coleman has been named “Best Weathercaster” in nearly every major paper in Southern California, including the Orange County Register, the San Bernardino Sun and four times in the Los Angeles Daily News.
Coleman moved to Los Angeles in 1980 from Buffalo, New York, where he worked as an on-air radio personality. Prior to that, he was a disc jockey and radio talk show host at various stations throughout the country. From 1980 until he joined NBC4 in 1982, he worked as a stand-up comic at various clubs throughout Southern California. He has also made a number of appearances on the “Tonight Show” and other non-scripted and scripted television programs. Coleman devotes much of his free time to charitable activities and frequently organizes evenings of entertainment for local service and civic organizations, as well as serving as master of ceremonies for dozens of Southern California community events. He has won a number of awards and honors for his dedication to community service. In 2004, he won two Humanitarian of the Year Awards – one from Shelter Partnership and the California Hospital Medical Center. The City of Los Angeles named Coleman a “Treasure of Los Angeles” in 1999, and the United States House of Representatives gave him the Humanitarian of the Year Award for his fundraising efforts on behalf of the American Red Cross. Coleman has also been honored by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Salvation Army for his long-time commitment to the organization.
A long-time stand-up comic, Coleman has performed at The Improvisation, The IceHouse and other Southern California comedy clubs. He has used his humor in a number of series and specials that have aired on NBC4 over the years including “What a Week” (1990 – 1991), “It’s Fritz” (1988-1990), “Fritz and Friends” (Special) and “The Perils of Parenting” (Special). He received four Los Angeles area Emmy Awards for his work on the NBC4 comedy specials and series.
Coleman has written, produced and starred in three one-man plays. His first production “It’s Me! Dad!” won the coveted 1997 Artistic Directors Award. A humorous and touching account of what happens when a “baby boomer” tries to recount his own life for his young children, the play shows how the father comes to grips with the passage of time and the skeletons in his own closet. The production also aired successfully on public television in Los Angeles.
“The Reception,” Coleman’s second play, is an insightful and hilarious look at relationships found at an imaginary wedding reception – the bride’s second marriage — the groom’s third. His most recent play, “Tonight at 11!” is an insider’s look at a typical local newscast. A rollercoaster ride between funny and poignant, Daily Variety called it, “surprising, incisive and powerful.”
Originally from Philadelphia, Coleman attended Salem College in West Virginia and Temple University in Philadelphia where he studied radio, television and film. Coleman is an avid runner, rollerblader and skier. He lives in the San Fernando Valley and has two sons and a daughter.
ActorsE Chat is a Live Chat Show on Actors Entertainment, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, and this episode of ActorsE Chat is co-produced by Pepper Jay Productions LLC and Live Video Inc, with PR-Marketing-Sales by Live Video Inc.