Ethan Suplee on AllMovie

Widely recognized for his brief but memorable role as the frustrated viewer of those annoying, colorful, semi-psychedelic 3-D eyesores in director Kevin Smith's Mallrats (1995), actor Ethan Suplee voiced the frustration of legions of optically challenged shopping mall patrons with his futile efforts to cross his eyes and conquer the illusion that was once the plague of shopping malls everywhere.

Born in his hippyish parents' Manhattan home, moving to L.A. and then Vermont, Suplee spent most of his childhood in L.A. and, as with many other actors, began to realize his love for acting early in life through school plays and drama projects. Lacking a sense of direction after graduating from high school, Suplee was prompted by friend and fellow actor Giovanni Ribisi to attend acting classes; Suplee took his friend's advice. Frustrated at his teacher's lack of promotion and encouragement, Suplee dropped out after one year and soon landed his first major role, as a recurring character on the television sitcom Boy Meets World in 1994. After making his feature debut in Mallrats, Suplee stuck mainly to the big screen, with diverse roles in such films as Desert Blue and the controversial American History X (both 1998). Frequently appearing in later Kevin Smith efforts, as well as comedies like Road Trip (2000) and Evolution (2001), Suplee also appeared in the drama Blow (2001), and with Denzel Washington in both Remember the Titans (2000) and the emergency room hostage drama John Q. (2001).