Joel Hodgson
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John Joel Hodgson (born February 20, 1960 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin) is best known for creating Mystery Science Theater 3000 and starring in it as the character Joel Robinson. He actually began his career as a stand-up comedian and magician. Combining his gift for designing toys and other gizmos, Joel built two robot puppets and created his famous MST3K series in 1988. It originally aired on KTMA, a UHF station in Minnesota, and it then became one of the first two shows to be picked up by the Comedy Channel, the forerunner of Comedy Central. The other show, also created and written by Hodgson, was the shortlived Higgins Boys and Gruber, a sketch comedy program that primarily involved three guys sitting around and talking in between clips of Clutch Cargo and Supercar.
Hodgson surprised many fans when he left MST3K just as it became popular in 1993. In interviews, Joel claims to be uncomfortable with acting and being in front of the camera. That is why he retired from performing at 34 and quit the show just as he began to gain popularity.
After MST3K, Joel formed Visual Story Tools with his brother Jim. He primarily works behind the camera, building gadgets and writing scripts. His post-MST3K writings include You Don't Know Jack and Jimmy Kimmel Live.