# Mark Holton
**Mark Holton** (full name Mark Douglas Holton) is an American character actor born in 1958 in [Oklahoma City](https://www.edgepedia.org/oklahoma-city), Oklahoma, known for supporting and comic roles in films including *[Pee-wee's Big Adventure](https://www.edgepedia.org/pee-wees-big-adventure)* (1985), *Teen Wolf* (1985), *A League of Their Own* (1992), and *[Leprechaun](https://www.edgepedia.org/leprechaun-film)* (1993)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392625/?showAllCredits=true) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/mark-holton/credits/3030649960/). His screen credits span from the early 1980s to the 2020s, and he is a recurring presence at fan conventions and horror-community podcasts decades after his best-known roles[3](https://www.dallascomicshow.com/markholton/).
Sources disagree on his exact birth date: IMDb lists 1958, while other references, including a WorldCat authority record, give April 2, 1958[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392625/?showAllCredits=true) • [4](https://entities.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PBJhhkH7HBq8vX4gw4Tfg8C.html). All agree on the birth year and place.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; birth date reported as July 19 (IMDb) or April 2 (WorldCat)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392625/?showAllCredits=true) • [4](https://entities.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PBJhhkH7HBq8vX4gw4Tfg8C.html) |
| Signature roles | Francis Buxton in *Pee-wee's Big Adventure* (1985); Chubby in *Teen Wolf* (1985) and *Teen Wolf Too* (1987); Ozzie in *Leprechaun* (1993)[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/256092-Mark-Holton?isMiscCredit=False) |
| Famous cameo | The "Hey, it's Enrico Pallazzo!" spectator in *The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!* (1988), later a popular internet meme[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392625/?showAllCredits=true) • [3](https://www.dallascomicshow.com/markholton/) |
| First leading role | John Wayne Gacy Jr. in the biographical horror film *Gacy* (2003)[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/mark-holton) • [5](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/256092-Mark-Holton?isMiscCredit=False) |
| Franchise return | Reprised Ozzie in *Leprechaun Returns* (2018) and appeared in the short *Leprechaun Revenge* (2025)[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mark-holton) • [8](https://www.buzzsprout.com/1298300/episodes/19387892-mark-holton-leprechaun-teen-wolf-pee-wee-s-big-adventure) |
| Credit count | 50 acting credits listed on IMDb, plus 9 self-appearances and 3 archive-footage credits[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392625/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Personal life | Married to Lisa; two children; height 5 ft 8.5 in (1.74 m)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392625/?showAllCredits=true) |
## Early life and first roles
Holton was born in Oklahoma City and, according to a 2023 profile, graduated from Okmulgee High School in 1978 and attended [Northeastern State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/northeastern-state-university) in [Tahlequah, Oklahoma](https://www.edgepedia.org/tahlequah-oklahoma)[9](https://nedhardy.com/2023/01/23/mark-holton/). His first screen appearance was in *What's Up, Hideous Sun Demon* (1983), a parody film in which his character was credited only as "Guy"[9](https://nedhardy.com/2023/01/23/mark-holton/). He then appeared in two episodes of the sitcom *Webster* between 1984 and 1985, playing different characters in each[9](https://nedhardy.com/2023/01/23/mark-holton/).
## 1985 and the breakthrough year
Two 1985 releases established Holton's screen persona. In [Tim Burton](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-burton)'s first feature, *Pee-wee's Big Adventure*, he played Francis Buxton, the spoiled man-child who covets [Pee-wee Herman](https://www.edgepedia.org/pee-wee-herman)'s bicycle and sets the plot in motion by hiring someone to steal it[10](https://www.sacurrent.com/arts/actor-mark-holton-of-pee-wee-fame-is-guest-of-honor-at-san-antonios-10th-annual-burton-ball-27319161/). Holton auditioned for the part opposite [Paul Reubens](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-reubens), and the two worked out their characters' antagonistic chemistry at that stage[11](https://www.greasykidstuffmagazine.com/pee-wee-s-big-advenure). In one scene, Francis is launched off Pee-wee's bike across a drive-in movie screen; the stunt used a harness hidden under Holton's jumpsuit with steel cables running to a crane[11](https://www.greasykidstuffmagazine.com/pee-wee-s-big-advenure).
Two weeks after that film's August 9, 1985 release, *Teen Wolf* opened on August 23, with Holton as Chubby, one of the high school basketball teammates of [Michael J. Fox](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-j-fox)'s werewolf character[12](https://www.aol.com/pee-wee-big-adventure-teen-135739086.html). He reprised Chubby in the sequel *[Teen Wolf Too](https://www.edgepedia.org/teen-wolf-too)* (1987)[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/256092-Mark-Holton?isMiscCredit=False). The same year he also appeared as the Son of Curly in *Stoogemania*, part of a run of roles playing large, buffoonish, or simple characters[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mark-holton) • [9](https://nedhardy.com/2023/01/23/mark-holton/).
## The Naked Gun cameo and 1990s work
In *The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!* (1988), Holton played a stadium spectator who mistakes the disguised Frank Drebin for the baseball player Enrico Pallazzo; the Dallas Comic Show's guest announcement describes it as one of the film's funniest cameos and notes that it became a popular internet meme in later years[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392625/?showAllCredits=true) • [3](https://www.dallascomicshow.com/markholton/).
Through the 1990s he appeared in *A League of Their Own* (1992) as Older Stilwell, *My Life* (1993) as Sam, *Leprechaun* (1993) as Ozzie, and *Little Giants* (1994)[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/256092-Mark-Holton?isMiscCredit=False) • [6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/mark-holton). His television guest credits across the decade and after include *Seinfeld*, *MacGyver*, *Star Trek: Deep Space Nine*, *NYPD Blue*, *NCIS*, *The Young and the Restless*, and *Days of Our Lives*[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/mark-holton/credits/3030649960/) • [3](https://www.dallascomicshow.com/markholton/).
## Leprechaun and the horror franchise
Holton played Ozzie, one of the characters searching for the leprechaun, in the 1993 horror comedy *Leprechaun*, appearing alongside [Warwick Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/warwick-davis) and [Jennifer Aniston](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-aniston)[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mark-holton). IMDb trivia notes that he and Warwick Davis are the only people to appear in more than one *Leprechaun* movie[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392625/?showAllCredits=true). He returned as Ozzie twenty-five years later in *Leprechaun Returns* (2018)[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mark-holton), and in 2025 appeared as Ozzie again in *Leprechaun Revenge*, a short film by Fuzz on the Lens Productions[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392625/?showAllCredits=true) • [8](https://www.buzzsprout.com/1298300/episodes/19387892-mark-holton-leprechaun-teen-wolf-pee-wee-s-big-adventure).
## Later career
After a cameo in *The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle* (2000), Holton took his first leading film role as the serial killer John Wayne Gacy Jr. in *Gacy* (2003)[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/mark-holton). He followed it with parts in *Madhouse* (2004), *Return to Sender* (2004), and *Hoboken Hollow* (2005)[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/256092-Mark-Holton?isMiscCredit=False). He stepped back from acting in the late 2000s, then returned for *Leprechaun Returns* (2018) and later appeared as Oswald Hansen in the horror film *Stream* (2024), which Rotten Tomatoes lists as his highest-rated film at 96 percent[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/mark-holton) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mark-holton).
In interviews, Holton has said his size shaped his casting: he described weighing roughly 190 to 210 pounds in high school and gaining more by the time he reached Hollywood, keeping him out of some jobs but likely winning him others[13](https://mubi.com/en/cast/mark-holton). He has also said he was ready to quit acting years after his 1980s films made his name, before convention appearances and renewed fan interest brought him back into public view[10](https://www.sacurrent.com/arts/actor-mark-holton-of-pee-wee-fame-is-guest-of-honor-at-san-antonios-10th-annual-burton-ball-27319161/). He moved from California to Oklahoma, and in recent years has appeared as a guest at comic conventions, on horror podcasts, and as Guest of Honor at [San Antonio](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-antonio)'s 10th Annual Burton Ball in 2021[10](https://www.sacurrent.com/arts/actor-mark-holton-of-pee-wee-fame-is-guest-of-honor-at-san-antonios-10th-annual-burton-ball-27319161/) • [6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/mark-holton).
## References
1. [Mark Holton (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392625/?showAllCredits=true)
2. [Mark Holton List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/mark-holton/credits/3030649960/)
3. [PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE, GACY, TEEN WOLF and LEPRECHAUN star Mark Holton comes to DCS August 12-13, 2022!, Dallas Comic Show](https://www.dallascomicshow.com/markholton/)
4. [Mark Holton, WorldCat Entities](https://entities.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PBJhhkH7HBq8vX4gw4Tfg8C.html)
5. [Mark Holton, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/256092-Mark-Holton?isMiscCredit=False)
6. [Mark Holton, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/mark-holton)
7. [Mark Holton, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mark-holton)
8. [Mark Holton - Leprechaun, Teen Wolf, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, PVD Horror podcast](https://www.buzzsprout.com/1298300/episodes/19387892-mark-holton-leprechaun-teen-wolf-pee-wee-s-big-adventure)
9. [Whatever Happened to Mark Holton?, Ned Hardy](https://nedhardy.com/2023/01/23/mark-holton/)
10. [Actor Mark Holton of Pee-wee fame is Guest of Honor at San Antonio's 10th Annual Burton Ball, San Antonio Current](https://www.sacurrent.com/arts/actor-mark-holton-of-pee-wee-fame-is-guest-of-honor-at-san-antonios-10th-annual-burton-ball-27319161/)
11. [An Interview With Mark Holton - Francis from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Greasy Kid Stuff Magazine](https://www.greasykidstuffmagazine.com/pee-wee-s-big-advenure)
12. ['Pee-wee's Big Adventure,' 'Teen Wolf' Star Recalls the Films' Popularity 40 Years Later, AOL/Today](https://www.aol.com/pee-wee-big-adventure-teen-135739086.html)
13. [Mark Holton, MUBI](https://mubi.com/en/cast/mark-holton)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Character actors, B-movie and genre-circuit performers › American performers, mid era › Surnames A to J*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license