Mike Schank

For the former race car driver, see Michael Shank.
Mike Schank
Schank in American Movie (1999)
Born
Mikel Joseph Schank

(1966-03-01)March 1, 1966
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedOctober 13, 2022(2022-10-13) (aged 56)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • musician
SpouseKate Schank (Toohey)[1]

Mikel Joseph Schank (March 1, 1966 – October 13, 2022)[2][3] was an American actor and musician. He was close friends with independent filmmaker Mark Borchardt and helped Borchardt make the 1997 short horror film Coven. He appeared with Borchardt in the 1999 documentary film American Movie, for which Schank also provided music.[4][5]

A resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Schank later appeared in the films Storytelling (2001) and Hamlet A.D.D. (2014), and made a cameo appearance as himself alongside Borchardt in a 2006 episode of Family Guy. As a musician, Schank recorded three homemade CDs, including Dreams I Know—Yesternight (2009), which features Schank playing acoustic guitar along with drum loops, samples, and spoken recollections of his dreams.[1][6]

Schank died on October 13, 2022, at the age of 56.[3][5][7]

  1. ^ a b Tanzilo, Bobby (May 30, 2009). "Schank sets dreams to music on latest CD". OnMilwaukee.com. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  2. ^ Wild, Matt (October 17, 2022). "Celebration of Mike Schank's life set for November 12 at MKE Alano Club". Milwaukee Record. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Actor in cult favorite 'American Movie' dies at age 53". Associated Press. October 17, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022. This story was updated to correct that Schank was 56 years old, not 53, when he died and that he died on Thursday, not Wednesday.
  4. ^ Maslin, Janet (November 5, 1999). "American Movie". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  5. ^ a b Bentley, Drake; Levy, Piet (October 13, 2022). "Mike Schank, Milwaukee musician and co-star of the 1999 documentary 'American Movie,' dies at age 56". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  6. ^ Zhan, Jennifer (October 13, 2022). "Mike Schank, Musician and American Movie Screamer, Dead at 56". Vulture. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Wild, Matt (October 13, 2022). "R.I.P. Milwaukee musician, 'American Movie' co-star Mike Schank". Milwaukee Record. Retrieved October 13, 2022.