Tim Baltz

An amiable, boyish comic presence on television, actor Tim Baltz was also an accomplished improvisational comedian before using his talent in his own television series, the quirky "Shrink" (Seeso, 2017-), about a medical student who decides to become a therapist. He was the son of teachers who raised him in the Chicago suburb of Joliet, Illinois; there, he developed an interest in performing through high school stage productions, and received his introduction to the city's famed improvisational scene as a teenager, when he was taken by a family friend to a show at improvOlympic (iO)Theater. He attended Loyola University-Chicago, first as a theater major before shifting his focus to French and communication with the intention of becoming a French teacher. But classes with the Second City and iO convinced him to make comedy his career. Baltz appeared in and wrote for several revues with the Second City, and with fellow iO alum Ted Tremper, created the pilot for "Shrink," an improvised comedy series about a medical school graduate who becomes a therapist - without the benefit of any special training - in order to qualify for his medical license. The first episode won the Best Comedy Pilot award from the New York TV Festival in 2012 and underwent a lengthy period of development; during this period, Baltz worked regularly as a guest star on television series with strong improv comedy connections like "Parks and Recreation" (NBC, 2009-2015) and "Better Call Saul" (AMC, 2015-). In 2016, he was signed as a series regular to "Bajillion Dollar Properties" (Seeso, 2016-), a comedy series that skewered reality series about high-end real estate agents, with Baltz cast as the seemingly hapless office manager for a group of cutthroat salespeople. Seeso also gave Baltz a solo spotlight for a half-hour, scripted version of "Shrink," with Baltz reprising his role as the student turned therapist and Emmy winner Chuck Martin on board as showrunner while also sharing directorial duties with Tremper.