Background and career
Paul Montgomery Shore (born February 1, 1968) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for his performances in several 1990s comedy films. Shore began as a stand-up comedian at the age of 17, before becoming an MTV VJ in 1989. This led to a starring role in the comedy film Encino Man in 1992, which was a modest hit. He followed this with leading man roles, including Son in Law (1993), In the Army Now (1994) and Bio-Dome (1996). Shore provided the voice of Robert "Bobby" Zimuruski in A Goofy Movie (1995) and its direct-to-video sequel, An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000). He is the son of Mitzi Shore (1930–2018) and Sammy Shore (1927–2019), both of whom owned The Comedy Store, a comedy club based in West Hollywood. Shore also directed a semi-autobiographical mockumentary film, Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003).
Paul Montgomery Shore was born on February 1, 1968, in Beverly Hills, California, the son of Sammy Shore and Mitzi Shore (née Saidel). Sammy was a comedian. He and Mitzi co-founded The Comedy Store with Rudy De Luca. After Sammy and Mitzi divorced, Mitzi owned and operated the Comedy Store as part of the divorce settlement from 1974 until her death in 2018. Shore was raised Jewish and grew up in Beverly Hills, California. He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1986.
Inspired by his parents' work in comedy and show business, a 17-year-old Shore made his stand-up debut at the Alley Cat Bistro in Culver City. "Everyone else in school was filling out their SAT applications, but I just passed mine back. I knew I wasn't going to go to college." Shore was mentored by Sam Kinison and opened several of his sets. While touring the comedy club circuit, Shore cultivated an alter ego persona called "The Weasel". "The Weasel" involved Shore speaking in a surfer parlance, heavily peppered with dudespeak slang such as "edged", "melons" and "grinding" as well as his catchphrase, "Hey, BU-DDY."
Shore's big break came as an on-air MTV VJ, a position he held from 1989 to 1994. At the height of his MTV fame, Shore had his own show, Totally Pauly, serving as a host on MTV's annual Spring Break parties. He also released a music video, "Lisa, Lisa, the One I Adore". In 1999, Shore reprised his role as the host of MTV's spring break when he guest starred on an episode of King of the Hill.
In 1992, Shore starred in Encino Man, which was a modest hit. The film's success propelled Shore to star in additional films, albeit increasingly less successful: Son in Law (1993), In the Army Now (1994), Jury Duty (1995), and Bio-Dome (1996). All five films received sharply negative reviews, with the last three each holding a rating below 10% at Rotten Tomatoes. In addition, each of the films grossed less at the box office than the one before. Describing Shore's performances in these films, film critic Roger Ebert wrote, "Shore bypasses all categories to achieve a kind of transcendent fingernails-on-the-blackboard effect." In a 2017 interview with Joe Rogan, Shore blamed Jeffrey Katzenberg and not listening to his managers for the latter films. Shore provided the voice of Robert "Bobby" Zimuruski in A Goofy Movie (1995) and its direct-to-video sequel, An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000). In 1997, Shore starred in the eponymous TV show Pauly, which was cancelled after five episodes aired. He made a cameo appearance in the American rock band Limp Bizkit music video "N 2 Gether Now" as a pizza deliveryman and a briefer appearance in "Break Stuff". The Golden Raspberry Awards has recognized Shore's film performances several times, awarding him Worst New Star of the Year for Encino Man, Worst Actor of the Year for Bio-Dome, and Worst New Star of the Decade for the 1990s, and nominating him for Worst Actor of the Century (which he lost to Sylvester Stallone). In 2003, Shore produced, wrote, directed and starred in Pauly Shore Is Dead, a semi-autobiographical mockumentary, and in 2005, starred in the short-lived reality television series Minding the Store. In 2010, Shore starred in Adopted, which sees him traveling to Africa to adopt a child. In March 2018, Shore appeared as himself in episode 10 of the TV series Alone Together. In January 2024, following a fan campaign, Shore revealed a teaser for a short film, starring himself as Richard Simmons titled The Court Jester. Simmons released a statement revealing that he did not give permission for the short. September 2026, fitness & medical publications documented Pauly Shore inviting people into a mobile airstream wood fired sauna and cold plunge challenge off of the streets in Nashville , where the entire spectacle was captured on camera The Sauna King. Shore starred in the horror short, Remain Calm, written and directed by Jake Lewis (alongside Nick Swardson & Doug Jones, which premiered on YouTube, October 12, 2026.
