|  Hollywood
funnyman Dean Cameron says he's "that guy" -- a familiar face
you see on late-night television in movies like Ski School or
Summer School and exclaim: "Hey, you're that guy!"
Yes, he is that guy. Cameron is perhaps best known for his roles in
frothy teen comedies like Ski School (1991), Ski School
2: Electric Boogaloo (1994), Summer School (1987), Rockula
(1990), and Men at Work (1990). Those movies, featuring bikini-clad
girls on skis, singing vampires, amiable goofball characters, and plots
more predictable than a politician's fib, earned Cameron a place of
honor in the B-movie hall of fame.
He also starred in Kicking and Screaming (1995), Hi-Life
(1998), Midnight Blue (1996), and Hollywood Palms
(which he co-wrote, 2001). More recently, he's appeared in independent
films like The Benefits of Drinking Whisky (2005), The
Curse of the Hideous Gimp (2004), and The Palindrome Affair
(2003).
On the small screen, Cameron's familiar face has popped up in a number
of popular television series, including Will and Grace, Mad About
You, Party of Five, ER, and Spencer. In 1986, he inherited
Sean Penn's role of surfer dude Spicoli in the short-lived TV version
of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In 2003, he appeared on the
NBC political drama Mister Sterling.
In recent years, Cameron has done commercial voice-overs (including
work for Geico Insurance, 7-Eleven , and Wells Fargo Bank), and appeared
in plays (including Love Tapes and Urgent & Confidential:
Dean Cameron's Nigerian Spam Scam Scam.)
When not acting, Cameron plays bass guitar in The Thornbirds. The band,
which Cameron describes as sounding like a "heavy Cheap Trick,"
released its first album, All the Same, in 2004.
Cameron is also "that libertarian guy." In 2003, he told the
Los Angeles Times that he's "a hard-core libertarian."
In an interview that same year with the Advocates for Self-Government,
Cameron said he is "a refugee from the left," adding: "I'm
always surprised that more artists aren't libertarians. We are, ultimately,
an idealistic group…"
In 2004, Cameron spoke at the Libertarian Party of California state
convention in San Jose (March 14) and the Libertarian Party's national
convention in Atlanta, Georgia (May 27-31).
Off-camera, Cameron has put his libertarian beliefs into practice. He
is the inventor of the "Bill of Rights, Security Edition"
for travelers -- the first 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution printed
on sturdy, playing card-sized pieces of metal.
The product is designed to set off the metal detectors in airports --
and force airport security to take away your Bill of Rights, said Cameron.
"You need to get used to offering up the Bill of Rights for inspection,"
he said. "And government workers need to get used to deciding if
you'll be allowed to keep the Bill of Rights with you when you travel."
Cameron said he has sold more than 2,000 of the Bill of Rights sets
via a website, www.securityedition.com.
--Bill
Winter
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