Since abandoning the Twin Cities theater scene for Hollywood, Cedric Yarbrough has enjoyed his fair share of success, getting deputized into the ranks of "Reno 911!"; stealing scenes in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Meet the Fockers"; lending goofy gravitas to animated series such as "Family Guy."
But in 16 years, he has failed to land a true breakout role. Until now.
"Speechless," one of the season's most promising network comedies, will almost certainly be his ticket to talk-show couches, commercial endorsements — and a little more love from his hometown press.
"Where have you been?" the Burnsville native said by phone in mock anger, a few hours before heading off to shoot scenes for the highly anticipated sitcom and "The House," a 2017 feature film starring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler.
Truth is, Yarbrough did get noticed while bouncing from one Minneapolis stage to another, most notably for his role as the puppet master in a 2000 production of "Pinocchio" at Children's Theatre.
But the attention level will rise to a new level after Wednesday's debut of "Speechless," especially since it's sandwiched between "The Goldbergs" and "Modern Family," two of ABC's most popular series.
At first, his role as a school groundskeeper who stands up to Minnie Driver's overprotective mom appears to be just the latest in a long line of steady work as a recurring actor on network sitcoms.
"I enjoy your 'Blind Side' energy," he quips without a hint of joy.