The Best Comedians of All Time
No specific order again, I have so much respect for so many of them, it's hard for me to put them in order.
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Highly influential, and always controversial, African-American actor/comedian who was equally well known for his colorful language during his live comedy shows, as for his fast paced life, multiple marriages and battles with drug addiction. He has been acknowledged by many modern comic artist's as a key influence on their careers, and Pryor's observational humor on African-American life in the USA during the 1970s was razor sharp brilliance.
He was born Richard Franklin Lennox Pryor III on December 1, 1940, in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Gertrude L. (Thomas) and LeRoy "Buck Carter" Pryor. His mother, a prostitute, abandoned him when he was ten years of age, after which he was raised in his grandmother's brothel. Unfortunately, Pryor was molested at the age of six by a teenage neighbor, and later by a neighborhood preacher. To escape this troubled life, the young Pryor was an avid movie fan and a regular visitor to local movie theaters in Peoria. After numerous jobs, including truck driver and meat packer, the young Pryor did a stint in the US Army between 1958 & 1960 in which he performed in amateur theater shows. After he left the services in 1960, Pryor started singing in small clubs, but inadvertently found that humor was his real forte.
Pryor spent time in both New York & Las Vegas, honing his comic craft. However, his unconventional approach to humor sometimes made bookings difficult to come by and this eventually saw Pryor heading to Los Angeles. He first broke into films with minor roles in The Busy Body (1967) and Wild in the Streets (1968). However, his performance as a drug addicted piano player in Lady Sings the Blues (1972), really got the attention of fans and film critics alike.
He made his first appearance with Gene Wilder in the very popular action/comedy Silver Streak (1976), played three different characters in Which Way Is Up? (1977) and portrayed real-life stock-car driver "Wendell Scott" in Greased Lightning (1977). Proving he was more than just a comedian, Pryor wowed audiences as a disenchanted auto worker who is seduced into betraying his friends and easy money in the Paul Schrader working class drama Blue Collar (1978), also starring Yaphet Kotto and Harvey Keitel. Always a strong advocate of African-American talent, Pryor next took a key role in The Wiz (1978), starring an all African-American cast, including Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, retelling the story of The Wizard of Oz (1939). His next four screen roles were primarily cameos in California Suite (1978); The Muppet Movie (1979); Wholly Moses! (1980) and In God We Trust (or Gimme That Prime Time Religion) (1980). However, Pryor teamed up with Gene Wilder once more for the prison comedy Stir Crazy (1980), which did strong box office business.
His next few films were a mixed bag of material, often inhibiting Pryor's talent, with equally mixed returns at the box office. Pryor then scored second billing to Christopher Reeve in the big budget Superman III (1983), and starred alongside fellow funny man John Candy in Brewster's Millions (1985) before revealing his inner self in the autobiographical Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986). Again, Pryor was somewhat hampered by poor material in his following film ventures. However, he did turn up again in See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) with Gene Wilder, but the final product was not as sharp as their previous pairings. Pryor then partnered on-screen with two other very popular African-American comic's. The legendary Redd Foxx and 1980s comic newcomer Eddie Murphy starred with Pryor in the gangster film Harlem Nights (1989) which was also directed by Eddie Murphy. Having contracted multiple sclerosis in 1986, Pryor's remaining film appearances were primarily cameos apart from his fourth and final outing with Gene Wilder in the lukewarm Another You (1991), and his final appearance in a film production was a small role in the David Lynch road flick Lost Highway (1997).
Fans of this outrageous comic genius are encouraged to see his live specials Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1971); the dynamic Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979); Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982) and Richard Pryor... Here and Now (1983). In addition, The Richard Pryor Show (1977) is a must-have for any Richard Pryor fans' DVD collection.
Unknown to many, Pryor was a long time advocate against animal cruelty, and he campaigned against fast food chains and circus shows to address issues of animal welfare. He was married a total of seven times, and fathered eight children.
After long battles with ill health, Richard Pryor passed away on December 10th, 2005.- Actor
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George Denis Patrick Carlin was born and raised in Manhattan, New York City, to Mary (Bearey), a secretary, and Patrick John Carlin, an advertising manager for The Sun; they had met while working in marketing. His father was from Donegal, Ireland, and his mother was Irish-American. His parents divorced when he was two months old, and he was raised by his mother. The long hours the mother worked left the young George by himself for long hours every day, providing him (in his own words), the time he needed to think about various subjects, listen to radio, and practice his impersonations, that where acclaimed by his mother and coworkers since an early age. Carlin started out as a conventional comedian and had achieved a fair degree of success as a Bill Cosby style raconteur in nightclubs and on TV until the late 1960s, when he radically overhauled his persona. His routines became more insightful, introducing more serious subjects. As he aged, he became more cynic and bitter, unintentionally changing his stage persona again in a radical way throughout the '90s. This new George Carlin, usually referred to as the late George Carlin, is one of the most acclaimed and enjoyed by the public and critics. Carlin's forte is Lenny Bruce-style social and political commentary, spiced with nihilistic observations about people and religion peppered with black humor. He is also noted for his masterful knowledge and use of the English language. Carlin's notorious "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine was part of a radio censorship case that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978.- Writer
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Doug Stanhope was born on 25 March 1967 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Louie (2010), The Road Dog (2023) and Roseanne (1988). He has been married to Renee Morrison since 26 March 2002.- Writer
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Born in Georgia but raised in Houston since the age of 7, this self-described "Prince of Darkness" was compelled to use the comedy stage as his philosophic soapbox. At 13, he would sneak out of his suburban house to hustle his way onto open-mike night rosters. In two brief decades, Hicks worked his way up the sweat-stained comedy ladder to national exposure on The Tonight Show, Late Show with David Letterman and an HBO cable special. Rolling Stone named him the "hot stand-up" of 1993. He was the hit of the 1990 and 1991 Just for Laughs comedy festivals in Montreal. Dead at 32, the enigmatic Hicks was admired, reviled and misunderstood. - The Montreal Gazette, March 28, 1994- Actor
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O'Neal was born in New York in 1969, but moved to Boston when he was just 1 year old. He was educated at West Roxbury High School and went on to attend Northeastern University, both in Boston. After this, various jobs followed including a sausage cart vendor at a train station, flower seller and popcorn seller at the Boston Garden Arena.
In October 1992, O'Neal attended an open microphone comedy night. He heckled one of the comedians, who challenged O'Neal to perform himself at the next open mic night. He did just that and so began his comedy career. Over the next 6 years, O'Neal became a fixture on the Boston comedy circuit. He then relocated to New York, becoming a regular at Manhattan's Comedy Cellar. After this, O'Neal moved to Los Angeles and radio, television and film projects followed.
He appeared in various shows, both in acting roles and as himself. In 2005, he taped his own episode of One Night Stand (2005) and in 2011 he had his own Comedy Central special, 'Patrice O'Neal: Elephant in the Room'. As well as on-screen projects, O'Neal worked on radio and continued as a stand-up in clubs and theaters.
O'Neal's final screen appearance was in September 2011 when he took part in the Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen (2011). On November 29, 2011, O'Neal, who suffered from diabetes, passed away, following complications from a stroke. He was 41 years old.- Writer
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Frankie Boyle was born on 16 August 1972 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He is a writer and actor, known for Hangar 10 (2014), Revolver (2001) and Gasping (2014).- Actor
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Jim Norton was born on 19 July 1968 in Bayonne, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Spider-Man (2002), Cop Out (2010) and Top Five (2014).- Podcaster
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Bill Burr is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Patrick Kuby in the crime drama series Breaking Bad (2008), and creating and starring in the Netflix animated sitcom F Is for Family (2015).
In 2008, Burr's voice was featured in the game Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) as Jason Michaels of the biker gang The Lost MC in the mission "No Love Lost." In 2009, he reprised his role in the game's expansion pack Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned (2009).- Additional Crew
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Jimmy Carr is an award-winning comedian, writer and television host.
Among the most-respected and best-loved comedians working in Britain today, Jimmy is one of the biggest selling live acts in UK comedy, consistently performing to sell-out crowds across the country and around the world.
His television credits include hosting some of the UK's longest running panel shows such as 8 Out Of 10 Cats, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Channel 4's Big Fat Quiz Of The Year and Big Fat Quiz Of Everything. Jimmy also hosts Roast Battle on Comedy Central in the UK and The Fix which airs on Netflix.
Jimmy has also regularly appeared on shows such as QI and A League Of Their Own, was one of the stars of Channel 4's 10 O'Clock Live and has been a guest on chat shows such as The Jonathan Ross Show, Graham Norton and Alan Carr: Chatty Man.
Jimmy has eight live DVD releases to his name: Live, Stand Up, Comedian, In Concert, Telling Jokes, Making People Laugh, Being Funny, Laughing & Joking and Funny Business. He has sold over 1.2 million copies to date. In 2015 Jimmy signed a stand-up special deal with US streaming behemoth Netflix, the first UK comedian to do so. Jimmy's Netflix special Funny Business was released in March 2016.
Jimmy's new Netflix special, The Best Of, Ultimate, Gold, Greatest Hits, will drop on March 12th 2019 and will be available to watch worldwide.- Producer
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Christopher Julius Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Rosalie (Tingman), a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped, and Julius Rock, a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman, whose own father was a preacher.
Rock has been in stand-up comedy for several decades. He made his big screen debut in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and spent three years on the cast of Saturday Night Live (1975). He does commercials for 1-800 Collect and Nike and covered the presidential campaign for the show Politically Incorrect (1993). He lives in Alpine, New Jersey.- Writer
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Andy Andrist is known for Andy Andrist: Last Shot (2021), Doug Stanhope's the Unbookables (2012) and Down and Dirty with Jim Norton (2008).- Writer
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Louis C.K. was born on 12 September 1967 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Louie (2010), American Hustle (2013) and Horace and Pete (2016). He was previously married to Alix Bailey.- Actor
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David Cross is an American actor, writer and comedian who is known for playing Tobias Fünke from Arrested Development, Minion from Megamind, Crane from Kung Fu Panda, Ian Hawke from Alvin and the Chipmunks, Yivo from Futurama and Happy Time Harry from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. He also acted in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Men in Black, Curious George and Halo 2.- Writer
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Greg Giraldo was born on 10 December 1965 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Common Law (1996), Z Rock (2008) and Greg Giraldo: Midlife Vices (2009). He was married to MaryAnne McAlpin-Giraldo. He died on 29 September 2010 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.- Writer
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Lenny Bruce was born Leonard Alfred Schneider on October 13, 1925, in Mineola, Long Island, New York. His British-born father, Myron, was a shoe clerk, his mother, Sadie, was a dancer. Lenny's parents were divorced when he was a child. To support herself and her son, Sadie Schneider pursued a career in show business and sent Lenny to live with various aunts, uncles and grandparents.
Dropping out of high school, Lenny enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942, which he almost disliked. He got himself discharged after convincing a team of Navy psychologists that he was experimenting with homosexual urges. With some help from his mother, Lenny began doing impressions, one-liners and movie parodies in small nightclubs. In 1948, he obtained some booking as a result of his appearance on the TV show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. Lenny married a red-headed stripper named Honey Harlow in 1951, but they were divorced five years later. After Honey was arrested and sent to jail for a narcotics violation, Lenny raised their daughter, Kitty, by himself.
Slowly, Lenny began working his way up from performing stand-up comedy in seedy New York City strip clubs and jazz clubs. Gradually his act evolved into something wholly different from that of other comics. Onstage, he was a dark, slender, and intense figure who prowled around like a caged animal and spoke into a hand-held microphone. His monologues were peppered with four-letter curse words and Yiddish expressions. In his act, Lenny liked to expose racist attitudes by forcing his audiences to examine their own racial prejudices. In another act bashing religions, Lenny acted out a conversation between Oral Roberts and the Pope, with both talking in the vernacular of glib show-business personalities. When jazz critic Ralph J. Gleason and San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen wrote about Lenny, be began to get the recognition he so badly wanted. Unfortunately, the seedy subculture of strip joints, clubs, and dives had introduced him to hard drugs and fast times.
Through his nightclub acts and record albums, Lenny became the hipster saint of the comedy world, crossing into the line of propriety where others feared to tread. But his foul-speaking acts began to catch up with him when he was arrested in 1961 on obscenity charges following an appearance at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco, but a jury found him not guilty. Problems with the authorities and religious groups trying to silence him began to plague him as he appeared in clubs all over the country. In 1964, he was arrested again in New York City on more obscenity charges. During his trial a police officer read notes about Lenny's profane act, which caused the desperate comic to ask the judge to let him do the act in court so the judge could understand his callous humor in context, but the judge refused. Despite support from noted writers, critics, educators and politicians, Lenny was found guilty and sentenced to several months in prison, and was paroled just a few months later. Continually harassed by the police, Lenny became depressed and paranoid. Further prosecutions for obscenity and his drug use drove him toward instability. By 1965, he was broke and in debt. He claimed that every time he got a gig, the local police, wherever he was, would threaten to arrest the club owner if Lenny went onstage.
In February 1966, Lenny traveled to Los Angeles and appeared onstage for the first time in years. He performed for a very small crowd who included a few hecklers and vice cops waiting to arrest him if he should use profanity again. Lenny by this time was bearded, overweight, and haggard, and his performance centered on his current obsessions: his constitutional right of free speech, free assembly, and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. When a friend asked him afterwards why he had turned his back on comedy he replied, "I'm not a comedian anymore. I'm Lenny Bruce." On August 3, 1966, Lenny was found dead on the bathroom floor of his Hollywood home. Whatever the details or reasons why, Lenny Bruce was found dead from a drug overdose at the age of 40.- Actor
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Todd Barry was born on 26 March 1964 in The Bronx, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Wrestler (2008), Bob's Burgers (2011) and Flight of the Conchords (2007).- Actor
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Nick was born in Danvers, Massachusetts and attended Danvers High. He went on to be a marketing major at the University of Maine. Nick honed his seething, sarcastic style in New York City.
In this day of watered down comedy his brutally honest performances remind us of what great standup should be - funny, socially relevant and a little bit reckless.
His strong political opinions and razor wit make him a perfect fit for talk radio. He hosted his own shows on New York's 92.3 Free FM, co-hosted "The Nick & Artie Show" and "The Nick Di Paolo Show" on SiriusXM and the live streaming "The Nick Di Paolo Show".
He has performed on The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Conan O' Brien. He was twice nominated for an Emmy for his writing on HBO's The Chris Rock Show. He has also had three half hour standup specials on Comedy Central, a Showtime Special "Raw Nerve", a self released special "Another Senseless Killing" "Inflammatory" and his newest and most controversial release "A Breath of Fresh Air" in 2019. He was one of the stars on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and a stand out on many Comedy Central Roasts.
Not limited to stand-up, radio and writing, he has had acting roles on FX's Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, The Sopranos, Cop Show and CK's critically acclaimed Horace and Pete as well as many other sitcoms.- Writer
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Colin Quinn was born on 6 June 1959 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Trainwreck (2015), A Night at the Roxbury (1998) and Cop Show (2014). He has been married to Jen Sochko since 9 June 2019.- Actor
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Mitch Hedberg was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on February 24, 1968. He began his stand-up career in Florida, and after a period of honing his skills there he moved to Seattle and began touring. He soon appeared on MTV's "Comikaze", then a 1996 appearance on [error] brought him his big break. He won the 1997 grand prize at the Seattle Comedy Competition. The next year saw him appearing on Fox's hit series That '70s Show (1998). In 1999 he completed his own independent feature film, Los Enchiladas! (1999), which he wrote, directed, produced and starred in. He has also recorded two comedy CDs entitled "Mitch All Together" and "Strategic Grill Locations". He has appeared at the 2001 Montreal Just For Laughs comedy festival. Mitch Hedberg died on March 30, 2005 of a drug overdose. He will be sadly missed by all.- Actor
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Hannibal Buress was born on 4 February 1983 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Tag (2018), Neighbors (2014) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).- Writer
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Dave Attell was born on 18 January 1965 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Pootie Tang (2001), Trainwreck (2015) and I Feel Pretty (2018).- Writer
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Dave Chappelle's career started while he was in high school at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC where he studied theatre arts. At the age of 14, he began performing stand-up comedy in nightclubs. Shortly after graduation, he moved to New York City where he quickly established himself as a major young talent. At the age of 19, Chappelle made his film debut in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). Chappelle then starred in the short-lived sitcom, Buddies (1996) and had a featured role in The Nutty Professor (1996).- Producer
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Christopher Julius Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Rosalie (Tingman), a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped, and Julius Rock, a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman, whose own father was a preacher.
Rock has been in stand-up comedy for several decades. He made his big screen debut in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and spent three years on the cast of Saturday Night Live (1975). He does commercials for 1-800 Collect and Nike and covered the presidential campaign for the show Politically Incorrect (1993). He lives in Alpine, New Jersey.- Director
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Robert Francis 'Bobcat' Goldthwait, born May 26, 1962, is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, and star of films and television shows. He is most widely known for his at times screechy voice and scattergun delivery during his standup comedy performances and some film roles.
He was born in 1962 in Syracuse, New York, the son of Kathleen Ann (Welch), a department store employee, and Thomas Lincoln Goldthwait, a sheet metal worker. His family, of Irish, German, and English descent, was Catholic. He decided on a career as a comedian at an early age and was performing professionally while still in high school at the age of fifteen. He and his classmate, Tom Kenny, performed in a comedy duo, billing themselves as "Bobcat and Tomcat". Goldthwait became recognized as a solo stand-up comedian and had three televised concert specials in The 1980s: Bob Goldthwait - Is He Like That All the Time?, An Evening with Bobcat Goldthwait: Share the Warmth (1987) and Meat Bob.
Goldthwait's first major film role was in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985). He reprised the role in the next two films in the series. During the fall of 1993, Goldthwait did stand-up material as an opening act for Nirvana on what would be their final North American tour. He has made several guest appearances on talk shows as well as comedy programs including The Ben Stiller Show (1992). On May 9, 1994, he made a controversial appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992), where, on impulse, he set a couch on fire. This incident was then the basis of the plot for his subsequent appearance on The Larry Sanders Show (1992).
One of the most recognizable features of Goldthwait's performances is his voice. Goldthwait has voiced characters on the television series Capitol Critters (1992); The Moxy & Flea Show (1995); Unhappily Ever After (1995); Hercules (1998) and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000). He has also appeared, as himself, hosting the comedy quiz show Bobcat's Big Ass Show (1998). Goldthwait has released two comedy albums: "Meat Bob" (1988) on Chrysalis Records and "I Don't Mean to Insult You, but You Look Like Bobcat Goldthwait" (23 September, 2003) on Comedy Central Records.
He made his feature film directorial debut with Shakes the Clown (1991), which he wrote and starred in as well. His film, Windy City Heat (2003), won a Comedia Award for Best Comedy Film at Montreal's Just for Laughs Film Festival in 2004.
Bobcat began directing ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) in the fall 2004 season. Since joining the show's crew, the ratings went up to 2 million viewers a night, with the numbers rising nearly 50% with the teenage demographic. In May of 2006, he left to pursue his film career as a filmmaker/director but has since returned to the show. Goldthwait's feature, "Sleeping Dogs Lie" (formally Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006)), starring Melinda Page Hamilton, was in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and it was part of the "Independent Dramatic Features" competition. "Sleeping Dogs Lie" is about a youthful, impulsive sexual encounter which opens the door to a dark comedy about the complexities of honesty. It was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the "Dramatic Features" category. "Sleeping Dogs Lie" was picked up in a mid-six figure deal for distribution in north America by Roadside Attractions & Samuel Goldwyn Films at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. A French film company called "Gaumont" bought it for the international rights to the film in France. "Tartan Films", a UK-based production company, also bought it for international rights in the United Kingdom. The film was released in the US on October 20, 2006.
He married Ann Luly in 1986 at the age of 24. The couple have two children (now grown), Tasha and Taylor, and divorced in May 1998. At one time, Goldthwait was engaged to his Unhappily Ever After (1995) co-star, Nikki Cox, but the couple split.- Producer
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Bill Maher was born William Maher in New York City, New York, and grew up in River Vale, New Jersey. His father, William Aloysius Maher Jr., who was of Irish Catholic descent, was a radio announcer and news editor. His mother, Julie (Berman), was a nurse, who was of Jewish descent. Maher was raised in his father's Catholic faith. While attending Cornell University, he decided to try stand-up comedy. His first stand-up routine was in a Chinese restaurant on Route 17 in Paramus, New Jersey. He soon landed a regular gig at Catch a Rising Star in New York City. After a few years, he became a regular host at the club and was spotted by a scout for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). Maher made numerous appearances on the show, and Carson had been a hero of his since childhood, but he always felt constrained by the rules of network television. During this time, he appeared in films and made guest appearances on numerous sitcoms.
In 1993, Maher was offered his own talk show by Comedy Central. Maher developed the show as a round table discussion on current events. Politically Incorrect (1993) premiered to critical acclaim and attracted major celebrities as well as politicians and pundits. In 1997, the show moved to ABC where it aired to continued success. On September 17, 2001, Maher made controversial comments regarding the terrorists who orchestrated the September 11 attack on the US. Sponsors pulled their ads and affiliates refused to air the show. ABC canceled the show in 2002, citing "low ratings". Maher had been nominated for 11 Emmys for his work on the show. In 2003, he was able to continue his television work with a similar program on HBO titled Real Time with Bill Maher (2003). He remains single and lives in Los Angeles.- Actor
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Lewis Black was born on 30 August 1948 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Inside Out (2015), Man of the Year (2006) and Accepted (2006).- Actor
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For over fifteen years, Marc Maron has been writing and performing raw, honest and thought-provoking comedy for print, stage, radio and television. A legend in the stand-up community, he has appeared on HBO, Conan, Letterman, his two Comedy Central Presents specials and almost every show that allows comics to perform. His book based on his solo show, The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah, is out of print and overpriced by vendors who think it might have some collectors value'. His three CDs, "Not Sold Out', 'Tickets Still Available' and 'Final Engagement' are comedy cult classics.
This year, Marc headlined an episode of John Oliver's NY Stand-Up Show and was ranked #7 in Comedy Central's annual Stand-Up Showdown. His podcast "WTF with Marc Maron" skyrocketed to #1 on the iTunes comedy charts and was ranked #3 Best Podcast of 2009 by iTunes Rewind. He also premiered 'Scorching the Earth,' a one-man show based on his two divorces and anger problem.- Actor
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Macdonald was born Norman Gene Macdonald in Quebec City, Quebec. He began his career in stand-up comedy. Macdonald's first job was writing for The Dennis Miller Show (1992) and then Roseanne (1988). While writing for Roseanne (1988), he was noticed by Lorne Michaels, who liked Norm's stand up, and gave him his job on Saturday Night Live (1975).
Macdonald became widely popular when he became the Weekend Update anchor with his trademark line, "And now the fake news". He lasted from September 24, 1994 until December 13, 1997, when he was fired by Don Ohlmeyer, president of NBC on the west coast. His last weekend update was December 13, 1997 and he officially left the show in March 1998. His movie, Dirty Work (1998), which he began working on in the summer of 1997, came out 2 months later. In March 1999, his show, called Norm (1999), came out on ABC and had a 3-season run. During that time, he also starred in the movie Screwed (2000), opposite Dave Chappelle.- Actor
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Started out in stand-up comedy in 1986 at The Comedy Works, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was half of a duo with the late Rick Roman. Dropped out of Temple University. Moved to Los Angeles in 1994. Met actor Jay Johnston through their mutual friend, Adam McKay, and created a live sketch show called "The Skates", which led to his being hired on HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995).- Actor
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Referred to by some as a dadaistic comedian, Andy Kaufman took comedy and performance art to the edges of irrationality and blurred the dividing line between reality and imagination. Born in New York City on January 17, 1949, the first son of Stanley and Janice Kaufman, Andy grew up on New York in the town of Great Neck. He began performing for family and friends at the age of 7, and by the time he was 9 was being hired to entertain at children's parties. After a year at a Boston junior college, Andy began performing his unique brand of stand-up comedy at coffee shops and nightclubs on the east coast. Discovered by Improvisation comedy club owner Bud Friedman, Andy quickly earned a reputation as a talented, yet eccentric performer. Impressed by his abilities, Lorne Michaels asked Kaufman to appear on the inaugural broadcast of Saturday Night Live (October 11, 1975). Best known for his work as Latka Gravas on the TV sitcom Taxi, Andy appeared in several TV shows and movies, on Broadway, did a one man show at Carnegie Hall, enjoyed a brief professional wrestling career and performed in concerts nation-wide.- Writer
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Paul Mooney was born on 4 August 1941 in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Bamboozled (2000), Brewster's Millions (1985) and Pryor's Place (1984). He was married to Yvonne Mooney. He died on 19 May 2021 in Oakland, California, USA.- Actor
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Patton Oswalt has been headlining at comedy clubs all over the United States since 1996, as well as appearing in his own standup specials on Comedy Central and HBO. He was chosen as Entertainment Weekly's "It" comedian in 2002. He is a regular on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993). His other television credits include appearances on Seinfeld (1989) and NewsRadio (1995).
As a writer, Oswalt spent two seasons on Mad TV (1995) and has also written for the MTV Music Video Awards. He is currently writing screenplays and has appeared in the feature films Starsky & Hutch (2004), Man on the Moon (1999) and Magnolia (1999).- Writer
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Robert Schimmel was born on 16 January 1950 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Scary Movie 2 (2001), A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994) and Dark Seduction (2015). He was married to Melissa Schimmel and Vicki Schimmel. He died on 3 September 2010 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.- Actor
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Robin McLaurin Williams was born on Saturday, July 21st, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois, a great-great-grandson of Mississippi Governor and Senator, Anselm J. McLaurin. His mother, Laurie McLaurin (née Janin), was a former model from Mississippi, and his father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams, was a Ford Motor Company executive from Indiana. Williams had English, German, French, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.
Robin briefly studied political science at Claremont Men's College and theater at College of Marin before enrolling at The Juilliard School to focus on theater. After leaving Juilliard, he performed in nightclubs where he was discovered for the role of "Mork, from Ork", in an episode of Happy Days (1974). The episode, My Favorite Orkan (1978), led to his famous spin-off weekly TV series, Mork & Mindy (1978). He made his feature starring debut playing the title role in Popeye (1980), directed by Robert Altman.
Williams' continuous comedies and wild comic talents involved a great deal of improvisation, following in the footsteps of his idol Jonathan Winters. Williams also proved to be an effective dramatic actor, receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991), before winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Good Will Hunting (1997).
During the 1990s, Williams became a beloved hero to children the world over for his roles in a string of hit family-oriented films, including Hook (1991), FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), Flubber (1997), and Bicentennial Man (1999). He continued entertaining children and families into the 21st century with his work in Robots (2005), Happy Feet (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Happy Feet Two (2011), and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014). Other more adult-oriented films for which Williams received acclaim include The World According to Garp (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Awakenings (1990), The Birdcage (1996), Insomnia (2002), One Hour Photo (2002), World's Greatest Dad (2009), and Boulevard (2014).
On Monday, August 11th, 2014, Robin Williams was found dead at his home in Tiburon, California USA, the victim of an apparent suicide, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office. A 911 call was received at 11:55 a.m. PDT, firefighters and paramedics arrived at his home at 12:00 p.m. PDT, and he was pronounced dead at 12:02 p.m. PDT.- Actor
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Eddie Pepitone was born on 5 November 1958 in Staten Island, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Muppets (2011), Old School (2003) and Trunk'd (2014).- Actor
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- Actor
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Eugene Mirman was born on 24 July 1974 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor and writer, known for The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022), Delocated (2009) and Eugene! (2012). He was previously married to Katie Tharp.- Writer
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Anthony Jeselnik was born on 22 December 1978 in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Anthony Jeselnik: Thoughts and Prayers (2015), Anthony Jeselnik: Fire in the Maternity Ward (2019) and Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert for Autism Education (2010).