Stand-up comedy is an art form comprising of a style of comedy where a comedian performs in front of a live audience, usually speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television.

The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or simply a stand-up. performing his stand-up comedy outdoors in 2010.]]

Format

Stand-up performances are usually short, where the comedian recites a fast-paced succession of humorous stories, short jokes (called "bits"), and one-liners, which constitute what is typically called a monologue, routine or act. Some stand-up comedians use props, music or magic tricks to enhance their acts. Stand-up comedy is often performed in comedy clubs, bars, burlesques, colleges and theaters, but there are no real restrictions on where the craft can be performed.

Many smaller venues hold "open mic" events, where anyone can take the stage and perform for the audience, offering a way for amateur performers to hone their craft and possibly break into professionalism. In North America, many comedy clubs feature the now-iconic brick wall as the backdrop for stand-up performances.

Many stand-up comedians work for years to develop 45 minutes of material, and usually perform their bits repeatedly, slowly perfecting them over time. Actor-comedian Will Ferrell has called stand-up comedy "hard, lonely and vicious".

United Kingdom history

The United Kingdom has a long heritage of stand-up comedy, which began in the music halls of the 18th and 19th centuries. Notable performers who rose through the twentieth century music hall circuit were Morecambe and Wise, Arthur Askey and Max Miller, who was considered to be the quintessential music-hall comedian. The heavy censorship regime of the Lord Chamberlain's Office required all comedians to submit their acts for censorship. The act would be returned with unacceptable sections underlined in blue pencil (possibly giving rise to the term "blue" for a comedian whose act is considered bawdy or smutty). The comedian was then obliged not to deviate from the act in its edited form.

At the end of World War II, many members of the Armed Forces had developed a taste for comedy (stand-up or otherwise) in wartime concert parties and moved into professional entertainment. Eric Sykes, Peter Sellers and the other Goons, and Tommy Cooper all began their careers this way. The rise of the postwar comedians coincided with the rise of television and radio, and the traditional music hall circuit suffered greatly as a result. Whereas a music hall performer could work for years using just one act, television exposure created a constant demand for new material, although this may have also been responsible for the cessation of theatrical censorship in 1968.

By the 1970s, music hall entertainment was virtually dead. Alternative circuits had evolved, such as Working Men's Clubs. Victoria Wood launched her stand-up career in the early 1980s, which saw observational conversation mixed with comedy songs. Wood was to become one of the country's most successful comedians, in 2001 selling out the Royal Albert Hall for 15 nights in a row.

In 1979, the first American-style stand-up comedy club, the Comedy Store, London was opened in London by Peter Rosengard, where many alternative comedy stars of the 1980s, such as Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Alexei Sayle, Lee Evans, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson began their careers. The stand-up comedy circuit rapidly expanded from London across the UK. The present British stand-up comedy circuit arose from the 'alternative' comedy revolution of the 1980s, with political and observational humour being the prominent styles to flourish. In 1983 young drama teacher Maria Kempinska created Jongleurs Comedy Clubs, now the largest Stand Up Comedy chain in Europe.

United States history

Stand-up comedy has its roots in various traditions of popular entertainment of the late 19th century including vaudeville, English Music Hall, Minstrel shows, humorist monologues (by personalities such as Mark Twain and Norman Wilkerson), and circus clown antics. Comedians of this era often donned an ethnic persona (African, Scottish, German, Jewish, etc.) and built a routine based on popular stereotypes. Jokes were generally broad and material was widely shared.

The fathers of modern American stand-up comedy, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Fred Allen, Milton Berle, and Frank Fay all came from vaudeville. They spoke directly to the audience as themselves, in front of the curtain, known as performing "in one". Frank Fay gained acclaim as a "master of ceremonies" at New York's Palace Theater and is credited with creating the style of 20th century stand-up.

Nightclubs and resorts became the new breeding ground for stand-ups. Acts like Alan King, Danny Thomas, Don Rickles, and Jack E. Leonard flourished in these new arenas.

In the 1950s and into the 1960s, led by Mort Sahl, stand-ups began developing their acts in small folk clubs (like San Francisco's hungry i or New York's Bitter End). These comedians added an element of social satire and expanded both the language and boundaries of stand-up venturing into politics, race relations, and sexual humor. Lenny Bruce became known as a "sick" comic when he used language that sometimes led to his arrest. Arguably, the history of stand-up comedy in America would be divided into before and after this defining moment, which would give rise to a final groundswell in the era of language prohibition as it applied to public forum, spoken-word performances.

On October 4, 1961, Bruce was arrested for obscenity at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco; he had used the word "cocksucker" and riffed that "'to' is a preposition, 'come' is a verb", that the sexual context of "come" is so common that it bears no weight, and that if someone hearing it becomes upset, he "probably can't come." Although the jury acquitted him, other law enforcement agencies began monitoring his appearances, resulting in frequent arrests under charges of obscenity. The increased scrutiny also led to an arrest in Philadelphia, for drug possession the same year, and again in Los Angeles, California, two years later. The Los Angeles arrest took place in then-unincorporated West Hollywood, and the arresting officer was a young deputy named Sherman Block, who would later become County Sheriff.

In April 1964, he appeared twice at the Cafe Au Go Go in Greenwich Village, with undercover police detectives in the audience. On both occasions, he was arrested after leaving the stage, the complaints again pertaining to his use of various obscenities.

A three-judge panel presided over his widely publicized six-month trial, with Bruce and club owner Howard Solomon both found guilty of obscenity on November 4, 1964. The conviction was announced despite positive testimony and petitions of support from Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, Jules Feiffer, Allen Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, William Styron, and James Baldwin – among other artists, writers and educators, and from Manhattan journalist and television personality Dorothy Kilgallen and sociologist Herbert Gans. Bruce was sentenced, on December 21, 1964, to four months in the workhouse; he was set free on bail during the appeals process and died before the appeal was decided. Solomon later saw his conviction overturned; Bruce, who died before the decision, never had his conviction stricken. However, following this watershed moment in the craft of stand-up comedy, no comedian was ever again arrested for uttering any spoken word or assemblage of words within the known limits of the English language, on stage. Sweeping American opinion notwithstanding, the argument over the outer-most limits of free speech, as it extended to the craft of stand-up comedy, had been served.

Other notable comics from this era include Woody Allen, Shelley Berman, and Bob Newhart. Some African-American comedians such as Redd Foxx, George Kirby, Bill Cosby, and Dick Gregory began to cross over to white audiences during this time.

Stand-up in the 1970s saw several entertainers becoming major stars based on stand-up comedy performances. Richard Pryor and George Carlin followed Lenny Bruce's acerbic style to become icons. Stand-up expanded from clubs, resorts, and coffee houses into major concerts in sports arenas and amphitheaters. Steve Martin and Bill Cosby had levels of success with gentler comic routines. The older style of stand-up comedy (no social satire) was kept alive by Rodney Dangerfield and Buddy Hackett, who enjoyed revived careers late in life. Television programs such as Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show launched the careers of other stand-up comedians.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Bill Hicks took the social commentary of Bruce and Carlin to new heights with his politically charged humor challenging mainstream beliefs. He described himself as "Chomsky with dick jokes."

In 2005, Bill Dana, a graduate of Emerson College in Boston Massachusetts and stand-up comedian, approached his Alma Mater about establishing an archive of comedy to help preserve the lush history of the ground-breaking comics of the last century. Over 60 interviews were conducted and a vast database of comedic information is now on record at Emerson College.

Stand-up comedy around the world

Belgium

Belgium, and particularly Flanders, has a rich heritage of stand-up comedians. Several annual contest are held, with the Canvas Comedy Casino Cup as the most important challenge. Winners of this cup are Xander De Rycke and David Galle. Typical to Flemish stand up is that there is a large influence of British comedy, partly due to a number of emigrated British stand-up comedians who perform now in Dutch. Famous stand-uppers : Gunter Lamoot, Gili, Filip Geubels, Alex Agnew, Kamagurka, Freddy De Vadder, Nigel Williams, David Galle, Wim Helsen, Xander de Rycke, Henk Rijckaert, ...

Estonia

The nascent stand-up comedy scene in Estonia was established through the Tartu Comedy Festival in April 2010. Since that time, stand-up comedy performances have become regular in the Estonian cities of Tartu and the capital, Tallinn. All shows so far have been in English.

Hong Kong

Stand-up comedy in China is an emerging art form. Hong Kong is the only city in China to offer a fulltime comedy club, The TakeOut Comedy Club Hong Kong, which features both local comics as well as leading international comedians such as Tom Cotter. The Punchline Comedy Club also hosts international comedians once per month. A famous stand-up comedy artist in Hong Kong is Dayo Wong Tze-Wah.He is the first who use Cantonese to play stand-up comedy.

Ireland

Ireland has produced many successful and influential stand-up comedians, including Dave Allen, Spike Milligan, Dylan Moran, Dara Ó Briain, Ardal O'Hanlon, Sean Hughes, Ed Byrne and Jason Byrne. Irish and British standups tend to be well-known in the general culture of both nations.

India

Stand-up comedians were very popular in ancient and medieval India. They were known as Vidushak and were known for their witty, intelligent and jestful acts (sometimes as clowns) in the courts of Indian kings. In modern era many artists have come up and become popular as stand-up comedians, often starting from stage/films and proceeding to TV shows. Javed Jaffrey, Raju Srivastava, Sunil Pal , Ahsaan Qureshi, Naveen Prabhakar etc. TV shows like The Great Indian Laughter Challenge proved to be a highly popular platform for various Indian stand-up comedians.

Malaysia

Malaysia in 2009 revitalized the stand-up comedy scene with the introduction of 2 regular monthly shows. Timeout Comedy Thursday hosts monthly shows, which features young comedians and open mics. The Comedy Club KL, the counterpart of The Comedy Club Asia, offers monthly shows and features some of the best stand-up comedians from around the world with the likes of Greg Fleet, Akmal Saleh and Jeff Green. Local stand-up comedians including Harith Iskander, Douglas Lim, Joanne Kam, Andrew Netto, Papi Zak, Phoon Chi Ho, Kuah Jenhan and Kavin Jay are regular performers in The Comedy Club KL. In October 2010, The Comedy Club Asia brought stand-up comedy to a new level in Kuala Lumpur by producing a show called 'Kings and Queen of Comedy Asia' featuring 5 of the best comics in Asia in a sold-out 3000 seater Plenary Hall, KLCC.

Mexico

Mexican stand-up and much of the country's other comedy formats come down from the carpas (tents), which were traveling variety shows similar to vaudeville but with their own roots and traditions; added to this were the traditions of the pícaro (rogue) and Spanish theatre comedy. Stand-up in Mexico includes original material but consists mainly on telling a standard repertoire of many jokes which have remained basically the same over the decades. Rather than the freshness of the material what is important is the style and manner in which the comedian delivers these old jokes. Among the most famous stand-up comedians are Polo Polo and Jorge Falcón.

Singapore

Singapore has a growing stand-up comedy scene with several active venues although there are still no full time comedy club. The Comedy Club Asia offers monthly shows primarily featuring leading international comics such as Paul Ogata, Gina Yashere, Jeff Green and many others.In 2010, The Comedy Club Asia held the 'Kings and Queen of Comedy Asia" featuring the best comedy talent in the region. Kumar, a drag queen who has performed in Singapore for more than 17 years, is Singapore's leading stand-up comedian. In addition, The Comedy Pimp Singapore brings in award-winning headline acts every month.

Philippines

Philippines stand-up comedy scene was mainly composed before of comedians who would engage in popular forms of humor in the country. This would include performers re-telling well-known jokes with more exaggerated situations, poking fun at audience members, celebrity mimicry and comedic song and dance routines. Bars like Zirco, that feature this kind of comedy, are very popular and have a very big following. Of late, however, the western style of comedy, has been catching on. The Silly People's Improv Theater or SPIT has risen to prominence as Manila's foremost improvisational comedy group, performing around the country and becoming a very popular hire for corporate event organizers in the know who have seen them at their regular bar shows. Mike Unson is the leading force in Philippine point-of-view stand up comedy. There are other stand-up comedy groups like "the Comedy Cartel" But Tsokolait, Pooh, Pokwang, & Funnyman Erik are the pioneers of Philippine Stand Up Comedy!

Poland

Poland stand-up scene is mainly composed of 20-something college grads with backgrounds in media, philosophy, poetry, writing, and film. Currently the scene is limited to a small group of stand-up comedians performing on a regular basis. Almost all stand-up comedy shows are performed in Warsaw, Poland the country's capital. In October 2010 the first season of the Polish "Comedy Central Presents" had its premiere.

Pakistan

Some famous Pakistani stand-up comedians are Shakeel Siddiqui, Kashif Khan and Sami Shah.

Taiwan

Comedy in Taiwan is mostly sketched based with a lot of physical humor. In 2007, Taipei's first comedy club opened. Most of the acts performing there are sketch comedy and improv comedy. A group of expats also performs there regularly, including Torch Pratt (singer), Tom Levene, and ventriloquist Matt "The Puppet Guy" Bronsil.

Comedy festivals

Stand-up comedy is the focus of four major international festivals: the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland; Just for Laughs in Montreal, Canada; HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, CO, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Melbourne, Australia, and a number of other festivals, most prominently The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas, the Vancouver Comedy Festival, the New York Comedy Festival, the Boston Comedy and Film Festival, the New York Underground Film Festival and the Cat Laughs Comedy Festival in Kilkenny, Ireland. Radio hosts Opie and Anthony also produce a comedy tour called Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour, featuring their own co-host, Jim Norton as well as several other stand-up comedians regularly featured on their radio show. There is also a festival in Hong Kong called the HK International Comedy Festival. The festival format has proven quite successful at attracting attention to the art of stand-up, and is often used as a scouting and proving ground by industry professionals seeking new comedic talent.

Other media

Many of the earliest vaudeville-era stand-ups gained their greater recognition on radio. They often opened their programs with topical monologues, characterized by ad-libs and discussions about anything from the latest films to a missed birthday. Each program tended to be divided into the opening monologue, musical number, followed by a skit or story routine. A "feud" between Fred Allen and Jack Benny, was used as comic material for nearly a decade.

HBO presented comedians uncensored for the first time, beginning with Robert Klein in 1975, and was instrumental in reaching larger audiences.

Continuing that tradition, most modern stand-up comedians use television or motion pictures to reach a level of success and recognition unattainable in the comedy club circuit alone.

Since the mid-2000s, online video-sharing sites such as YouTube have also provided a venue for stand-up comedy, and many comedians' performances can be viewed online.

See also

Comedy festivals

Improvisational theatre

List of musical comedians

List of stand-up comedians

Manzai – style of stand-up comedy in Japan

Open mike – live show where audience members may perform at the microphone

Rakugo – Japanese verbal entertainment

Situation comedy

Xiangsheng - Chinese traditional stand-up comedy

References

Watch Stand Up Comedy Videos

Bibliography

Double, Oliver, 1997, Stand-up, on being a comedian, Methuen, London

Double, Oliver, 2005, Getting the Joke, The Inner Workings of Stand-up Comedy, Methuen, London

Stebbins, Robert A. (1990) The Laugh-Makers: Stand-Up Comedy as Art, Business, and Life-Style. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press.

Category:Comedy genres Category:Performing arts

Name	Martin Lawrence
Birth name	Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence
Birth date	April 16, 1965
Birth place	Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
Medium	Stand-up comedyTelevisionFilm
Nationality	German-American
Active	1987–present
Genre	Observational comedyPhysical comedyImprovisational comedyBlack comedy
Subject	Human sexualityAfrican-American cultureRacismRace relationsSelf-deprecation
Influences	Eddie MurphyRichard PryorBill CosbyRedd FoxxCedric the Entertainer
Influenced	Dave ChappelleKevin HartChris TuckerTracy Morgan
Spouse	Patricia Southall (1995-1996); 1 child
Domesticpartner	Lark Voorhies (1993)
Children	Jasmine Lawrence (1996)
Notable work	Martin Payne on MartinHouse PartyBad BoysBig Momma's HouseOpen Season

Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, director, and producer. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys and Bad Boys II. Lawrence has acted in numerous movie roles and starred in his own television series, Martin, which ran from 1992 to 1997.

Early life

Lawrence born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany where his father, John Lawrence, served in the U.S. Military. Lawrence rarely saw his father, who worked as a police officer at the time. His mother, Chlora, began working several jobs to support her family. During his teen years, Lawrence excelled at boxing. No criminal charges were ever filed and the accusations were never brought to court.

After Martin ended its run, Lawrence found ample work in comedy films. He often starred as the second lead opposite actors including Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, and Tim Robbins. and Wild Hogs (2007), in which he plays a bored suburbanite seeking adventure on the open road in a biker comedy alongside John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy.

In 2006, Lawrence appeared on Inside the Actors Studio, during which Lawrence briefly brought back to life some of the characters he'd portrayed on Martin.

In 2008, Lawrence starred in Disney's College Road Trip co-starring with Raven Symone. This particular film was his first G-rated film. Even though it was his first film to be G-rated, it is not his first time appearing in a children's film. He previously starred in Rebound (2005), as well as a voiceover role in Open Season (2006) opposite Ashton Kutcher.

At the 2009 BET Awards he appeared in a spoof movie trailer with Jamie Foxx for a fictitious movie titled The Skank Robbers that featured, respectively, their TV characters Sheneneh Jenkins and Ugly Wanda. in 2010, Fox announced that it was producing a film based on the sketch, featuring Foxx, Lawrence, and actress Halle Berry.

In 2010, it was announced that Lawrence will reprise his role as FBI Agent Malcolm Turner in , the third film in the Big Momma's House series.

Personal life

Lawrence was engaged to Lark Voorhies in 1993.

He married Patricia Southall, a former Miss Virginia USA, in 1996. The couple had one child, Jasmine.

In the mid-1990s, during the filming of A Thin Line Between Love and Hate lashed out in a violent outburst on the set. He became increasingly erratic and was arrested after he reportedly brandished a pistol and screamed at tourists on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles. including Shanice who serenaded the couple by singing the Minnie Riperton's classic Lovin' You.

Filmography

Television

What's Happening Now!! (cast member from 1987–1988) - Maurice

A Little Bit Strange (1989) (unsold pilot)

Hammer, Slammer, & Slade (1990) (unsold pilot)

Private Times (1991) (unsold pilot)

Martin (1992–1997) - Martin Payne

Def Comedy Jam (host from 1992–1993)

Love That Girl! (executive producer)

Albums

Awards and nominations

Blockbuster Entertainment Award

*nominated with Eddie Murphy for Favorite Comedy Team (2000) for the movie Life

*nominated for Favorite Actor (2001) for the movie Big Momma's House

NAACP Image Award

*won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1995) for the series Martin

*won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1996) for the series Martin

*nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1997) for the series Martin

Kids' Choice Award

*nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1995) for the series Martin

*nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1996) for the series Martin

*nominated for Favorite Movie Actor (2001) for the movie Big Momma's House

MTV Movie Award

*nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Duo (1996) for the movie Bad Boys

*nominated for the movie Big Momma's House

*nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Team (2003) for the movie Bad Boys II

ShoWest - Male Star of Tomorrow (1995)

Teen Choice Award - nominated for Wipeout Scene of the Summer (2000) for the movie Big Momma's House

BET Comedy Award - won Icon Comedy Award (2005)

References

External links

interview, 2005, BlackNews

interview, 7/03, BlackFilm

interview: January 25, 2006 on the Tavis Smiley show

Martin Lawrence HBO Stand-Up Special Videos

Category:1965 births Category:African American film directors Category:American comedians Category:African American comedians Category:African American film actors Category:American film producers Category:American screenwriters Category:American stand-up comedians Category:African American television actors Category:Living people Category:Actors from Maryland Category:Military brats Category:People from New York City Category:People from Frankfurt Category:People from Prince George's County, Maryland

Name	Tracy Morgan
Caption	Morgan discussing his book I Am the New Black, New York City 2009
Birth name	Tracy Jamal Morgan
Birth date	November 10, 1968
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, Televison, Film, Books
Nationality	American
Years active	1990–present
Genre	Black comedy, Musical comedy, Observational comedy, Character comedy
Subject	African-American culture, race relations, racism, marriage, parenting, self-deprecation, recreational drug use, sex, relationships, current events
Spouse	Sabrina Morgan (1985-2009; 3 children)
Notable work	Saturday Night LiveTracy Mitchell in The Tracy Morgan ShowTracy Jordan in 30 RockHost of Scare Tactics

Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American actor, comedian and author who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.

Early life

Morgan was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, the second of five children of Alicia (née Warden), a homemaker, and Jimmy Morgan, Sr., a musician who left the family when Morgan was six. Morgan grew up in the Marcy Projects in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, along with rapper Jay-Z. After attending De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx, he was discovered in 1984 while doing stand-up at The Apollo. Before Morgan began his career, he worked in New York City as a painter, for L&L; Painting and Rose Company.

Career

Morgan began his career on Martin, where he played Hustle Man. The character sold random items he had from the 'hood', always greeting people with his trademark "What's happ'n, chief?" and had a pet dog that he dressed as a rapper. In the 2003 Chris Rock film Head of State, Morgan appeared as a man watching television, often questioning why they are not watching Martin.

Morgan was also a regular cast member on "Uptown Comedy Club", a sketch comedy show filmed in Harlem which aired for two seasons between 1992 to 1994. He was also on the HBO show Snaps.

Saturday Night Live

Morgan joined the cast of comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1996, where he performed as a regular until 2003. He performed a variety of characters on the program, including Brian Fellow, Uncle Jemima (Uncle Jemima's Pure Mash Liquor), Dominican Lou, Bishop Don "Mack" Donald (from Pimp Chat), Astronaut Jones, African Andy, Benny the Bengal, and Woodrow (a mentally ill homeless man who lives in the sewer and is nice to the female celebrities [Britney Spears and Kate Hudson] he invites to his "home"). Morgan is also credited with impressions of Aretha Franklin, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou, Samuel L. Jackson, Louis Armstrong, Mike Tyson, Judge Greg Mathis, Lou Bega, Mr. T, Tito Jackson, Petri Hawkins-Byrd, Star Jones, John Boehner, Plaxico Burress, and Al Sharpton. On March 14, 2009, Morgan returned to SNL as host and reprised his roles of Brian Fellow and Astronaut Jones.

30 Rock

Morgan is currently a cast member of the NBC television show 30 Rock, playing the character Tracy Jordan, a caricature of himself. His work on 30 Rock has been well-received, being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2009 Emmy Awards.

Other work

Morgan had his own show, The Tracy Morgan Show, in 2003, which was canceled after one season.

Morgan also had a stand-up special entitled "One Mic" that was shown on Comedy Central. He also was the host of the first Spike Guys' Choice Awards, which aired on June 13, 2007. In 2003, he was on an episode of Punk'd in which his car was towed from the valet parking. He can be heard as "Spoonie Luv" on the Comedy Central program Crank Yankers and as Woof in the MTV2 Animated Series Where My Dogs At?.

Morgan acted in commercials for ESPN NFL 2K, ESPN NBA 2K, and ESPN NHL 2K, where he co-starred with Warren Sapp, Ben Wallace and Jeremy Roenick. He appeared in the movie The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler, as a transvestite inmate.

Morgan has hosted the VH1 Hip Hop Honors for 2 consecutive years and hosted the third season of Scare Tactics, the Sci Fi Channel's hidden camera show that pranks people by using their worst fears against them.

Morgan voiced Agent Blaster in Disney's G-Force. Morgan will voice a Bulldog in the upcoming Blue Sky Animation Studios film Rio.

Personal life

Morgan claims to have a number of tattoos, including: a peace sign; a happy and sad face; a cross bearing the names of his wife and three sons; the name of a friend he played football with in high school who was murdered; the words ME, MYSELF, & I on his back; and the phrase Stove Top.

Morgan married his high school sweetheart Sabina in 1985. They have three sons together. Morgan filed for divorce at Bronx Supreme Court on August 7, 2009 after 23 years of marriage, although he and his wife had been already separated for eight years. A friend told the New York Daily News, "Basically they were divorced without the paperwork."

In 1996, he was diagnosed with diabetes, but says he never took it seriously, refusing to take medication or change his diet. After running a 104-degree fever on the set of 30 Rock, Morgan decided to finally comply with his doctor's orders. He is now very cautious when it comes to the condition. With his consent, many of Morgan's own troubles have been incorporated within episodes of 30 Rock.

Around December 10, 2010, Tracy Morgan received a kidney transplant. It was announced on December 22, 2010 that he was resting and will miss "at least two episodes" of "30 Rock" in 2011.

Autobiography

On October 20, 2009, Morgan's autobiography I Am the New Black was released. The book includes stories from his life living in Tompkins Projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, to becoming a star as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Tracy appeared on National Public Radio's Fresh Air hosted by Terry Gross, at times tearing up about his former life in a New York ghetto.

Awards/nominations

Emmy Awards

* 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated

* 2008, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated

* 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated

Filmography

Half Baked (1998)

How High (2001)

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

30 Years to Life (2001)

Head of State (2003)

The Longest Yard (2005)

Are We There Yet? (2005)

Little Man (2006)

VH1's Totally Awesome (2006)

Farce of the Penguins (2006)

First Sunday (2008)

Superhero Movie (2008)

Beer for My Horses (2008)

Scare Tactics (2008)

G-Force (2009)

Deep in the Valley (2009)

Nailed (2010)

Cop Out (2010)

Death at a Funeral (2010)

The Other Guys (2010) (non speaking cameo)

Rio (2011)

Son of No One (2011)

References

External links

Category:1968 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American comedians Category:African American film actors Category:African American television actors Category:American comedians Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People convicted of alcohol-related driving offenses Category:People from the Bronx

Name	Seth Rogen
Caption	Rogen in August 2007
Birthdate	April 15, 1982
Birthplace	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation	Actor, comedian, voice artist, producer, screenwriter
Yearsactive	1995–present

Seth Rogen (born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, voice artist, screenwriter, and film producer. Rogen began his career doing stand-up comedy for four years during his teens, coming in second place in the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest in 1998. While still living in his native Vancouver, he landed a supporting role in Freaks and Geeks. Shortly after Rogen moved to Los Angeles for his role, Freaks and Geeks was canceled after one season due to poor ratings. He then got a part on the equally short-lived Undeclared, which also hired him as a staff writer.

After landing a job as a staff writer on the final season of Da Ali G Show, for which Rogen and the other writers received an Emmy nomination, he was guided by film producer Judd Apatow toward a film career. Rogen was cast in a major supporting role and credited as a co-producer in Apatow's directorial debut, The 40-Year-Old Virgin. After receiving critical praise for that performance, Universal Pictures agreed to cast him as the lead in Apatow's next directorial feature, Knocked Up.

Rogen has appeared in the films Donnie Darko, You, Me and Dupree, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Observe and Report, and The Green Hornet, and also in the Apatow-produced comedies The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express, and Funny People. He and his comedy partner Evan Goldberg co-wrote the comedy films Superbad and Pineapple Express, for which he originally intended to headline while in high school. Rogen has provided voice talents in the animated films Horton Hears a Who!, Kung Fu Panda, and Monsters vs. Aliens. He also supports Crowdrise, a charitable networking site.

Early life

Rogen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Sandy, a social worker, and Mark Rogen, who works for non-profit organizations and as an assistant director of a Workmen's Circle. He has one older sister, Danya, who is a social worker. Rogen attended Vancouver Talmud Torah Elementary School and Point Grey Secondary School (although he never graduated), incorporating many of his classmates into his writing. He was also known for the stand-up comedy he performed at Camp Miriam, a Habonim Dror camp. Rogen got his start in show business at age 13, after signing up for a comedy class. At the age of 14, with his friend Evan Goldberg, he co-wrote Superbad, reflecting pieces from their childhood and dad. With his deadpan humor, he placed second in the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest at 16 years old, then headed south of the border to continue stand-up and acting.

Career

Early career

Rogen's first exposure to the entertainment field began with commercial work in Canada at the age of 13. After trying his hand as a standup comic for a few years, Rogen obtained his first starring role in the series Freaks and Geeks with only two auditions. He played cynical, acerbic "freak" Ken Miller. Judd Apatow, the show's co-producer, was very impressed with Rogen's improvisational skills. After the show was cancelled in the middle of its first season, Rogen was cast in a similar role in Apatow's second, also short-lived series, Undeclared, and went on to write several episodes. In 2001, Rogen also had a minor role in Donnie Darko (playing Ricky Danforth) and in 2003 on an episode of Dawson's Creek called "Rock Bottom" as "Bob" in their last season, that he also claims he never saw. Following the cancellation of his second series in 2002, Rogen developed a soured attitude toward television, not wanting to act on another show unless Apatow was involved.

Writing career

Rogen's first major writing job was for Apatow's second short-lived television series, Undeclared, for which he was hired as a writer before he was offered an acting role. During the show's run, Rogen wrote one episode by himself and co-wrote four others.

Rogen's experience with Undeclared paid off when he and his writing partner, Evan Goldberg, joined the writing staff of Da Ali G Show for its second and ultimately final season. In 2005, the Ali G Show writing staff, including Rogen and Goldberg, received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Program category. Rogen's association with the show's star, Sacha Baron Cohen, who had belonged to the same Jewish youth group, Habonim Dror, was not over, however; in a recent interview with Tokion (#55), Rogen claimed to have made uncredited contributions to Cohen's film version of , and he is credited with providing additional material for Brüno.

In 2008 Rogen won the Best Writing (Film) Canadian Comedy Award for Superbad. He had written the script for this 2007 comedy years earlier, as a starring role for himself. The Superbad team then looked for "an 18-year-old version" of Rogen and chose frequent Rogen collaborator Jonah Hill (who is slightly less than two years younger). Rogen also wrote the screenplay for the Owen Wilson movie Drillbit Taylor, which is based on a 70-page scriptment written by John Hughes.

Acting roles

Rogen returned to the big screen in 2005 with a major supporting role in Apatow's directorial debut The 40-Year-Old Virgin alongside Steve Carell. The film was a success, grossing $109,449,237 domestically ($177,358,395 worldwide). Apatow then cast Rogen as the lead in the 2007 film Knocked Up. Upon completing The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Apatow had approached Rogen about potential starring roles, but the actor suggested many high-concept science fiction ideas. After Apatow insisted that Rogen would work better in real life situations, the two agreed on the accidental pregnancy concept that became Knocked Up, for which Rogen was nominated for Best Actor at the 2008 Canadian Comedy Dundies, losing to Michael Cera for his role in Superbad which was co-written by Rogen.

In USA Today's recent profile of the so-called "frat pack" group of contemporary actors, they mention those actors' rising salaries makes it financially wiser to cast newcomers like Rogen as supporting characters, citing his roles in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Dupree as successful examples. When asked in an interview if he is in the group, Rogen has stated that he is not sure.

Rogen and Apatow were behind the 2007 teen comedy Superbad at Sony Pictures. Rogen and Goldberg wrote the film, with Apatow as one of the producers. While Rogen did pen Owen Wilson's Drillbit Taylor, he did not appear in it since the script mostly involved high school students. Freaks and Geeks co-star James Franco reunited with Rogen for the Rogen/Goldberg-written comedy, Pineapple Express. Rogen hosted Saturday Night Live on October 6, 2007 and again on April 4, 2009. Rogen's next release was Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno, in which he co-starred with Elizabeth Banks. It was the first film Rogen has co-headlined in that grossed under $100 million at the domestic box-office. Rogen also appeared along-side Kevin Smith on the October 18th, 2008 episode of the movie review podcast Scene Unseen.

He starred in the Jody Hill-directed mall cop comedy Observe and Report, which opened in theaters on April 10, 2009.

Later in 2009, Rogen starred in Apatow's third directorial feature, Funny People, with Adam Sandler. Rogen played a young, inexperienced comic while Sandler played a mentor of sorts to Rogen's character; the film had more dramatic elements in it than Apatow's previous directorial efforts. Other co-stars included Eric Bana and Apatow's wife Leslie Mann.

In April 2008, Empire reported that Rogen and Evan Goldberg would write an episode for the animated television series The Simpsons. He also voiced a character in the episode. The episode was titled Homer the Whopper and was the season premiere.

After years of speculation, a feature film adaptation of The Green Hornet will be handled by Rogen and Evan Goldberg with a theatrical release of January 2011. To prepare for his role, Rogen's physical appearance has been changed through fitness routines. In 2007, in a strategy to garner interest and funding, Rogen created a pre-pre-production trailer for Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse, a film he is now working on with Goldberg, and is set to produce and take a supporting role in the film Live With It, from Mandate Pictures. The film is based on an autobiographical comedy script by screenwriter Will Reiser.

In June 2010, Executive Producer of Entourage, Doug Ellin, admitted that he once considered casting Rogen for the program.

Improvisation

Though Rogen has penned scripts for both film and television, his comedic stylings tend to rely heavily on improvisational dialogue. Apatow noticed this improvisation talent on the set of Freaks and Geeks, which influenced his decision to have Rogen write for Undeclared and pitch jokes for The 40-Year-Old Virgin. As with most Apatow projects, the dialogue in Rogen's films is usually not what it was on paper. Because Apatow never stops rolling after takes, allowing his actors to improvise differently each time, Rogen's three largest film roles to date (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Pineapple Express) all achieved the rare milestone of shooting over a million feet of film, almost unprecedented for comedies. In an interview with MTV, he said of Smith "I feel like my strengths were always kind of ripping off a Kevin Smith movie anyway. It's not a far departure." Of Smith and his films, Rogen has gone as far as to say (to Smith) "I wouldn't be a writer if it wasn't for you and your movies."

Personal life

Rogen moved to Los Angeles at the age of 16, after Apatow discovered him in Vancouver. During his late teens, Rogen's parents moved from Canada with him, but by the time he landed his second television series, his parents would live in both Canada and the United States. Rogen and Miller became engaged in September 2010.

He is a big fan of The Simpsons and has always wanted to work with Matt Groening on a movie. According to "Rotten Tomatoes", his five favorite films are: The Big Lebowski (1998), Ghost Busters (1984), The Last Detail (1973), Total Recall (1990) and Goodfellas (1990).

Filmography

|- 1994 ll "Romeo and Juliet" (Movie Series) ll cast and crew ll | 1999 || Freaks and Geeks || Ken Miller || TV Series: 18 Episodes |- |rowspan="2"| 2001 || Undeclared || Ron Garner || TV Series: 17 EpisodesWriter |- |Donnie Darko || Ricky Danforth || |- | 2003 || Dawson's Creek || Bob || TV Series: 1 Episode |- | 2004 || '' || Scottie || |- | 2005 || The 40-Year-Old Virgin ||Cal|| Co-Producer |- | 2006 || You, Me and Dupree||Neil|| |- | rowspan="3" | 2007 || Knocked Up || Benjamin Stone || Executive Producer |- | Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse || Seth || Writer |- | Superbad || Officer Michaels || Writer/Executive Producer |- |rowspan="8" | 2008 || The Spiderwick Chronicles || Hogsqueal || |Voice only |- | Horton Hears a Who! || Morton the Mouse || Voice Only |- | Strange Wilderness ||Ranger In The Helicopter'' || Voice Only |- | Drillbit Taylor || || Writer Only |- | Kung Fu Panda || Master Mantis || Voice only |- | Step Brothers || Sporting Goods Manager || |- | Pineapple Express || Dale Denton || Writer/Executive Producer |- | Zack and Miri Make a Porno || Zack Brown || |- |rowspan="7"| 2009 || Fanboys || Admiral SeasholtzMr Roach "The Pimp"Star trek alien || |- | Monsters vs. Aliens || B.O.B. || Voice Only |- | Observe and Report || Ronnie Barnhardt || |- | Funny People || Ira Wright || Executive Producer |- | Paper Heart || Himself || Interview |- |Family Guy || Himself || TV Series: 2 EpisodesVoice Only |- | The Simpsons || Lyle McCarthy || TV Series:One episodeVoice OnlyWriter |- |rowspan="5"| 2011 || | The Green Hornet || Britt Reid/The Green Hornet || Writer/Executive Producer |- | Paul || Paul || Voice OnlyPost-Production |- | || Master Mantis || Voice OnlyPost-production |- | Live With It || Kyle || ProducerPost-Production |- | Take This Waltz || Lou ||Post-Production |}

Awards

References

Further reading

External links

The Education of A Comic Prodigy on Time.com (a division of Time Magazine)

The Onion A.V. Club interview

Seth Rogen Interview in Complex Magazine

Telegraph.co.uk Interview with Seth Rogen

"Irony Man" ELLE magazine

Category:1982 births Category:Canadian comedians Category:Canadian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Canadian film actors Category:Canadian film producers Category:Canadian Jews Category:Canadian television actors Category:Canadian television writers Category:Canadian voice actors Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish comedians Category:Jewish writers Category:Living people Category:People from Vancouver

Name	Rodney Carrington
Birth name	Rodney Scott Carrington
Birth date	October 19, 1968
Birth place	Longview, Texas
Medium	Stand-Up, television, radio
Nationality	American
Active	1998-present
Genre	Country Comedy
Website	rodneycarrington.musiccitynetworks.com

Rodney Scott Carrington (born October 19, 1968, in Longview, Texas) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and country music artist. He has released six major-label studio albums and a greatest-hits package, on Mercury Records and Capitol Records. His comedy act typically combines stand-up comedy and original songs. Carrington has also starred in the sitcom Rodney and alongside Toby Keith in the 2008 film Beer for My Horses.

Biography

Rodney Carrington lived in longview,Texas, from 1988 to 1990. Carrington worked as a comedian in local venues, gaining exposure through radio programs such as The Bob and Tom Show.

Major-label career

Carrington's first album, Hangin' with Rodney, was released in 1998 via Mercury Records Nashville. This album, composed of both standup comedy and original songs, contained the non-charting single "Letter to My Penis" and peaked at #73 on Top Country Albums. He moved to Capitol Nashville for his next album, 2000's Morning Wood. It was his first Top 20 album, and it brought him to the singles charts for the first time with "More of a Man", which reached #71 on Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs). After it came the live album Live: C'mon Laugh You Bastards, which did not chart.

Carrington's third release for Capitol was 2003's Nut Sack. It included the single "Don't Look Now" which reached #60. A Greatest Hits package followed in 2004. This album comprised selections from his Capitol recordings on two discs: stand-up routines on one disc, and songs on the other. It also included his first non-comedy song, "Things We Didn't Know." Also in 2004, Carrington made his acting debut in Rodney, a sitcom based largely on his own life which aired on ABC for two seasons. This album also includes songs co-written by Keith, as well as a second serious song.

Personal life

Carrington lives in Bixby, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa. Rodney and his wife Terri have been married since September 25, 1993 and have three sons Zac (1994) Sam (1996) and George (1998).

Discography

Albums

Singles

Music videos

References

External links

Official Website

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:People from Longview, Texas Category:American comedy musicians Category:American country singers Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:Capitol Records artists Category:People from Bixby, Oklahoma

Name	Robin Williams
Caption	At "Stand Up for Heroes", a benefit organized by the Bob Woodruff Family Fund to raise money for injured U.S. servicemen (2007)
Birth name	Robin McLaurim Williams
Birth date	July 21, 1951
Birth place	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Medium	Stand-up, Film, Television
Nationality	American
Active	1972–present
Genre	Character comedy, Physical comedy, Improvisational comedy, Satire/Political Satire, Observational comedy, Blue Comedy
Influences	Richard Pryor, Jonathan Winters
Influenced	Conan O'Brien, Frank Caliendo, Dat Phan, Jo Koy
Spouse	Valerie Velardi (1978–1988) 1 child Marsha Garces Williams (1989–2008) 2 children
Website	RobinWilliams.com

Robin McLaurim Williams (born July 21, 1951) is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. He has also won two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards.

Early life

Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Laura (née Smith, 1922–2001), was a former model from New Orleans, Louisiana. His father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams (September 10, 1906 – October 18, 1987) was a senior executive at Ford Motorship in charge of the Midwest area. He is of English, Welsh and Irish descent on his father's side, and of French descent on his mother's side. Williams was raised in the Episcopal Church, though his mother practiced Christian Science. He grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he was a student at the Detroit Country Day School, and Woodacre, Marin County, California, where he attended the public Redwood High School. Williams also attended Claremont McKenna College (then called Claremont Men's College) for four years. He has two half-brothers: Todd (who died August 14, 2007) and McLaurin.

Williams has described himself as a quiet child whose first imitation was of his grandmother to his mother. He did not overcome his shyness until he became involved with his high-school drama department.

In 1973, Williams was one of only 20 students accepted into the freshman class at the Juilliard School, and one of only two students to be accepted by John Houseman into the Advanced Program at the school that year, the other being Christopher Reeve. As Mork, Williams improvised much of his dialogue and devised plenty of rapid-fire verbal and physical comedy, speaking in a high, nasal voice. Mork's appearance was so popular with viewers that it led to a spin-off hit television sitcom, Mork and Mindy, which ran from 1978 to 1982. Although playing the same character as in his appearance in Happy Days, the show was set in the present day, in Boulder, Colorado, instead of the late '50s in Milwaukee. Mork was an extremely popular character, featured on posters, coloring books, lunchboxes, and other merchandise.

Starting in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Williams began to reach a wider audience with his standup comedy, including three HBO comedy specials, Off The Wall (1978), An Evening with Robin Williams (1982), and Robin Williams: Live at the Met (1986). Also in 1986, Williams reached an ever wider audience to exhibit his style at the 58th Academy Awards show.

His stand-up work has been a consistent thread through his career, as is seen by the success of his one-man show (and subsequent DVD) Robin Williams Live on Broadway (2002). He was voted 13th on Comedy Central's list "100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time" in 2004.

After some encouragement from his friend Whoopi Goldberg, he was set to make a guest appearance in the 1991 episode, "A Matter of Time", but he had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict; Matt Frewer took his place as a time-traveling con man, Professor Berlingoff Rasmussen.

Williams also appeared on an episode of the American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Season 3, Episode 9: November 16, 2000). During a game of "Scenes from a Hat", the scene "What Robin Williams is thinking right now" was drawn, and Williams stated "I have a career. What the hell am I doing here?"

On December 4, 2010, he appeared with Robert De Niro on SNL in the sketch What Up with That.

Cinema career

Most of Williams' acting career has been in film, although he has given some performances on stage as well (notably as Estragon in a production of Waiting for Godot with Steve Martin). His performance in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) got Williams nominated for an Academy Award. Many of his roles have been comedies tinged with pathos.

His role as the Genie in the animated film Aladdin (1992) was instrumental in establishing the importance of star power in voice actor casting. Williams also used his voice talents in , as the holographic Dr. Know in the 2001 feature A.I. Artificial Intelligence, the 2005 animated feature Robots, the 2006 Academy Award winning Happy Feet, and an uncredited vocal performance in 2006's Everyone's Hero. Furthermore, he was the voice of The Timekeeper, a former attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort about a time-traveling robot who encounters Jules Verne and brings him to the future.

In 1998, he won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role as a psychologist in Good Will Hunting. although the part of the Joker was played by Heath Ledger, who went on to win, posthumously, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

He was portrayed by Chris Diamantopoulos in the made-for-TV biopic Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork & Mindy (2005), documenting the actor's arrival in Hollywood as a struggling comedian.

Disputes with Disney

In gratitude for his success with the Disney/Touchstone film Good Morning, Vietnam, Robin Williams voiced the Genie in the Disney animated film Aladdin for SAG scale pay ($75,000), on condition that his name or image not be used for marketing, and his (supporting) character not take more than 25% of space on advertising artwork, since Toys was scheduled for release one month after Aladdin's debut. The studio went back on the deal on both counts, especially in poster art by having the Genie in 25% of the image, but having other major and supporting characters portrayed considerably smaller. Disney's Hyperion book, Aladdin: The Making Of An Animated Film, listed both of Williams' characters "The Peddler" and "The Genie" ahead of main characters, but was forced to refer to him only as "the actor signed to play the Genie".

Williams and Disney had a bitter falling-out, and as a result Dan Castellaneta voiced the Genie in The Return of Jafar, the Aladdin animated television series, and had recorded his voice for Aladdin and the King of Thieves. When Jeffrey Katzenberg was fired from Disney and replaced by former 20th Century Fox production head Joe Roth (whose last act for Fox was greenlighting Williams' film Mrs. Doubtfire), Roth arranged for a public apology to Williams by Disney. Williams agreed to perform in Hollywood Pictures' Jack, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and even agreed to voice the Genie again for the King Of Thieves sequel (for considerably more than scale), replacing all of Castellaneta's dialogue.

When Williams re-teamed with Doubtfire director Chris Columbus for 1999's Bicentennial Man, Disney asked that the budget be cut by approximately $20 million, and when the film was released on Christmas Day, it flopped at the box office. Williams blamed Disney's marketing and the loss of content the film had suffered due to the budget cuts. As a result, Williams was again on bad terms with Disney, and Castellaneta was once again recruited to replace him as Genie in the Kingdom Hearts video game series and the House of Mouse TV series. The DVD release for Aladdin has no involvement whatsoever from Williams in the bonus materials, although some of his original recording sessions can be seen.

Robin Williams has recently made peace with the Walt Disney Company and in 2009 agreed to be inducted into the Disney hall of fame, designated as a Disney Legend.

Stand-up career

Robin Williams has done a number of stand-up comedy tours since the early 1970s. Some of his most notable tours include An Evening With Robin Williams (1982), Robin Williams: At The Met (1986) and Robin Williams LIVE on Broadway (2002). The latter broke many long-held records for a comedy show. In some cases, tickets were sold out within thirty minutes of going on sale.

After a six-year break, in August 2008 Williams announced a brand new 26-city tour titled "Weapons of Self Destruction". He was quoted as saying that this was his last chance to make cracks at the expense of the current Bush Administration, but by the time the show was staged only a few minutes covered that subject. The tour started at the end of September 2009, finishing in New York on December 3, and was the subject of an HBO special on December 8, 2009.

Controversy

Williams was accused of stealing material from other comics to the extent that David Brenner claims that he confronted Williams personally and threatened him with bodily harm if he heard Williams utter another one of his jokes.

Theatre career

In theatre, Williams has headed his own one-man show, Robin Williams: Live on Broadway, that played at The Broadway Theatre in July 2002. He will make his acting debut in Rajiv Joseph's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, to open on Broadway on March 31, 2011.

Personal life

Robin Williams' first marriage was to Valerie Velardi on June 4, 1978, with whom he has one child, Zachary Pym (Zak) (born April 11, 1983). During Williams' first marriage, he was involved in an extramarital relationship with Michelle Tish Carter, a cocktail waitress whom he met in 1984. She sued him in 1986, claiming that he did not tell her he was infected with the herpes simplex virus before he embarked on a sexual relationship with her in the mid-1980s, during which, she said, he transmitted the virus to her. The case was settled out of court.

On April 30, 1989, he married Marsha Garces, his son's nanny who was already several months pregnant with his child. They have two children, Zelda Rae (born July 31, 1989) and Cody Alan (born November 25, 1991). However, in March 2008, Garces filed for divorce from Williams, citing irreconcilable differences.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Williams had an addiction to cocaine; he has since quit. Williams was a close friend and frequent partier alongside John Belushi. He says the death of his friend and the birth of his son prompted him to quit drugs: "Was it a wake-up call? Oh yeah, on a huge level. The grand jury helped too."

On August 9, 2006, Williams checked himself in to a substance-abuse rehabilitation center (located in Newberg, Oregon), later admitting that he was an alcoholic. His publicist delivered the announcement:

"After 20 years of sobriety, Robin Williams found himself drinking again and has decided to take proactive measures to deal with this for his own well-being and the well-being of his family. He asks that you respect his and his family's privacy during this time. He looks forward to returning to work this fall to support his upcoming film releases."

On August 20, 2007, Williams' elder brother, Robert Todd Williams, died of complications from heart surgery performed a month earlier.

Williams is a member of the Episcopal Church. He has described his denomination in a comedy routine as "Catholic Lite — same rituals, half the guilt."

While studying at Juilliard, Williams befriended Christopher Reeve. They had several classes together in which they were the only students, and they remained good friends for the rest of Reeve's life. Williams visited Reeve after the horse riding accident that rendered him a quadriplegic, and cheered him up by pretending to be an eccentric Russian doctor (similar to his role in Nine Months). Williams claimed that he was there to perform a colonoscopy. Reeve stated that he laughed for the first time since the accident and knew that life was going to be okay.

Williams lives in San Francisco.

Health

Williams was hospitalized in March 2009 due to heart problems. He postponed his one-man tour in order to undergo surgery to replace his aortic valve. The surgery was successfully completed on March 13, 2009, at the Cleveland Clinic.

Other interests

Williams is an avid enthusiast of games (even naming his daughter after Princess Zelda from The Legend of Zelda video game series), enjoying pen-and-paper role-playing games and online video games, recently playing Warcraft 3, Day of Defeat, Half-Life, and the first-person shooter Battlefield 2 as a sniper. On January 6, 2006, he performed live at Consumer Electronics Show during Google's keynote. In the 2006 E3, on the invitation of Will Wright, he demonstrated the creature editor of Spore while simultaneously commenting on the creature's look: "This will actually make a platypus look good." He also complimented the game's versatility, comparing it to Populous and Black & White. Later that year, he was one of several celebrities to participate in the Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day.

A fan of professional road cycling, he was a regular on the US Postal and Discovery Channel Pro Cycling team bus and hotels during the years Lance Armstrong dominated the Tour de France. He owns over 50 bicycles.

He also enjoys rugby union and is a big fan of former All Black, Jonah Lomu.

Williams is a supporter of eco-friendly vehicles. He currently drives a Toyota Prius, and is on the waiting list for an Aptera 2 Series electric vehicle. Williams has recently announced that he would love to play the role of "The Riddler" in the next installment to the "Batman" films by director Christopher Nolan, though Nolan has stated "The Riddler" will not be in the next and final installment.

Charity work

for the USO on December 13, 2010]] Williams and his former wife, Marsha, founded the Windfall Foundation, a philanthropic organization to raise money for many different charities. Williams devotes much of his energy to charity work, including the Comic Relief fundraising efforts. In December 1999, he sang in French on the BBC-inspired music video of international celebrities doing a cover of the Rolling Stones' "It's Only Rock & Roll" for the charity Children's Promise.

Williams has performed with the USO for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In response to the 2010 Canterbury Earthquake, Robin Williams donated all proceeds of his "Weapons of Self Destruction" Christchurch performance to helping rebuild the New Zealand city. Half the proceeds were donated to the Red Cross and half to the mayoral building fund with the words "I hope this donation will go some way to helping the extensive rebuilding effort in the city."

Filmography

Television

Discography

Williams sings a version of "Come Together" with Bobby McFerrin on In My Life, a Beatles tribute album produced by George Martin. He also sings "A Mi Manera (My Way)", on the Happy Feet soundtrack. For the 1992 soundtrack of Aladdin he sang the songs "Friend Like Me" and "Prince Ali". For the 1993 soundtrack of Mrs. Doubtfire, and the film, he sings a rendition of a fragment of Gioachino Rossini's "Largo al factotum" from The Barber of Seville.

Williams appeared in the music video of Bobby McFerrin's hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy".

Reality...What a Concept (1979)

Throbbing Python of Love (1983)

A Night at the Met (1986)

Pecos Bill (1988)

Live 2002 (2002)

Weapons of Self-Destruction (2010)

References

"Road Trip with Robin"

"Robin Williams mimic ends 'fraud'" (BBC News)

"Robin Williams' impersonator stopped" (AskMen.com)

"Robin Williams Enters Rehab", August 9, 2006 (Access Hollywood)

Lovece, Frank, New York Newsday (April 27, 2006)

Bibliography

External links

Robin Williams - official website

Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from Chicago, Illinois Category:American actors of English descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of French descent Category:American comedians of Irish descent Category:American Episcopalians Category:American film actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Category:California Democrats Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Juilliard School alumni

Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Marin County, California Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:Comedians

Name	Pablo Francisco
Birth name	Pablo Ridson Francisco
Birth date	January 05, 1974
Birth place	Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up
Nationality	American
Active	1994–present
Genre	Impressions
Subject	Latin American culture, everyday life, movies
Influences	Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Benny Hill
Notable work
Website	Official website

Pablo Ridson Francisco (born January 5, 1974) is an American stand-up comedian of Chilean origin. He started his career doing improv in Tempe, Arizona.

Career

In the 1990s, he appeared on MADtv as a featured player. His stand-up act was introduced to America at large when he landed his own half-hour comedy special on Comedy Central Presents in 2000. In 2001 and 2002, Francisco toured as part of "The Three Amigos" with Carlos Mencia and Freddy Soto. Since then, he has performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, VH1's ILL-ustrated, Mind of Mencia as "The Voiceover Dude" (same as "Movie Voiceover Guy"), and most recently, Frank TV.

Francisco is recognized for vocal impressions of famous people including Jackie Chan, Aaron Neville, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Howard Stern, Casey Kasem, Keanu Reeves, Michael J. Fox, Jerry Springer, Don Lapre, Celine Dion, William Hung, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, and most notably Don LaFontaine (the Movie Voiceover King). As well, he also does sound effects and character voices like Count Dracula (as a Spanish Radio DeeJay), Droopy Dog, Chris Rock, Jimi Hendrix, Tony Montana, R2-D2, Kermit the Frog, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ozzy Osbourne, Ricky Martin, Dennis Hopper, Aladdin, George Clooney, Dennis Haysbert, Anthony Sullivan, Christopher Walken, and Mr. Magoo. He also has a talent for beatboxing.

Francisco tours in Southern California. The Improv at the Irvine Spectrum Center is where his 2004 DVD Bits and Pieces was filmed. On December 31, 2005, he hosted a New Years Eve party at the Irvine Improv.

Television appearances

MADtv

Make Me Laugh

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

VH1's ILL-ustrated

Mind Of Mencia (as The Voiceover Dude)

Frank TV

Vakna Med The Voice (Swedish TV)

Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal

Last Comic Standing

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992 TV series)

Tonight With Trevor Noah

Specials

Knee To The Groin (Album) - 1998

Sausage (Album) - 2000

Comedy Central Presents - 2000

The Three Amigos (with Carlos Mencia and Freddy Soto) - 2002

Bits and Pieces - 2004

Ouch! - 2006

Who You Foolin? - Summer 2010

References

External links

Official website

Pablo Francisco at MySpace

Profile at Latino Comedy

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:American comedians Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American people of Chilean descent Category:People from Tucson, Arizona

Caption	Djalili at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival
Birth date	September 30, 1965
Birth place	Chelsea, London, England,
Occupation	Actor/Comedian
Years active	1995–present}}

Omid Djalili (; ; born 30 September 1965) is a British stand-up comedian and actor.

Personal life

Djalili was born in Chelsea, London to Iranian Bahá'í parents and is a Bahá'í himself. He attended Holland Park School and then the University of Ulster in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, studying English and Theatre studies.

Djalili is a Chelsea fan.

Comedy career

in 2007.]] The first significant success of his stand-up comedy career was at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1995 with "Short, Fat Kebab Shop Owner's Son", followed by "The Arab and the Jew" in 1996.

He has performed in numerous countries, including Australia, Ireland, Denmark, Canada, Germany and the United States, where he had his own HBO Special and did 22 episodes of the NBC sitcom Whoopi with Whoopi Goldberg.

He did his part for Comic Relief after the 2005 Indian Ocean earthquake and also in 2005 he appeared on the British TV show Top Gear as a celebrity driver. The same year he broke Edinburgh Festival box office records with over 16,500 ticket sales.

In 2006, Sky Television picked him to be the face of their Saturday night movie premières, and he also announced a new tour of the UK called 'No Agenda', from January 2007 until March 2007, covering 23 different dates. The No Agenda tour DVD was released in late 2007.

On 18 March 2007, he was voted by the British public as the 60th best stand-up comedian in a Channel 4 programme "The 100 Greatest Stand-Ups". On 26 October 2007, he guest-presented the BBC political quiz show Have I Got News for You. The Omid Djalili Show started on BBC1 on 17 November 2007. The series is a mix of sketches and stand-up material. A second series was recorded in late 2008 and began broadcast on BBC1 on 20 April 2009. He performed on We Are Most Amused on ITV1 to mark Prince Charles's 60th birthday in 2008.

Acting career

Djalili has appeared in a number of films, most notably Gladiator, The Mummy, Mean Machine, Alien Autopsy, Spy Game, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Grow Your Own, Notting Hill, and Sex and the City 2.

He had observed that he usually appears as a generic Middle Eastern background character in many of these films, often commenting that he appears in the "James Bond film" as the "Second Azerbaijani oil pipe attendant". He is known to American audiences as Nasim from the U.S. sitcom Whoopi, starring Whoopi Goldberg, and picked up an international film award for Best Supporting Actor in Casanova, starring alongside Heath Ledger and Jeremy Irons.

On 12 February 2009, Cameron Macintosh (producer) announced that Djalili will appear as the second Fagin in the new West End production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. Omid took over from Rowan Atkinson, who was contracted until 18 July 2009.

In 2009, Djalili became the voice of Yusuf Amir in the popular gaming series Grand Theft Auto. He took up the role in the spin-off game. In 2010, he starred in the David Baddiel scripted movie The Infidel.

In 2010, Djalili starred in a series of TV and cinema adverts for Money Supermarket.

Djalili will appear in the upcoming NBC sitcom The Paul Reiser Show, which is expected to be a midseason replacement for the 2010-11 television season.

Other activities

On 13 June 2010, Djalili appeared in a Meltdown Festival concert given by the Philharmonia Orchestra at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, performing the part of the narrator in 'Rubaiyat', a tone poem by American classical composer Alan Hovhaness which sets the words of Omar Khayyám to music.

Filmography

Cinema

The Mummy (1999)

Notting Hill (1999)

Mad Cows (1999)

The World Is Not Enough (1999)

Gladiator (2000)

Spy Game (2001)

Mean Machine (2001)

Anita and Me (2002)

Cross My Heart (2003)

Deadlines (2004)

The Calcium Kid (2004)

Modigliani (2004)

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

Casanova (2005)

Alien Autopsy (2006)

''Over the Hedge as tiger the bad tempered persian cat (2006)

Grow Your Own (2007)

(2007)

The Love Guru (2008)

Dead Man Running (2009)

The Infidel (2010)

Sex and the City 2 (2010)

Animals United (2010)

Mr Nice (2010)

Television

The Bill (1998)''

Barking'' (1998)

The Lake of Darkness (1999)

Cleopatra (1999)

Coming Soon (1999)

Small Potatoes (1999)

Black Books (2000)

Jason and the Argonauts (2000)

Lenny Henry in Pieces (2000)

So What Now? (2001)

Relic Hunter (2002)

Dinotopia: The Series (2002)

Between Iraq and a Hard Place (2003)

Whoopi (2003)

Live at the Apollo (2004)

Age of Awakening. Narrator (2005)

Chopra Town (2005)

One Night Stand (HBO) (2005)

My Family and Other Animals (2005)

Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive (2006)

Jack Dee's Lead Balloon (2006)

(2006)

TV Heaven, Telly Hell (2007)

Have I Got News For You (2007)

The Omid Djalili Show (2007)

Premier League All Stars (2007)

Never Mind The Buzzcocks (2008)

The Omid Djalili Show - Series 2 (2009)

Would I Lie To You? (2009)

The Paul Reiser Show (2010)

Video games

as Yusuf Amir. (2009)

as Eddie. (2009)

Awards

Djalili has won awards for his comedy. These include the EMMA Award, Time Out Award, and LWT Comedy Award for Best Stand-up Comedian, Spirit of the Fringe Award as well as the One World Media Award for his Channel 4 documentary, Bloody Foreigners.

He has also been nominated for awards, such as the Perrier Award for Best Comedian, the Gemini Award for Best Comedy Performance of 2003, the South Bank Award for Best Comedy of 2003, the Royal Television Society Award for Best Stand-up, and the European TV Award for his Bloody Foreigners.

Stand Up DVDs

No Agenda: Live at the London Palladium (26 November 2007)

Live in London (16 November 2009)

See also

Iranian stand-up comedy

References

External links

Omid Djalili's official web site

Omid Djalili Stand up on BBC Prime (video)

Trailers for The Omid Djalili Show on BBC One Autumn 2007 (video)

Omid Djalili at Edinburgh Comedy Festival

Category:1965 births Category:Alumni of the University of Ulster Category:British people of Iranian descent Category:Edinburgh Comedy Festival Category:English Bahá'ís Category:English film actors Category:English stand-up comedians Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:Living people Category:People from Chelsea

Name	Mitch Fatel
Caption	Mitch Fatel at the ComedyZone
Medium	Stand up comedy, television
Nationality	American
Active	1993–present
Genre	Stand-up comedy
Subject	observational comedy

Mitch Fatel (born Mitch Fertel in 1968 in Manhattan) is a stand-up comedian in New York. He was raised in Yonkers, New York and began doing stand-up at the age of 15. In 1988 Fatel attended NYU/Tisch School of the Arts and majored in Film and Acting Studies. Around this time Mitch was an intern on the Howard Stern show. When Mitch left the show he brought in a friend of his, John Melendez. John went on to take his place as intern and became known as "Stuttering John".

Fatel performs regularly at the famed Comedy Cellar. He has performed on the Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien and worked as a correspondent on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In 2006 Mitch took home honors as the "Best Stand-Up Comedian" at the Aspen Comedy Festival.

In 2004, he released a CD entitled Miniskirts and Muffins. Fatel had his own half-hour special on April 10, 2007 at 10PM on Comedy Central Presents which was ranked number 6 by viewers in the "Stand Up Showdown". Tracks from Fatel's CDs are often heard on XM Comedy 150 on XM Satellite Radio and on Sirius Satellite Radio's Raw Dog Comedy 104.

XM Satellite Radio broadcast a half-hour Mitch Fatel special performed live on July 16, 2005 in Manhattan. He released a second CD in 2005 entitled Super Retardo.

References

External links

Mitch Fatel

Category:American stand-up comedians Category:Living people Category:1968 births

Name	Jim Gaffigan
Caption	Jim Gaffigan in February 2010
Birth name	James Christopher Gaffigan
Birth date	July 07, 1966
Birth place	Chesterton, Indiana, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Nationality	American
Active	1991 – Present
Genre	Deadpan, sarcasm, observational comedy, satire
Subject	Pop culture, everyday life, American eating habits, marriage, parenting, obesity, self-deprecation
Spouse	Jeannie Noth Gaffigan (2003-present) 3 children
Notable work	Beyond the PaleKing BabyRoy Keene on That '70s ShowAndy Franklin in My Boys
Website	http://www.jimgaffigan.com

James Christopher "Jim" Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian and actor.

Personal life

Gaffigan was born in Chesterton, Indiana, and attended La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He is one of six children, plus a cat and often jokes about growing up in a large family. He is married to Jeannie Noth, with whom he has two daughters, and one son, Jack. Gaffigan was raised Catholic, something else he frequently jokes about. He attended one year at Purdue University where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. He graduated from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business in 1988. He is of Irish descent, although in his Comedy Central Presents special he joked that his dad was Swedish and his mother was Elton John, and in Beyond the Pale he used one of his "asides" to joke that one of his parents must have been a polar bear and, the other, a fish. Also, in his first stand-up performance (included in the special features of the Beyond the Pale DVD) he jokes that his father was a Q-tip.

Career

Gaffigan's comedy routines often include humorous, high-pitched "asides" representing commentary on his performance from a hypothetical naive and easily offended audience member. His high-pitched "asides" were inspired by his sister, which he stated during an interview with Sirius satellite station Raw Dog.

comedy club in New York City.]] Gaffigan is also known for various routines or skits relating to being lazy and eating food, especially popular routines regarding Hot Pockets, cake, and bacon. His 2006 album, Beyond the Pale, consisted primarily of material regarding food and American eating habits. The album was accompanied by an hour-long special on Comedy Central of the same name, which was also released on his DVD. His 2009 album, King Baby, was also a television special filmed in Austin, Texas at the end of his tour, "The Sexy Tour". In a March 2009 interview on Anytime with Bob Kushell, Gaffigan defended his naming of the tour, stating that he thought it would be funny, but that parents were unsure about whether to bring their teenage children to the show.

Gaffigan is also recognizable for having performed in several comedic commercials for Sierra Mist alongside fellow comedian Michael Ian Black. Furthermore, he appeared in two movies chosen for the 2001 Sundance Film Festival: Super Troopers and Thirty Years to Life. Gaffigan was a regular cast member of the TBS original sitcom My Boys. He left the show at the end of the third season.

Gaffigan produced a series of animated shorts for Late Night With Conan O'Brien titled Pale Force, in which the animated Gaffigan and O'Brien are super heroes who fight crime with their extremely pale skin.

In 2009, Gaffigan guest starred as the "best friend" of Murray Hewitt in one episode of the HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords. Later in 2009, he appeared in the Sam Mendes-directed dramedy Away We Go and the teen comedy 17 Again. On June 11, 2009, Gaffigan made his first and only appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. He also appeared on Law & Order episodes "Flight" and "Reality Bites". Gaffigan recently expressed support for O'Brien during the 2010 Tonight Show host and timeslot conflict.

He also appeared in an episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as a man who, posing as a prolific Daily Show correspondent, obviously knows nothing about the show (refers to it as "The John Daily Show") and simply wants to be seen with Jon Stewart. It was meant to be a parody of the 2009 White House gatecrash incident.

In 2010, Gaffigan traveled for Easter to Israel and had two performances. One at a theater in Tel Aviv and the second at Israel's only English speaking comedy club in Jerusalem.

On 2 November 2010 it was announced that he will next appear on Broadway opposite Brian Cox, Chris Noth, Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric in That Championship Season which will open in March 2011.

Discography

2001: Luigi's Doghouse

2001: Economics II

2003: More Moo Moos

2004: The Last Supper

2004: Doing My Time

2006: Beyond the Pale

2009: King Baby

Filmography

Three Kings (1999)

Super Troopers (2001)

Igby Goes Down (2002)

No Sleep Till Madison (2002)

13 Going On 30 (2004)

The Great New Wonderful (2005)

Stephanie Daley (2006)

What She Knew (2008)

The Love Guru (2008)

17 Again (2009)

Away We Go (2009)

The Slammin' Salmon (2009)

It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)

Going the Distance (2010)

Selected television appearances

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (voice)

Random Play (VH1 Comedy Sketch Series) (1997–1999)

Law & Order (1998 and 2009)

Welcome to New York (2000–2001)

Sex and the City (2001)

The Ellen Show (2001–2002)

Ed (2003–2004)

That '70s Show (2003–2004)

'' I Am Comic (2010)

My Boys (2006–2010)

Pale Force - Recurring animated short on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (voice)

(2002 & 2007)

WordGirl (2007; voice of Mr. Dudley)

Flight of the Conchords (2009)

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (2009)

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (2009)

Bored to Death (2010)

References

External links

JimGaffigan.com

Jim Gaffigan on Twitter

Pale Force episodes at NBC.com

'Getting Late' interview by Pete Dominick on Sirius Radio

Sexyspeak with stand-up Jim Gaffigan

Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:People from Porter County, Indiana Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:Georgetown University alumni Category:Actors from Indiana Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American comedians of Irish descent Category:La Lumiere School alumni Category:Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Caption	Jim Carrey at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
Birth name	James Eugene Carrey
Birth date	January 17, 1962
Birth place	Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actor, comedian
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	(divorced) (divorced)
Partner	Jenny McCarthy (2005–2010)
Website	JimCarrey.com

James Eugene "Jim" Carrey (born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. Carrey began stand-up comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario. After gaining prominence in 1981, he began working at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles where he was soon noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who immediately signed him to open his tour performances. Carrey, long interested in film and television, developed a close friendship with comedian Damon Wayans, which landed him a role in the sketch comedy hit In Living Color, in which he portrayed various characters during the show's 1990 season. Having had little success in television movies and several low-budget films, Carrey was cast as the title character in which premiered in February, 1994 making more than $72 million domestically. The film spawned a sequel, (1995), in which he reprised the role of Ventura. These higher-profile roles eventually led to his being cast as Stanley Ipkiss in The Mask (1994) for which he gained a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, and as Lloyd Christmas in the comedy film Dumb and Dumber (1994).

Between 1996 and 1999, Carrey continued his success after earning lead roles in several highly popular films including The Cable Guy (1996), Liar Liar (1997), in which he was nominated for another Golden Globe Award and in the critically acclaimed films The Truman Show and Man on the Moon, in 1998 and 1999, respectively. Both films earned Carrey Golden Globe awards. Since earning both awards — the only two in his three-decade career— Carrey continued to star in highly acclaimed comedy films, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) where he played the title character, Bruce Almighty (2003) where he portrayed the role of unlucky TV reporter Bruce Nolan, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), and Yes Man (2008). Carrey has also taken on more serious roles including Joel Barish in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) alongside Kate Winslet and Kirsten Dunst, which earned him another Golden Globe nomination, and Steven Jay Russell in I Love You Phillip Morris (2010) alongside Ewan McGregor.

Early life

Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, the son of Kathleen (née Oram), a homemaker, and Percy Carrey, a musician and accountant. He has three older siblings, John, Patricia, and Rita. He was raised Roman Catholic. His mother was of Scottish descent and his father was of French Canadian ancestry (the family's original surname was Carré). After his family moved to Scarborough, Ontario when Carrey was 14 years old, he attended Blessed Trinity Catholic School, in North York, for two years, enrolled at Agincourt Collegiate Institute for another year, then briefly attended Northview Heights Secondary School for the remainder of his high school career (altogether, he spent three years in Grade 10).

Carrey lived in Burlington, Ontario for eight years and attended Aldershot High School, where he once opened for 1980s new wave band Spoons. In a Hamilton Spectator interview (February 2007), Carrey remarked, "If my career in show business hadn't panned out I would probably be working today in Hamilton, Ontario at the Dofasco steel mill." When looking across the Burlington Bay toward Hamilton, he could see the mills and thought, "Those were where the great jobs were." At this point, he already had experience working in a science testing facility in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Career

Comedy

In 1979, under the management of Leatrice Spevack, Carrey started doing stand-up comedy at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, where he rose to become a headliner in February 1981, shortly after his 19th birthday. One reviewer in the Toronto Star raved that Carrey was "a genuine star coming to life." In the early 1980s, Carrey moved to Los Angeles and started working at The Comedy Store, where he was noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who signed the young comedian to open Dangerfield's tour performances.

Carrey then turned his attention to the film and television industries, auditioning to be a cast member for the 1980–1981 season of NBC's Saturday Night Live. Carrey was not selected for the position (although he did host the show in May 1996, and again in January 2011). Joel Schumacher had him audition for a role in D.C. Cab, though in the end, nothing ever came of it. His first lead role on television was Skip Tarkenton, a young animation producer on NBC's short-lived The Duck Factory, airing from April 12, 1984, to July 11, 1984, and offering a behind-the-scenes look at the crew that produced a children's cartoon.

Carrey continued working in smaller film and television roles, which led to a friendship with fellow comedian Damon Wayans, who co-starred with Carrey as an extraterrestrial in 1989's Earth Girls Are Easy. When Wayans' brother Keenen began developing a sketch comedy show for Fox called In Living Color, Carrey was hired as a cast member, whose unusual characters included masochistic, accident-prone safety inspector Fire Marshall Bill, and masculine female bodybuilder Vera de Milo.

Film

Carrey made his film debut in Rubberface (1983), which was released as Introducing...Janet. Later that year, he won the leading role in Damian Lee's Canadian skiing comedy Copper Mountain, which included his impersonation of Sammy Davis Jr. Since the film had a less than one hour runtime consisting largely of musical performances by Rita Coolidge and Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins, it was not considered a genuine feature film. Two years later, in 1985, Carrey saw his first major starring role in the dark comedy Once Bitten, in the role of Mark Kendall, a teen virgin pursued by a 400-year old female vampire (played by Lauren Hutton). After supporting roles in films such as Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), and The Dead Pool (1988), Carrey did not experience true stardom until starring in the 1994 comedy , which premiered only months before In Living Color ended. Ace Ventura was panned by critics, and earned Carrey a 1995 Golden Raspberry Award nomination as Worst New Star. But the film was as embraced by fans as it was derided by critics. The Ventura character became a pop icon, and the film made Carrey a superstar. It was a huge commercial success, as were his two other starring roles from that year: The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. In 1995, Carrey appeared as the Riddler in Batman Forever and reprised his role as Ace Ventura in . Both films were successful at the box office and earned Carrey multi-million-dollar paychecks. Carrey earned $20 million for his next film, The Cable Guy (directed by Ben Stiller), a record sum for a comedy actor. The cult film did not do well with critics, but Carrey quickly rebounded with the successful Liar Liar, a return to his trademark comedy style. Carrey took a slight pay cut to play a more serious role to star in the critically-praised science-fiction dramedy The Truman Show (1998), a change of pace that led to forecasts of Academy Award nominations. Although the movie was nominated for three other awards, Carrey did not personally receive a nomination, leading him to joke that "it's an honor just to be nominated...oh no," during his appearance on the Oscar telecast. However, Carrey did win a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama and an MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance. That same year, Carrey appeared as a fictionalized version of himself on the final episode of Garry Shandling's The Larry Sanders Show, in which he deliberately ripped into Shandling's character. In 1999, Carrey won the role of comedian Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon. Despite critical acclaim, he was not nominated for an Academy Award, but again won a Best Actor Golden Globe award for the second consecutive year. In 2000, Carrey reteamed with the Farrelly Brothers, who had directed him in Dumb and Dumber, in their comedy, Me, Myself & Irene, about a state trooper with multiple personalities who romances a woman played by Renée Zellweger. The film grossed $24 million on its opening weekend and $90 million by the end of its domestic run.

In 2003, Carrey reteamed with Tom Shadyac for the financially successful comedy Bruce Almighty. Earning over $242 million in the U.S. and over $484 million worldwide, this film became the second highest grossing live-action comedy of all time. His performance in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in 2004 earned high praise from critics, who again predicted that Carrey would receive an Oscar nomination; the film did win for Best Original Screenplay, and co-star Kate Winslet received an Oscar nomination for her performance. (Carrey was also nominated for a sixth Golden Globe for his performance). In 2004, he played the villainous Count Olaf in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, which was based on the popular children's novels of the same name. In 2005, Carrey starred in a remake of Fun with Dick and Jane, playing Dick, a husband who becomes a bank robber after he loses his job. In 2007, Carrey reunited with Joel Schumacher, director of Batman Forever, for The Number 23, a psychological thriller co-starring Virginia Madsen and Danny Huston. In the film, Carrey plays a man who becomes obsessed with the number 23, after finding a book about a man with the same obsession. Carrey has stated that he finds the prospect of reprising a character to be considerably less enticing than taking on a new role. The only time he has reprised a role was with Ace Ventura. (Sequels to Bruce Almighty, , and The Mask have all been released without Carrey's involvement.)

Personal life

He attended a Presbyterian Church with his family in the early 1990s. He is a fan of death metal band Cannibal Corpse, who made a cameo appearance in , at his request for the band to be featured in the film. in Toronto since 1998.

He went public about his bouts with depression in a November 2004 interview on 60 Minutes. Carrey has also launched public awareness campaigns, by way of internet videos which shed light on the political repression in Burma; especially that of Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, whom he describes as a personal hero. Carrey is a great admirer and friend of Eckhart Tolle, and in June 2009, Carrey gave an introduction for Tolle when together they headlined the first conference of the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment.

In Los Angeles on February 27, 2010, Carrey announced via his Twitter account that he had become a grandfather when his daughter Jane gave birth to her first child with musician husband Alex Santana, who performs in the band Blood Money under the stage name Nitro. He announced that his grandson's name was Jackson Riley Santana.

Relationships

Carrey has been married twice, first to former actress and Comedy Store waitress Melissa Womer on March 28, 1987; the two were officially divorced in late 1995. Their only child, a daughter named Jane Erin Carrey, was born on September 6, 1987, in Los Angeles County. After his separation from Womer in 1994, Carrey began dating his Dumb and Dumber co-star Lauren Holly. They were married on September 23, 1996; the marriage lasted less than a year. Carrey dated actress Renée Zellweger, whom he met on the set of Me, Myself & Irene, but their relationship ended with a broken engagement in December 2000.

In the May 2006 issue of Playboy Magazine (p. 48), it was mentioned that he was dating model Anine Bing. In December 2005, Carrey began dating actress/model Jenny McCarthy. They did not make their relationship public until June 2006. She announced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 2, 2008, that the two were then living together, but had no plans to marry; as they do not need a "piece of paper." In April 2010, Carrey and McCarthy ended their near five-year relationship.

Anti-vaccine campaign

With former partner Jenny McCarthy, Carrey has become a vocal opponent of childhood MMR vaccination, not only writing in the Huffington Post but also using his celebrity status to obstruct a childhood vaccination scheme. His opposition to vaccination is contrary to the scientific consensus that no evidence links the vaccine to the development of autism, and that the vaccine's benefits greatly outweigh its risks.

Filmography

Film

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1980 | The Sex and Violence Family Hour | Various roles | |- | 1981 | All in Good Taste | Ralph Parker | |- | 1983 | Copper Mountain | Bobby Todd | |- | 1984 | Finders Keepers | Lane Bidlekoff | |- | 1985 | Once Bitten | Mark Kendall | |- | 1986 | Peggy Sue Got Married | Walter Getz | |- | 1988 | The Dead Pool | Johnny Squares | |- |rowspan="2" | 1989 | Pink Cadillac | Comedian | |- | Earth Girls Are Easy | Wiploc | |- | 1991 | High Strung | Death | |- | 1992 | The Itsy Bitsy Spider | The Exterminator | (voice only) |- |rowspan="3" | 1994 | | Ace Ventura | Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Comedy, On VideoBlockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Male Newcomer, On VideoKids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorLondon Critics Circle Film Award for Newcomer of the Year (also for The Mask)Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance |- | The Mask | The Mask/Stanley Ipkiss | London Critics Circle Film Award for Newcomer of the Year (also for )Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence (shared with Cameron Diaz) |- | Dumb and Dumber | Lloyd Christmas | MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceMTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Lauren Holly)Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (shared with Jeff Daniels) |- |rowspan="2" | 1995 | Batman Forever | Riddler/Edward Nygma | Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Villain |- | | Ace Ventura | Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorMTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceMTV Movie Award for Best Male PerformancePeople's Choice Award for Favorite Actor in a Comedy MovieNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Sophie Okonedo)Nominated - American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor (Leading Role) |- | 1996 | The Cable Guy | Ernie "Chip" Douglas | Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorMTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceMTV Movie Award for Best VillainNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Matthew Broderick) |- | 1997 | Liar Liar | Fletcher Reede | Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - ComedyMTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor |- |rowspan="2" | 1998 | The Truman Show | Truman Burbank | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture DramaMTV Movie Award for Best Male PerformanceMovieGuide Award: Grace AwardNominated - Saturn Award for Best ActorNominated - American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor (Leading Role)Nominated - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - DramaNominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor |- | Simon Birch | Adult Joe Wenteworth | |- | 1999 | Man on the Moon | Andy Kaufman/Tony Clifton | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyBoston Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActorNominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading RoleNominated - Satellite Award for Best Actor, Musical or Comedy FilmNominated - American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor (Leading Role)Nominated - Canadian Comedy Award for Film - Male PerformanceNominated - London Critics Circle Film Award for Actor of the Year (also for How the Grinch Stole Christmas)Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Male PerformanceNominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor |- |rowspan="2" | 2000 | Me, Myself & Irene | Officer Charlie Baileygates/Hank | Teen Choice Award for Wipeout Scene of the SummerNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Comedy/Romance |- | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | The Grinch | MTV Movie Award for Best VillainPeople's Choice Award for Favorite Star in a Motion Picture ComedyKids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorTeen Choice Award for Choice Hissy FitBlockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - ComedyNominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated - Saturn Award for Best ActorNominated - Canadian Comedy Award for Film - Pretty Funny Male PerformanceNominated - Empire Award for Best ActorNominated - London Critics Circle Film Award for Actor of the Year (also for Man on the Moon) |- | 2001 | The Majestic | Peter Appleton | |- |rowspan="2" | 2003 | Bruce Almighty | Bruce Nolan | Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorTeen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor - ComedyMTV Movie Award, Mexico, for Most Divine Miracle in a MovieNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Jennifer Aniston)Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Chemistry (shared with Morgan Freeman) |- | Pecan Pie | Man on Bed |Short film |- |rowspan="2" | 2004 | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Joel Barish | San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorNominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated - Saturn Award for Best ActorNominated - BAFTA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading RoleNominated - People's Choice Award for Favorite Leading ManNominated - People's Choice Award for Favorite On-Screen Chemistry (shared with Kate Winslet)Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actor, Musical or Comedy FilmNominated - Empire Award for Best ActorNominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor |- | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | Count Olaf | Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Bad GuyPeople's Choice Award for Favorite Funny Male StarNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best VillainNominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Action/Adventure/ThrillerNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liar |- | 2005 | Fun with Dick and Jane | Dick Harper | Nominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Actor: Comedy |- | 2007 | The Number 23 | Walter Sparrow/Det. Fingerling | Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Horror/ ThrillerNominated - Razzie Award for Worst Actor |- |rowspan="2" | 2008 | Horton Hears a Who! | Horton | (voice only)Nominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie |- | Yes Man | Carl Allen | MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformancePeople's Choice Award for Favorite Funny Male StarNominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: ComedyNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Hissy FitNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Rockstar Moment |- | 2009 | A Christmas Carol | Ebenezer ScroogeGhost of Christmas PastGhost of Christmas PresentGhost of Christmas Yet to Come | Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie |- | 2010 | I Love You Phillip Morris | Steven Jay Russell | |- | 2011 | Mr. Popper's Penguins | Mr. Popper | filming |}

Television

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1980 | The All-Night Show | Various voices | (voice only) |- | 1981 | Rubberface | Tony Moroni | Television movie |- | 1984 | Buffalo Bill | Jerry Lewis Impersonator | Television series (uncredited) |- | 1984 | The Duck Factory | Skip Tarkenton | Television series |- | 1989 | | Brad Peters | Television movie |- | 1990 | In Living Color | Various roles | Television series |- | 1992 | Doing Time on Maple Drive | Tim Carter | Television movie |- | 1994 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast | himself | Television series (one episode) |}

Other accolades

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Organization ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Award ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Result |- |2001 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Motion Picture Star in a Comedy | |- |2003 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Comedian | |- |2004 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Comedian | |- |rowspan=2| 2005 | People's Choice Awards | Favourite Funny Male Star | |- | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Comedian | |- |2006 | MTV Movie Awards | MTV Generation Award | |- |2009 | People's Choice Awards | Favourite Funny Male Star | |- |}

See also

Better U Foundation

References

External links

Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Ontario Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Canadian comedians Category:Canadian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Canadian film actors Category:Canadian immigrants to the United States Category:Canadian impressionists (entertainers) Category:Canadian people of Scottish descent Category:Canadian Presbyterians Category:Canadian Roman Catholics Category:Canadian stand-up comedians Category:Canadian television actors Category:Canadian vegetarians Category:Canadian voice actors Category:Franco-Ontarian people

Category:People from Burlington, Ontario Category:People from Newmarket, Ontario Category:People from Scarborough, Ontario

Name	Jim Breuer
Caption	Breuer in 2005
Birth date	June 21, 1967
Birth place	Valley Stream, Long Island, New York, United States
Medium	Stand-up, television, radio
Nationality	American
Active	1988–present
Influences	George Carlin, Sam Kinison, Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor
Website	jimbreuer.com

Jim Breuer (born June 21, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and radio host. He is most noted for his time as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and starring in the 1998 cult "stoner comedy" Half Baked, alongside Dave Chappelle.

Personal life

Breuer was born and raised on Long Island in New York. He now lives in Chester Township, New Jersey with his wife and three daughters.

Television career

Breuer first rose to fame as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 1998. On SNL, Breuer's characters included "Goat Boy" (who hosted the fictional MTV program "Hey, Remember the 80s?") and Glen Henderson, the elder brother to Chris Kattan's Todd Henderson/Azrael Abyss character in the "Goth Talk" skits. He has previously guest starred in Home Improvement. That appearance gave way to the short-lived sitcom Buddies. He was originally scheduled to have been the co-star alongside friend and co-worker Dave Chappelle, but was pulled from the role after filming the pilot.

Among his impersonations was that of actor Joe Pesci, who hosted his own talk show, often accompanied by Colin Quinn playing fellow actor Robert De Niro. In a 1997 episode of the program, both Pesci and De Niro made surprise appearances to "confront" Breuer.

Jim has also hosted several "Premium Blends" on Comedy Central as well as several appearances on other comedy shows.

Breuer hosted the third season of the VH1 show Web Junk 20. The season began on November 17, 2006. He replaced Patrice Oneal, who hosted the first two seasons of the show.

In 2002, Jim Breuer's first one-hour Comedy Central special, "Hardcore," premiered.

On July 25, 2009, Jim Breuer's second one-hour Comedy Central special, "Let's Clear the Air," premiered and came in as one of the highest rated comedy specials in Comedy Central's history.

Breuer currently appears in Pizza Hut commercials, advertising the cheese crust-filled pizzas using the catch phrase, "Jackpot!"

Also, Breuer starred in the VH1 documentary "When Metallica Ruled the World" where he commented on the songs by Metallica through the years.

Radio career

Breuer was a sit-in comedian on the Opie and Anthony Show for many years during their WNEW tenure. "Breuer Bits" were often played whenever the show was on hiatus. With the XM/Sirius merger complete, Breuer returned to the Opie and Anthony Show for the first time in six years on August 8, 2008. He remains a frequent guest.

Breuer is the host of Fridays with Jim Breuer, (previously known as Breuer Unleashed) which can be heard each Friday afternoon from 4-6PM (EST) on the Sirius Satellite Radio channel "Raw Dog Comedy." He credits Joe Pesci with jump starting his career as he mentions in his comedy concert "Hardcore". One show, while Breuer was singing the classic Judas Priest song "Devil's Child," Rob Halford "The Metal God," singer of Judas Priest, entered the studio still with his coat on and sang with him.

He appeared on The Howard Stern show on August 19, 2010 as Joe Pesci for the entirety of the show with the exception of the news.

Filmography

Home Improvement (1995)

Buddies (replaced after pilot) (1997)

Half Baked (1998)

Dick (1999)

Titan A.E. (2000)

Once in the Life (2000)

One Eyed King (2001)

American Dummy (2002)

Crooked Lines (2003)

Beer League (2006)

Zookeeper (2011)

Other work

In 2008, Jim went on his first tour in 6 years known as the "Breuniversity Tour" where he toured over 20 colleges and comedy clubs across the country. The footage was used in his documentary More Than Me, as well as his 4 hour DVD "The Jim Breuer Road Journals," both of which will be released soon on DVD.

On October 5, 2010 he published a book called "I'm Not High (But I've Got a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior)".

Breuer is also infamously known for his ongoing feud with fellow comedian Adam Carolla. Carolla, according to Breuer, said an empty coffee cup is funnier than Jim Breuer. Carolla said he was just kidding, though he did explain that Breuer was a terrible guest on Loveline, the radio show Carolla co-hosted with Drew Pinsky for 10 years. Breuer has since repeated in numerous radio interviews that Carolla is not a comedian, that he is a failure who never succeeded in show business without a superior partner carrying him. “From what I heard,” Breuer said, “his show is dreadful… He’s never been successful on his own. He’s another guy in society with nothing going on. He should keep his mouth quiet.”

References

External links

Jim's upcoming online TV Network

Official Radio Show Website

Official MySpace Page

Official YouTube Page

Interview about 'More Than Me' documentary

Review of 'More Than Me' documentary

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:People from Morris County, New Jersey Category:People from Valley Stream, New York Category:Actors from New York Category:American film actors Category:American radio personalities Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American talk radio hosts Category:American television actors Category:Valley Stream Central High School alumni

Name	Johann Paul Friedrich Richter
Pseudonym	Jean Paul
Birthdate	March 21, 1763
Birthplace	Wunsiedel, Germany
Deathdate	November 14, 1825
Deathplace	Bayreuth, Germany
Occupation	novelist
Nationality	German
Period	1783-1825
Genre	humour
Subject	education, politics

Jean Paul (21 March 1763 – 14 November 1825), born Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, was a German Romantic writer, best known for his humorous novels and stories.

Life and work

Jean Paul was born at Wunsiedel, in the Fichtelgebirge mountains (Bavaria). His father was an organist at Wunsiedel. In 1765 his father became a pastor at Joditz near Hof, and in 1767 at Schwarzenbach, but he died on 25 April 1779, leaving the family in great poverty. After attending the Gymnasium at Hof, Jean Paul went in 1781 to the University of Leipzig. His original intention was to enter his father's profession, but theology did not interest him, and he soon devoted himself wholly to the study of literature. Unable to maintain himself at Leipzig he returned in 1784 to Hof, where he lived with his mother. From 1787 to 1789 he served as a tutor at Töpen, a village near Hof; and from 1790 to 1794 he taught the children of several families in a school he had founded in nearby Schwarzenbach.

Jean Paul began his career as a man of letters with Grönländische Prozesse ("Greenland Lawsuits", published anonymously in Berlin) and Auswahl aus des Teufels Papieren ("Selections from the Devil's Papers", signed J. P. F. Hasus), the former of which was issued in 1783-84, the latter in 1789. These works were not received with much favour, and in later life Richter himself had little sympathy for their satirical tone. A spiritual crisis he suffered on 15 November 1790, in which he had a vision of his own death, altered his outlook profoundly. His next book, Die unsichtbare Loge ("The Invisible Lodge"), a romance published in 1793 under the pen-name Jean Paul (in honour of Jean Jacques Rousseau), had all the qualities that were soon to make him famous, and its power was immediately recognized by some of the best critics of the day.

Encouraged by the reception of Die unsichtbare Loge, Richter composed a number of books in rapid succession: Leben des vergnügten Schulmeisterleins Maria Wutz in Auenthal ("Life of the Cheerful Schoolmaster Maria Wutz", 1793), the best-selling Hesperus (1795), which made him famous, Biographische Belustigungen unter der Gehirnschale einer Riesin ("Biographical Recreations under the Brainpan of a Giantess", 1796), Leben des Quintus Fixlein ("Life of Quintus Fixlein", 1796), Der Jubelsenior ("The Parson in Jubilee", 1797), and Das Kampaner Tal ("The Valley of Campan", 1797). Also among these was the novel Blumen- Frucht- und Dornenstücke, oder Ehestand, Tod und Hochzeit des Armenadvokaten Siebenkäs ("Flower, Fruit and Thorn Pieces; or, the Married Life, Death and Wedding of Siebenkäs, Poor Man's Lawyer") in 1796-97. The book's slightly supernatural theme, involving a Doppelgänger and pseudocide, stirred some controversy over its interpretation of the Resurrection, but these criticisms served only to draw awareness to the author. This series of writings assured Richter a place in German literature, and during the rest of his life every work he produced was welcomed by a wide circle of admirers.

After his mother's death in 1797, Richter went to Leipzig, and in the following year to Weimar, where he started work on his most ambitious novel, Titan, published between 1801-02. Richter became friends with such Weimar notables as Herder, by whom he was warmly appreciated, but despite their close proximity, Richter never become close to Goethe and Schiller, both of whom found his literary methods repugnant; but in Weimar, as elsewhere, his remarkable conversational powers and his genial manners made him a favorite in general society. The English writers Thomas Carlyle and Thomas de Quincy took an interest in Jean Paul's work.

In 1801 he married Caroline Meyer, whom he had met in Berlin the year before. They lived first at Meiningen, then at Coburg; and finally, in 1804, they settled at Bayreuth. Here Richter spent a quiet, simple and happy life, constantly occupied with his work as a writer. In 1808 he was fortunately delivered from anxiety about outward necessities by Prince Primate Karl Theodor von Dalberg, who gave him an annual pension of 1,000 florins which was later continued by the king of Bavaria.

Jean Paul's Titan was followed by Flegeljahre ("The Awkward Age", 1804-5). His later imaginative works were Dr Katzenbergers Badereise ("Dr Katzenberger's Trip to the Medicinal Springs", 1809), Des Feldpredigers Schmelzle Reise nach Flätz ("Army Chaplain Schmelzle's Voyage to Flätz", 1809), Leben Fibels ("Life of Fibel", 1812), and Der Komet, oder Nikolaus Marggraf ("The Comet, or, Nikolaus Markgraf", 1820-22). In Vorschule der Aesthetik ("Introduction to Aesthetics", 1804) he expounded his ideas on art; he discussed the principles of education in Levana, oder Erziehungslehre ("Levana, or, Pedagogy", 1807); and the opinions suggested by current events he set forth in Friedenspredigt ("Peace Sermon", 1808), Dämmerungen für Deutschland ("Twilights for Germany", 1809), Mars und Phöbus Thronwechsel im Jahre 1814 ("Mars and Phoebus Exchange Thrones in the Year 1814", 1814), and Politische Fastenpredigten ("Political Lenten Sermons", 1817). In his last years he began Wahrheit aus Jean Pauls Leben ("The Truth from Jean Paul's Life"), to which additions from his papers and other sources were made after his death by C. Otto and E. Förster.

Also during this time he supported the younger writer E. T. A. Hoffmann, who long counted Richter among his influences. Richter wrote the preface to Fantasy Pieces, a collection of Hoffmann's short stories published in 1814.

In September 1821 Jean Paul lost his only son, Max, a youth of the highest promise; and he never quite recovered from this shock. He lost his sight in 1824, and died of dropsy at Bayreuth, on 14 November 1825.

Characteristics of his work

Friedrich Schiller said of Jean Paul that he would have been worthy of admiration if he had made as good use of his riches as other men made of their poverty—the classic approach of "Weimar".

But in working out his conceptions, Jean Paul found it appropriate to express any powerful feeling by which he might happen to be moved. He made it his style to use seemingly out-of-the-way facts or psychological notions which occurred to him. Hence every one of his works is irregular in structure and his style lacks directness, though never grace. His imagination was one of extraordinary fertility, and he had a surprising power of suggesting great thoughts by means of the simplest incidents and relations.

The love of nature was one of Jean Paul's deepest pleasures; his expressions of religious feelings are also marked by a truly poetic spirit, for to him visible things were but the symbols of the invisible, and in the unseen realities alone he found elements which seemed to him to give significance and dignity to human life. His humour, the most distinctive of his qualities, cannot be dissociated from the other characteristics of his writings. It mingled with all his thoughts, and to some extent determined the form in which he embodied even his most serious reflections. That it is sometimes extravagant and grotesque cannot be disputed, but it is never harsh nor vulgar, and generally it springs naturally from the perception of the incongruity between ordinary facts and ideal laws.

Jean Paul's personality was deep and many-sided; with all his willfulness and eccentricity he was a man of a pure and sensitive spirit, with a passionate scorn for pretence and an ardent enthusiasm for truth and goodness.

The last scene of Jean Paul's Flegeljahre was the inspiration behind Robert Schumann's composition "Papillons" Op. 2.

19th century works on Jean Paul

Richter's Sämtliche Werke (Complete Works) appeared in 1826-28 in 60 volumes, to which were added 5 volumes of Literarischer Nachlass (literary bequest) in 1836-38; a second edition was published in 1840-42 (33 volumes); a third in 1860-62 (24 volumes). The last complete edition is that edited by R. Gottschall (60 parts, 1879). Editions of selected works appeared in 16 volumes (1865), in Kürschner's Deutsche Nationalliteratur (edited by P. Nerrlich, 6 vols, pp. 388-487), &c.; The chief collections of Richter's correspondence are:

Jean Pauls Briefe an F. H. Jacobi (1828)

Briefwechsel Jean Pauls mit seinem Freunde C. Otto (1829-33)

Briefwechsel zwischen H. Voss und Jean Paul (1833)

Briefe an eine Jugendfreundin (1858)

P. Nerrlich, Jean Pauls Briefwechsel mit seiner Frau und seinem Freunde Otto (1902).

See further:

The continuation of Richter's autobiography by C. Otto and E. Fürster (1826-33)

H. Dring, J. P. F. Richters Leben und Charakteristik (1830-32)

Richard Otto Spazier, JPF Richter: ein biographischer Commentar zu dessen Werken (5 vols, 1833)

E. Förster, Denkwürdigkeiten aus dem Leben von J. P. F. Richter (1863)

Paul Nerrlich, Jean Paul und seine Zeitgenossen (1876)

J. Firmery, Étude sur la vie et les œuvres de J. P. F. Richter (1886)

P. Nerrlich, Jean Paul, sein Leben und seine Werke (1889)

Ferdinand Josef Schneider, Jean Pauls Altersdichtung (1901); and Jean Pauls Jugend und erstes Auftreten in der Literatur (1906).

Thomas Carlyle's two essays on Richter.

Quotations

Joy is inexhaustible, unlike seriousness.

Music is the moonlight in the gloomy night of life.

Many young people get worked up about opinions that they will share in 20 years.

Too much trust is a foolishness, too much distrust a tragedy.

The German language is the organ among the languages. (Die deutsche Sprache ist die Orgel unter den Sprachen.)

A man never describes his own character so clearly as when he describes another.

We learn our virtues from our friends who love us; our faults from the enemy who hates us. We cannot easily discover our real character from a friend. He is a mirror, on which the warmth of our breath impedes the clearness of the reflection.

What a father says to his children is not heard by the world, but it will be heard by posterity.

Works

Grönländische Prozesse 1783-1784

Auswahl aus des Teufels Papieren 1789

Leben des vergnügten Schulmeisterlein Maria Wutz 1790

Die unsichtbare Loge 1793

Hesperus (book) 1795

Biographische Belustigungen 1796

Leben des Quintus Fixlein 1796

Siebenkäs 1796

Der Jubelsenior 1797

Das Kampaner Tal 1797

Des Luftschiffers Giannozzo Seebuch 1801

Titan 1800-03

Flegeljahre (unfinished) 1804

Vorschule der Aesthetik 1804

Levana oder Erziehlehre 1807

Dr. Katzenbergers Badereise 1809

Des Feldpredigers Schmelzle Reise nach Flätz 1809

Leben Fibels 1812

Bemerkungen über uns närrische Menschen

Clavis Fichtiana (see also Johann Gottlieb Fichte)

Das heimliche Klaglied der jetzigen Männer

Der Komet 1820-1822

Der Maschinenmann

Die wunderbare Gesellschaft in der Neujahrsnacht

Freiheits-Büchlein

English translations

Richter's more important works have been translated into English, for example:

Quintus Fixlein and Schmelzles Reise, by Carlyle

Walt and Vult by Lee (1846)

Titan by Brooks (1863)

Flower, Fruit and Thorn Pieces by Ewing (1877)

Levana by Wood (1887)

References

External links

Jean Paul's works at Projekt Gutenberg-DE (in German)

Famous Quotes by Jean Paul Richter

Category:1763 births Category:1825 deaths Category:People from the District of Wunsiedel Category:German novelists Category:German short story writers Category:People from the Principality of Bayreuth Category:Deaths from edema Category:German opinion journalists Category:Blind people

Name	Frank Caliendo
Caption	Caliendo performing impressions in March 2009.
Birth name	Franklin Caliendo
Birth date	January 19, 1974
Birth place	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up comedy, television
Nationality	American
Active	2000–present
Genre	Observational comedy
Subject	Impersonations, popular culture
Influences	Jonathan Winters,Robin Williams
Notable work	Frank TVFox NFL Sunday
Website	frankcaliendo.com

Franklin "Frank" Caliendo (born January 19, 1974) is an American comedian and impressionist, best known for his work on the Fox Network television series MADtv, and has been the in-house prognosticator for Fox NFL Sunday. In 2007 and 2008, he performed his impersonations on his own show, Frank TV, which aired on TBS. He is known for his impressions of Charles Barkley, NFL color commentator John Madden, comedian Robin Williams, actor William Shatner, and United States Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and for his frequent appearances on The Bob & Tom Show. He has performed as many as 120 impressions.

Biography

Early life and career

Caliendo was born in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where he attended Waukesha South High School. He is of Italian ancestry. After graduation from University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Caliendo began performing stand-up comedy, taking a job as a master of ceremonies at a local comedy club. Within a year he was headlining. He made his network series debut on the 2000-2001 sketch comedy series Hype. He gained significant national exposure on the comedy series MADtv.

Caliendo has performed stand-up on such series as cable's Premium Blend, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, The View, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

His signature 'John Madden' impression is frequently seen on Fox NFL Sunday, The Best Damn Sports Show Period and Mohr Sports. Caliendo has also appeared on Comedy Central's Comedy Central Presents, as well as many radio shows, including Mike In The Morning Show in Detroit on 101 WRIF, The Dan Le Batard Show, The Junkies, Bob & Sheri, The Bob & Tom Show, Mike and Mike in the Morning, Opie and Anthony, The Don and Mike Show, Rise Guys, Bubba the Love Sponge, The John Boy and Billy Big Show, The Howard Stern Show, Mike and the Mad Dog, Elliot in the Morning, The Sports Inferno, The Rick and Bubba Show, The Roe Conn Show, Preston and Steve, The Glenn Beck Program, and Holmberg's Morning Sickness, and Lamont & Tonelli on 107.7 The Bone in San Francisco.

Frank TV

For two short seasons, Caliendo starred on Frank TV, his own sketch show on the TBS that began airing in November 2007. Frank was its host and performed in sketches in full makeup as characters he impersonated. Frank joked that he "wanted the show to be called The Chappelle Show [ sic ], but the lawyers wouldn't allow it," referring to the publicity he would likely receive from naming his show after another popular comedian.

In early 2008, TBS announced that they ordered eight more episodes, which ran later that year. The show ended after the fifteenth episode, which aired on December 23, 2008.

MADtv

Caliendo officially joined the cast of MADtv in 2001 as a repertory performer, for the seventh season, and as MADtv's equivalent to Saturday Night Live's Darrell Hammond. In 2002, Caliendo replaced Will Sasso as the impersonator of George W. Bush, but he won audience members over with an offbeat impersonation of former Fox sports announcer John Madden and also many other Fox personalities. Both became some of the cast member's most popular impressions on MADtv, and were featured quite prominently during his tenure. Frank also did the announcing for the best of scenes on the MADtv season 1 DVD, and the announcing for the Season 2 DVD release which was cancelled due to poor sales of the first season DVD.

In August 2006, Caliendo announced he would not return to MADtv for its 2006-2007 season.

Fox NFL Sunday

On November 5, 2000, Caliendo appeared on Fox NFL Sunday, as a guest to comedian Jimmy Kimmel. He performed his increasingly noteworthy John Madden impression and was well-received. He returned again the same season on January 7 during the playoffs.

In 2001 and 2002, Caliendo returned as a semi-regular guest on Fox NFL Sunday. He frequently appeared impersonating Madden or occasionally as pundit Jim Rome during some of Kimmel's prognostication skits. At times he appeared live in the studio with the main hosts.

In 2003, Kimmel departed the program, and Caliendo was named his permanent replacement. As the prognosticator for the NFL on Fox, he gives his predictions ("Cold Hard Picks") for the day's NFL games. Typically these come during a skit (usually a one-man skit), where he does one of his famous impersonations. For example, for the first week's Fox NFL Sunday of the 2006 NFL season, he impersonated James Brown, who left the show in the off-season to join The NFL Today on CBS. He also imitates the cast of Fox NFL Sunday on occasion, most frequently Terry Bradshaw.

The Comebacks

Caliendo appeared in the 2007 film The Comebacks. He plays John Madden and Al Michaels in the championship game between the Comebacks and The Unbeatables.

White House Correspondent's Dinner

Caliendo’s impression of President George W. Bush earned him an invitation to perform during the 2007 annual White House Correspondents Dinner.

The Comedy Festival Presents: Funniest Movies of the Year 2008

During The Comedy Festival Caliendo hosted a special called where, from Caesars Palace, Caliendo introduced the top ten list for funniest films of 2008 based on an Internet poll.

Television and film appearances

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0; background:#f9f9f9; border:1px #aaa solid; border-collapse:collapse; font-size:90%;" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |rowspan="2"| 2008 | | Himself/Host | |- | Fox NFL Sunday | Himself/Various | 2000–present |- |rowspan="4"| 2007 | The Comebacks | Chip Imitation | |- | The 2007 White House Correspondents Dinner | Himself | |- | Frank TV | Host: Various | 2007–2008 |- | Frank Caliendo; All Over the Place | Himself | |- |rowspan="1"| 2005 | Mind of Mencia | George W. Bush | Voice Only |- |rowspan="3"| 2004 | Comedy Central Presents | Himself | |- | National Lampoon Live: New Faces - Volumes 1 & 2 | Himself/Host | |- | Wisconsin Born & Bred: The Entertainers | Himself | |- |rowspan="2"| 2001 | MADtv | Himself-Various | Appeared in 117 Episodes (2001–2006) |- | Late Friday | Himself | |- |rowspan="1"| 2000 | Hype | Himself/Various | |- |} In addition he has been a frequent guest of the Fox News Channel show Huckabee.

Notes

External links

Official website

Official MADtv site

Category:1974 births Category:Actors from Chicago, Illinois Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American people of Italian descent Category:Living people Category:People from Waukesha, Wisconsin Category:University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni Category:Actors from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Name	Dan Nainan
Caption	Dan Nainan
Birth name	Daniel Nainan
Birth date	Disputed | birth_place = Bloomington, Indiana, United States
Medium	stand-up, television, Radio
Nationality	American
Genre	Satire, Improvisational comedy, Observational comedy
Active	2002–present
Subject	political, multiculturalism, Indian culture
Notable work	Dan Nainan: Thou Shalt Laugh
Performances	Appolo Theater, Royce Hall
Website	DanielNainan.com

Dan Nainan is an American comedian of Indian and Japanese origin.

Nainan born in Bloomington, Indiana to a nuclear physicist from India and child psychologist from Japan. Before becoming a comedian, he worked as a "demonstration engineer" and then as Strategic Relations Manager with Intel

Nainan graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Maryland in 1979

Break into comedy

As a senior engineer for Intel, Nainan traveled the world with CEO Andy Grove, demonstrating the latest technology on stage at high-profile events. As the audiences grew in size, Nainan experienced tremendous stage fright. To get over the fear of public speaking, he first joined a Toastmasters group, then took a stand up comedy class in San Francisco.

Comedy

Daniel Nainan recently opened the Bethesda Comedy Club, a 300 seat venue in the Washington, D.C. area.

Selected performances

In August 2008, Nainan performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver Colorado, as a guest of US congressman Mike Honda. In November 2009, Nainan performed at the TED Conference in Mysore, India.

Television

In 2003, Nainan appeared in the first season of NBC's Last Comic Standing, advancing as far as the West Coast Semi finals.

Nainan appeared in a commercial for Apple computers. The commercial, entitled "PC Innovation Lab" was one in the "Get a Mac" series with Justin Long and John Hodgman. The commercial showed Nainan in a suit of bubble wrap.

Feature Film

In 2006 Nainan played a small role as a cello player in Paramount Pictures' film The Hoax starring Richard Gere. In 2009 Nainan played the role as a Fire Nation Warrior in the M. Night Shyamalan movie The Last Airbender.

References

Articles written about Dan Nainan

The New York Times - A Comedian Goes Green but Won't Go Off Color

The New York Times - It's Not Easy Being a Comic in the Security Line

Palo Alto weekly - Humor is Part of The Equation

Palo Alto weekly - Stand Up Stories

Wall Street Journal

Movie Mag - Multiple Cultures + Multiple Talents

Category:Living people Category:American radio actors Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American people of Indian descent Category:Indian comedians Category:American people of Japanese descent