Comedy Central 100 Greatest Standups of All Time was a special television show aired on Comedy Central in April, 2004. It was hosted by Dom Irrera, Judy Gold, Greg Giraldo, and Mario Joyner. Individual segments featured the guests Phyllis Diller, Richard Jeni, Pat Cooper, David Brenner, and Richard Lewis. Only American comedians could be chosen for this list. This program ranked the following comedians in this order: Richard Pryor George Carlin Lenny Bruce Woody Allen Chris Rock< ...

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Billy Connolly - Folk music. Together with Tam Harvey he started a group called the Humblebums, which later included Gerry Rafferty. Connolly sang, played banjo and guitar and entertained the audience with his humorous introductions to the songs. Eventually the duo broke up and Billy went solo. His first solo album in 1972, Billy Connolly Live! on Transatlantic Records, features Bi ...

See also:

Billy Connolly, Billy Connolly - Early life, Billy Connolly - Career, Billy Connolly - Folk music, Billy Connolly - Stand-up comedy, Billy Connolly - Film actor, Billy Connolly - Recently, Billy Connolly - Awards, Billy Connolly - Filmography, Billy Connolly - Television

Read more here: » Billy Connolly: Encyclopedia II - Billy Connolly - Career

Steven Wright (born December 6, 1955) is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian from Burlington, Massachusetts. He is known for his slow, deadpan, monotone delivery of ironic, witty, and sometimes confusing jokes and one-liners. Wright released a comedy album in 1985 entitled I Have a Pony. In 1992, Wright had a recurring role on the television sitcom Mad About You. He later won an Academy Award for his short film, The Appointments of Dennis Jennings. He has also appeared as the voic ...

Including:

• Steven Wright - Steven Wright One-Liners
• Steven Wright - Selected filmography

Read more here: » Steven Wright: Encyclopedia - Steven Wright

William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr., Ed.D (born July 12, 1937) is an American actor, comedian, educator, television producer and philanthropist. He was the first African-American man to star in his own television series (I Spy with Robert Culp, in the mid-1960s), and also broke racial boundaries with his stand-up comedy career in the 1960s and 1970s. After I Spy he starred in other series, some of which were successful (such as the long-running cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids), while others were not. In t ...

Including:

• Bill Cosby - Career
• Bill Cosby - Honors
• Bill Cosby - Political views
• Bill Cosby - The Pound Cake Speech
• Bill Cosby - Cosby and Jazz
• Bill Cosby - Controversy
• Bill Cosby - Quotations
• Bill Cosby - Partial discography
• Bill Cosby - Trivia

Read more here: » Bill Cosby: Encyclopedia - Bill Cosby

Woody Allen, (born Allen Stewart Königsberg on December 1, 1935), is an American film director, screenwriter, stand up comic, playwright, short story writer, and musician whose large body of work and cerebral style have made him one of the most widely respected and prolific filmmakers in the modern era. He writes and directs his own movies and has acted in many of them as well. Allen draws heavily on literature, philosophy, European cinema and most importantly, New York City, where he was born and in which he has lived all his ...

Including:

• Woody Allen - Early years
• Woody Allen - Education
• Woody Allen - Early career
• Woody Allen - Film career
• Woody Allen - Early films
• Woody Allen - 1960s and 1970s
• Woody Allen - 1980s
• Woody Allen - 1990s
• Woody Allen - 2000s
• Woody Allen - Famous actors in his movies
• Woody Allen - Awards
• Woody Allen - Personal life
• Woody Allen - Early marriages
• Woody Allen - Relationship with Diane Keaton
• Woody Allen - Relationship with Mia Farrow
• Woody Allen - Affair with Farrow's adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn
• Woody Allen - Accusations of sexual abuse of daughter Dylan
• Woody Allen - Marriage to Soon-Yi Previn
• Woody Allen - 2002 Academy Awards
• Woody Allen - Musical career
• Woody Allen - Bibliography
• Woody Allen - Books on Woody Allen

Read more here: » Woody Allen: Encyclopedia - Woody Allen

Leslie Townes Hope, KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003), otherwise known as Bob Hope, was a famous American entertainer who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, in movies and in U.S. Army concerts. Bob Hope - English origins. Hope was born in Eltham, London, England, the fifth of seven sons. His English father, William Henry Hope, was a stonemason from Weston-super-Mare and his Welsh mother, Avis Townes, was a light opera singer. The family lived in Weston-super-Mare, then Whitehal ...

Including:

• Bob Hope - English origins
• Bob Hope - Personal life
• Bob Hope - Thanks for the Memory
• Bob Hope - Hope's film career
• Bob Hope - Tours of duty
• Bob Hope - Hope for sport
• Bob Hope - Hope on the air
• Bob Hope - Hope's twilight
• Bob Hope - Conversion
• Bob Hope - Honors
• Bob Hope - Filmography

Read more here: » Bob Hope: Encyclopedia - Bob Hope

Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948 in New York, USA), known as Christopher Guest, is an actor, writer, director, composer, and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of Nigel Tufnel in the mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap, and his time as a cast member on NBC's Saturday Night Live (1984-1985). Guest made his first appearance as Tufnel on the 1980 album Lenny and the Squigtones by "Lenny and Squiggy"' (comedians Michael McKean and David Lander). He also appeared as Count Rugen in The Princess Bride, ...

Including:

• Christopher Guest - Personal life

Read more here: » Christopher Guest: Encyclopedia - Christopher Guest

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr., (April 16, 1889 – December 25, 1977) was a British born, later American naturalized, actor, the most famous actor in early to mid Hollywood cinema era, and also a notable director. His principal character was "The Tramp": a vagrant with the refined manners and dignity of a gentleman who wears a tight coat, oversized pants and shoes, a derby or bowler hat, a bamboo cane, and his signature square mustache. Chaplin was one of the most creative personalities in the silent film era; he acted in, directed ...

Including:

• Charlie Chaplin - Biography
• Charlie Chaplin - Early Childhood
• Charlie Chaplin - Move to America
• Charlie Chaplin - Chaplin as Auteur
• Charlie Chaplin - Chaplin's Politics
• Charlie Chaplin - Chaplin: The Later Years
• Charlie Chaplin - Private life
• Charlie Chaplin - Media
• Charlie Chaplin - Trivia
• Charlie Chaplin - Filmography
• Charlie Chaplin - Short films as actor
• Charlie Chaplin - Feature films

Read more here: » Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin

William Melvin Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994), better known as Bill Hicks was an American stand-up comedian, satirist, and social critic. Hicks is often compared to Lenny Bruce and Sam Kinison (the latter a contemporary and friend), and characterized his own performances as "Chomsky with dick jokes." [1] Bill Hicks - Early life. Born in Valdosta, Georgia, Bill was the son of Jim and Mary Hicks, and had two elder siblings, Steve and Lynn. The family lived in Florida, Alabama, and New ...

Including:

• Bill Hicks - Early life
• Bill Hicks - 1980s
• Bill Hicks - 1990s
• Bill Hicks - Quotations
• Bill Hicks - Legacy
• Bill Hicks - Discography
• Bill Hicks - Audio
• Bill Hicks - Video

Read more here: » Bill Hicks: Encyclopedia - Bill Hicks

William "Billy" Connolly, CBE, D.Litt (born November 24, 1942) is a comedian, musician, presenter, and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname "The Big Yin" ("The Big One", a reference to his height). Billy Connolly - Early life. Billy Connolly was born in Glasgow, Scotland to Mary and William Connolly, the son of an Irish immigrant. Connolly was brought up in the Anderston, and later Partick, districts of Glasgow and attended St. Gerard's Secondary Sch ...

Including:

• Billy Connolly - Early life
• Billy Connolly - Career
• Billy Connolly - Folk music
• Billy Connolly - Stand-up comedy
• Billy Connolly - Film actor
• Billy Connolly - Recently
• Billy Connolly - Awards
• Billy Connolly - Filmography
• Billy Connolly - Television

Read more here: » Billy Connolly: Encyclopedia - Billy Connolly

Sellers was born in Southsea, Hampshire, England, to a family of entertainers. He attended a Catholic school, although his father was Protestant and his mother was Jewish. Probably following his family in the variety circuit, Sellers learnt this popular yet difficult art and the immediate instinct of the "gag". He was an incredibly versatile artist: an excellent dancer, a drummer good enough to tour with several jazz bands, and a skillful player of the ukulele and banjo (family legend has it that Seller's father actually taught George Formby to play the ukelele). He is known ...

See also:

Peter Sellers, Peter Sellers - Biography, Peter Sellers - Marriages, Peter Sellers - Premature death and legacy, Peter Sellers - Filmography, Peter Sellers - Comedy singles

Read more here: » Peter Sellers: Encyclopedia II - Peter Sellers - Biography

Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Marin County, California. His father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams, of English, Welsh, and Irish descent, was a senior executive at Ford in charge of the Midwest area, and his mother Laurie was a New Orleans-born former model of French descent. He first achieved notice for his stand-up routines in San Francisco. After studying at Claremont McKenna College (then called Claremont Men's College) with the Strut and Fret theatre group in Claremont, Californ ...

See also:

Robin Williams, Robin Williams - Biography, Robin Williams - As an actor, Robin Williams - Trivia, Robin Williams - Filmography, Robin Williams - Discography

Read more here: » Robin Williams: Encyclopedia II - Robin Williams - Biography

He then worked as an actor and assistant stage manager with the Manchester Repertory Company, but was soon spotted by Sir Peter Hall who gave him a West End role. His first radio appearance was in 1956; he went on to play a variety of minor characters in The Navy Lark, a navy based sit-com on the BBC Light Programme (still available on tape and frequently rerun on BBC 7). He later returned to radio in the BBC Radio 4 sketch show Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead. On television, he wrote and performed many satirical skits in ...

See also:

Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Barker - Beginnings, Ronnie Barker - Success, Ronnie Barker - Personal life

Read more here: » Ronnie Barker: Encyclopedia II - Ronnie Barker - Success

Woody Allen - Early films. His first movie production was What's New, Pussycat? in 1965, for which he wrote the screenplay. It was a largely unpleasant experience for Allen as he was trapped in Paris for six months during the production. Furthermore, the studio never showed much respect for his script, altering the film to the point where it bore little resemblance to Allen's original vision. Allen's first directorial effort was What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966), in which an existing Japanese spy movie ...

See also:

Woody Allen, Woody Allen - Early years, Woody Allen - Education, Woody Allen - Early career, Woody Allen - Film career, Woody Allen - Early films, Woody Allen - 1960s and 1970s, Woody Allen - 1980s, Woody Allen - 1990s, Woody Allen - 2000s, Woody Allen - Famous actors in his movies, Woody Allen - Awards, Woody Allen - Personal life, Woody Allen - Early marriages, Woody Allen - Relationship with Diane Keaton, Woody Allen - Relationship with Mia Farrow, Woody Allen - Affair with Farrow's adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, Woody Allen - Accusations of sexual abuse of daughter Dylan, Woody Allen - Marriage to Soon-Yi Previn, Woody Allen - 2002 Academy Awards, Woody Allen - Musical career, Woody Allen - Bibliography, Woody Allen - Books on Woody Allen

Read more here: » Woody Allen: Encyclopedia II - Woody Allen - Film career

Charlie Chaplin - Early Childhood. He was believed to have been born on April 16, 1889, although as the book Passport to Hollywood:Film Immigrants Anthology (ISBN#0-07-070053-2) points out (page 26) There is some doubt whether April 16 is actually his birthday,and it is possible he was not born in 1889. Until someone proves otherwise, however, we may as well assum ...

See also:

Charlie Chaplin, Charlie Chaplin - Biography, Charlie Chaplin - Early Childhood, Charlie Chaplin - Move to America, Charlie Chaplin - Chaplin as Auteur, Charlie Chaplin - Chaplin's Politics, Charlie Chaplin - Chaplin: The Later Years, Charlie Chaplin - Private life, Charlie Chaplin - Media, Charlie Chaplin - Trivia, Charlie Chaplin - Filmography, Charlie Chaplin - Short films as actor, Charlie Chaplin - Feature films

Read more here: » Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia II - Charlie Chaplin - Biography

Ricky Gervais - Radio and podcasts. After various odd jobs, including working in an office, a stint as events manager at the University of London Union followed in the early 1990s. Through this, Gervais went on to briefly manage the British rock group Suede in their pre-record contract days before taking a job at London radio station XFM in 1996, though he was sacked when the station was taken over by the Capital Radio group. He was also music advisor for the popular BBC drama This Life at this time th ...

See also:

Ricky Gervais, Ricky Gervais - Background, Ricky Gervais - Career, Ricky Gervais - Radio and podcasts, Ricky Gervais - Television, Ricky Gervais - Stand-up, Ricky Gervais - Books, Ricky Gervais - Accolades, Ricky Gervais - Future work, Ricky Gervais - Target of fraud, Ricky Gervais - Controversy

Read more here: » Ricky Gervais: Encyclopedia II - Ricky Gervais - Career

Eric was born in South Shields, County Durham, England. Idle's father had been in the Royal Air Force and survived the Second World War, only to be killed in a car crash shortly afterwards. His mother had difficulty coping with a full-time job and raising a child, so at the age of seven she enrolled him into the Royal Wolverhampton School as a boarder. The school had begun life as a Victorian orphanage and during Idle's time it was a charitable foundation solely dedicated to the welfare of orphans and semi-orphans. Its pupils, who were mainly the children of dead English soldier ...

See also:

Eric Idle, Eric Idle - Early Life, Eric Idle - University Life, Eric Idle - Monty Python, Eric Idle - Writing, Eric Idle - Other Performances, Eric Idle - External link

Read more here: » Eric Idle: Encyclopedia II - Eric Idle - Early Life

In 1994 Harry made the transition to television, where he produced and starred in six episodes of a very peculiar show called Fruit Fancies. The name was somewhat similar to his radio show at the time Fruit Corner and was transmitted on BBC2 in 1994. This was a 10 minute episode series and was filmed in black and white with little or no dialogue. From 1997 Harry had his own Channel 4 television series called The Harry Hill Show (listed simply as Harry Hill on screen) which ran to three series. The show was ...

See also:

Harry Hill, Harry Hill - Radio, Harry Hill - Television, Harry Hill - Standup, Harry Hill - Books, Harry Hill - Other

Read more here: » Harry Hill: Encyclopedia II - Harry Hill - Television

Various Groucho-like characters have appeared in popular culture, some long after Marx's death, a testament to the character's lasting appeal. Bugs Bunny befuddles Elmer Fudd memorably in "Wideo Wabbit" (1956) by imitating the mustachioed comedian in a "You Bet Your Life" parody called "You Beat Your Wife". Later he imitates Art Carney and slaps comical glasses on Elmer, admonishing "don't be such a Groucho". Alan Alda often vamped as Groucho on M*A*S*H and a minor semi-recurring character in the series (played by Loudo ...

See also:

Groucho Marx, Groucho Marx - Childhood, Groucho Marx - Accent, Groucho Marx - Career highlights, Groucho Marx - Personal life, Groucho Marx - Later years, Groucho Marx - Groucho's legacy, Groucho Marx - Quotations about Groucho Marx

Read more here: » Groucho Marx: Encyclopedia II - Groucho Marx - Groucho's legacy

John Cleese was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England to Reginald Francis Cleese and Muriel Cross. His family's surname was previously "Cheese", but his father, an insurance salesman, changed his surname to "Cleese" upon joining the army in 1915 [1]. As a boy, Cleese was educated at Clifton College in Bristol, from which he was expelled for a humorous defacing of school grounds: he used painted footsteps to suggest that the school's statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig had got down from his plinth and gone to the toilet. His ta ...

See also:

John Cleese, John Cleese - Biography, John Cleese - Cleese in Spamalot, John Cleese - Radio credits, John Cleese - Television credits, John Cleese - Filmography, John Cleese - Video game credits, John Cleese - Trivia

Read more here: » John Cleese: Encyclopedia II - John Cleese - Biography