Encyclopedia - Comedy Central 100 Greatest Standups Of All Time: Encyclopedia - Comedy Central 100 Greatest Standups Of All Time
Comedy Central 100 Greatest Standups of All Time was a special television show aired on Comedy Central in April, 2004. It was hosted by D...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Billy Connolly: Encyclopedia Ii - Billy Connolly - Career
Billy Connolly - Folk music. Together with Tam Harvey he started a group called the Humblebums, which later included Gerry Rafferty. Co...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Steven Wright: Encyclopedia - Steven Wright
Steven Wright (born December 6, 1955) is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian from Burlington, Massachusetts. He is known for...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bill Cosby: Encyclopedia - Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr., Ed.D (born July 12, 1937) is an American actor, comedian, educator, television producer and philanthropi...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Woody Allen: Encyclopedia - Woody Allen
Woody Allen, (born Allen Stewart Königsberg on December 1, 1935), is an American film director, screenwriter, stand up comic, playwright...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bob Hope: Encyclopedia - Bob Hope
Leslie Townes Hope, KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003), otherwise known as Bob Hope, was a famous American entertainer who appeared in ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Christopher Guest: Encyclopedia - Christopher Guest
Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948 in New York, USA), known as Christopher Guest, is an actor, writer,...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr., (April 16, 1889 – December 25, 1977) was a British born, later American naturalized, actor, the most ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bill Hicks: Encyclopedia - Bill Hicks
William Melvin Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994), better known as Bill Hicks was an American stand-up comedian, satirist, a...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Billy Connolly: Encyclopedia - Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, CBE, D.Litt (born November 24, 1942) is a comedian, musician, presenter, and actor. He is sometimes known, espe...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Peter Sellers: Encyclopedia Ii - Peter Sellers - Biography
Sellers was born in Southsea, Hampshire, England, to a family of entertainers. He attended a Catholic school, although his father was Pro...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Robin Williams: Encyclopedia Ii - Robin Williams - Biography
Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Marin County, California. His father, Robert Fitzge...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Ronnie Barker: Encyclopedia Ii - Ronnie Barker - Success
He then worked as an actor and assistant stage manager with the Manchester Repertory Company, but was soon spotted by Sir Peter Hall who ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Woody Allen: Encyclopedia Ii - Woody Allen - Film Career
Woody Allen - Early films. His first movie production was What's New, Pussycat? in 1965, for which he wrote the screenplay. It was a la...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia Ii - Charlie Chaplin - Biography
Charlie Chaplin - Early Childhood. He was believed to have been born on April 16, 1889, although as the book Passport to Hollywood:Film...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Ricky Gervais: Encyclopedia Ii - Ricky Gervais - Career
Ricky Gervais - Radio and podcasts. After various odd jobs, including working in an office, a stint as events manager at the University...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eric Idle: Encyclopedia Ii - Eric Idle - Early Life
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, ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Harry Hill: Encyclopedia Ii - Harry Hill - Television
In 1994 Harry made the transition to television, where he produced and starred in six episodes of a very peculiar show called Fruit Fanci...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Groucho Marx: Encyclopedia Ii - Groucho Marx - Groucho's Legacy
Various Groucho-like characters have appeared in popular culture, some long after Marx's death, a testament to the character's lasting ap...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - John Cleese: Encyclopedia Ii - John Cleese - Biography
John Cleese was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England to Reginald Francis Cleese and Muriel Cross. His family's surname was previo...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Rowan Atkinson: Encyclopedia Ii - Rowan Atkinson - Early Life
Atkinson was born to Eric Atkinson and Ella May, Anglican farmers. He was educated at Durham Choristers School followed by St Bees School...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Spike Milligan: Encyclopedia Ii - Spike Milligan - Biography
Milligan was born in Ahmednagar, India, on 16 April, 1918 to the wife of an Irish-born officer in the British Army. Though he lived most ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eddie Izzard: Encyclopedia Ii - Eddie Izzard - Professional Development
Eddie found some degree of solace in comedy after the death of his mother. He drew particular comfort from the works of Monty Python, Ste...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Laurel And Hardy: Encyclopedia Ii - Laurel And Hardy - Laurel And Hardy Together
Laurel and Hardy - Hal Roach years. The first encounter of the two comedians in a film took place in The Lucky Dog (1921). They first a...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eric Morecambe: Encyclopedia Ii - Eric Morecambe - Eric And Ernie
After the war, they made their name on radio, before arriving on television in 1955. They appeared together in many series such as Two of...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bill Cosby: Encyclopedia Ii - Bill Cosby - Career
Cosby was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Northwest Philadelphia's Germantown Hospital at 3:00 A.M to William Henry Cosby and Anna ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia Ii - Charlie Chaplin - America
According to immigration records, he arrived in the United States with the Karno troupe on October 2, 1912. In the Karno Company was Arth...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Tony Hancock: Encyclopedia Ii - Tony Hancock - Hancock's Best Years
Working with scripts from Ray Galton and Alan Simpson the show lasted for five years and over a hundred episodes, featuring Sid James, Bi...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Joyce Grenfell: Encyclopedia Ii - Joyce Grenfell - Career
During World War II, Grenfell toured India, North Africa, and the Middle East with a company performing for British troops. In 1989 her w...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Vic And Bob: Encyclopedia Ii - Vic And Bob - The Early Years
Vic Reeves' comedy career began in The Goldsmiths Tavern in New Cross, London, in the mid-1980s. Having tried out various stage names, he...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Peter Kay: Encyclopedia Ii - Peter Kay - Productions
Kay's first TV project was an episode of Channel 4's The Comedy Lab, The Services, which was a pilot episode for the later released That ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Steve Martin: Encyclopedia Ii - Steve Martin - Early Years
Martin was born to Glenn Vernon Martin and Mary Lee Stewart; the family was of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh descent. As a teenager,...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bob Hope: Encyclopedia Ii - Bob Hope - Personal Life
According to biographer Arthur Marx, son of Hope's long-time friend and rival Groucho Marx, Hope's first wife was his vaudeville partner ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Chris Morris Satirist: Encyclopedia Ii - Chris Morris Satirist - Early Career
On graduating, Morris took up a traineeship with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, where he took advantage of the free access to editing and reco...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Richard Pryor: Encyclopedia Ii - Richard Pryor - Mainstream Success
In 1969 Pryor moved to Berkeley, California, where he immersed himself in the counterculture and rubbed elbows with the likes of Huey P. ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Peter Cook: Encyclopedia Ii - Peter Cook - Not Only... But Also And Other '60s Television
In 1962 the BBC commissioned a pilot for a television series of satirical sketches based on The Establishment Club but it was not picked ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Michael Palin: Encyclopedia Ii - Michael Palin - Documentaries
Palin's first travel documentary was part of the 1980 BBC Television series Great Railway Journeys of the World, in which humourously rem...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Laurel And Hardy: Encyclopedia Ii - Laurel And Hardy - Laurel And Hardy Together
Laurel and Hardy - Hal Roach years. The first encounter of the two comedians in a film took place in A Lucky Dog (1921). They later app...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bill Hicks: Encyclopedia Ii - Bill Hicks - 1980s
In his senior year of high school, the Hicks family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, but after his graduation, in the spring of 1980, Bill...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eddie Murphy: Encyclopedia Ii - Eddie Murphy - Post Snl Career
In 1982, Murphy made his big screen debut in the cop-buddy thriller 48 Hrs. alongside Nick Nolte. The movie was perhaps most notable for ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Larry David: Encyclopedia Ii - Larry David - Seinfeld
In 1989, David teamed up with comedian Jerry Seinfeld to create The Seinfeld Chronicles for NBC. The show was later retitled simply Seinf...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia Ii - Charlie Chaplin - Biography
Charlie Chaplin - Early Childhood. He was born in Walworth, London, England to Charles Chaplin, Sr. and Hannah Harriette Hill, both Mus...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bob Monkhouse: Encyclopedia Ii - Bob Monkhouse - Biography
Bob Monkhouse was born in Beckenham, Kent, and educated at Dulwich College, from which he was expelled; he worked briefly as an animator ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Monty Python: Encyclopedia Ii - Monty Python - The Pythons
Monty Python - Michael Palin. The youngest Python by a matter of weeks, Palin is often labelled 'the nice one'. He attended Oxford, whe...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bob Monkhouse: Encyclopedia Ii - Bob Monkhouse - Partial Filmography
Bob Monkhouse - TV. AS A PERFORMER Fast And Loose UK 1954 Christmas Box UK 1955 The Bob Monkhouse Show UK 1956 Beat Up The Town UK 195...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Rowan Atkinson: Encyclopedia Ii - Rowan Atkinson - Private Life
He suffered from a stutter as a child and it sometimes returns when he is in stressful situations. In particular, the letter "B" poses a ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Ricky Gervais: Encyclopedia Ii - Ricky Gervais - Accolades
In 2003, Gervais was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comed...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Richard Pryor: Encyclopedia Ii - Richard Pryor - Later Life
In 1998, Pryor won the inaugural Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. According t...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Richard Pryor: Encyclopedia Ii - Richard Pryor - The Freebasing Incident And Its Aftermath
On June 1, 1980, Pryor set himself on fire while freebasing cocaine. Pryor made this part of his heralded "final" stand up show "Richard ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Richard Pryor: Encyclopedia Ii - Richard Pryor - Early Life And Career
Born on December 1, 1940 in Peoria, Illinois, Pryor grew up in his grandmother's brothel, where his mother Gertude practiced prostitution...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Richard Pryor: Encyclopedia Ii - Richard Pryor - Personal
Richard Pryor was married seven times to five different women: Patricia Price (1960 - ?) (divorced) 1 child Shelly Bonus (1967 - 19...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Richard Pryor: Encyclopedia Ii - Richard Pryor - Discography
Richard Pryor - Compilations and repackagings. Pryor Goes Foxx Hunting, (Laff. 1973) Split LP with Redd Foxx, containing previously r...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Ricky Gervais: Encyclopedia Ii - Ricky Gervais - Future Work
Gervais has written an episode of The Simpsons (due to air February 2006), and guest-starred in Alias (the season three episode "Façade"...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Ricky Gervais: Encyclopedia Ii - Ricky Gervais - Background
Gervais's father is of Québécois descent and grew up in Quebec, and came to the UK on duty during the Second World War, where he met hi...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Rowan Atkinson: Encyclopedia Ii - Rowan Atkinson - Career
The success of Not the Nine O'Clock News led to his starring in the mediaeval sitcom The Black Adder, which he also co-wrote with Richard...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eddie Izzard: Encyclopedia Ii - Eddie Izzard - Critical Reception
In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, Izzard was voted amongst the top 20 greatest comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and com...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Laurel And Hardy: Encyclopedia Ii - Laurel And Hardy - Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel (June 16, 1890 - February 23, 1965) was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson in Ulverston, Lancashire (now Ulverston, Cumbria), Engl...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Larry David: Encyclopedia Ii - Larry David - Curb Your Enthusiasm
In 1999, the HBO cable television channel aired David's special, Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, a hybrid work using story outlines an...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Joyce Grenfell: Encyclopedia Ii - Joyce Grenfell - Death And After
Diagnosed with cancer, she retired from performing and passed away in 1979. Her autobiography, The Time of My Life was published in 1990....   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Harry Hill: Encyclopedia Ii - Harry Hill - Books
In 2003 Harry Hill's first novel was published. It is called Flight from Deathrow. The central storyline involves a messed up aeroplane f...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Laurel And Hardy: Encyclopedia Ii - Laurel And Hardy - Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy (January 18, 1892 - August 7, 1957) was born Norvell Hardy in Harlem, Georgia, near Augusta. When he turned 18, he changed h...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Peter Kay: Encyclopedia Ii - Peter Kay - Rise To Fame
After leaving school, Kay took several jobs, many of which inspired episodes or sequences in That Peter Kay Thing. His earliest work was ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Vic And Bob: Encyclopedia Ii - Vic And Bob - Other Work
On 27 December 1993, Vic and Bob chose sitcoms, sketch shows and films an entire night on BBC2, which was dubbed At Home With Vic & B...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Vic And Bob: Encyclopedia Ii - Vic And Bob - Sitcom And Drama
In 1992, Reeves and Mortimer made their first brief detour into sitcoms by writing and recording a pilot episode of The Weekenders, a one...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Vic And Bob: Encyclopedia Ii - Vic And Bob - Quiz Shows
In 1993 a pilot episode of Shooting Stars was screened on BBC 2 as part of the At Home with Vic and Bob evening of programming. It began ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Vic And Bob: Encyclopedia Ii - Vic And Bob - Sketch Shows
In 1993 Reeves and Mortimer transferred from Channel 4 to BBC 2, writing and appearing in The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, indicating th...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Harry Hill: Encyclopedia Ii - Harry Hill - Standup
Harry Hill has established a tight and successful standup structure in which he employs the comedic process of 'reincorporation' to a uni...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia Ii - Charlie Chaplin - Filmography
Charlie Chaplin - Short films as actor. 1914 A Busy Day Caught in a Cabaret Caught in the Rain Cruel, Cruel Love Dough and Dynamit...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eddie Izzard: Encyclopedia Ii - Eddie Izzard - Material
Izzard states that he does not write any of his material down [1]. Running characters and references in his comedy include: An impressio...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Chris Morris Satirist: Encyclopedia Ii - Chris Morris Satirist - Other Information
A significant feature of Morris's output is his music. He often co-writes and performs incidental music for his television shows, notably...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Chris Morris Satirist: Encyclopedia Ii - Chris Morris Satirist - A Controversial Figure
Morris has also covered other controversial subjects. He once falsely suggested on the radio that Jimmy Savile and Conservative MP Michae...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Chris Morris Satirist: Encyclopedia Ii - Chris Morris Satirist - Move Into Television
In 1994 a television series based on On the Hour was broadcast under the name The Day Today. The Day Today made a star of Morris, and als...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eric Morecambe: Encyclopedia Ii - Eric Morecambe - Early Life And Childhood Career
Eric was born to parents George and Sadie Bartholomew. His mother, Sadie, was determined to see her only child make a success of his life...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia Ii - Charlie Chaplin - Auteur
Chaplin built his own Hollywood studio in 1918, and assumed an unparalleled degree of artistic and financial independence over his produc...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia Ii - Charlie Chaplin - Marriages
Charlie Chaplin - Mildred Harris. Chaplin's professional successes were repeatedly overshadowed by his private life, particularly with ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia Ii - Charlie Chaplin - Academy Award
Chaplin won the honorary Oscar twice. When the first Oscars were awarded on May 16, 1929, the voting audit procedures that now exist had ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia Ii - Charlie Chaplin - Mccarthyism
Although Chaplin had his major successes in the United States and was a resident from 1914 to 1952, he retained his British nationality. ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia Ii - Charlie Chaplin - United Artists
In 1919 he founded the United Artists film distribution company with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D. W. Griffith, and served on t...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Charlie Chaplin: Encyclopedia Ii - Charlie Chaplin - Filmography
Charlie Chaplin - Short films as actor. 1914 A Busy Day Caught in a Cabaret Caught in the Rain Cruel, Cruel Love Dough and Dynamit...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Tony Hancock: Encyclopedia Ii - Tony Hancock - International Dreams And Introspection
Hancock also starred in the 1960 film The Rebel (released as Call Me Genius in the USA) where he plays the role of an office worker-turne...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eric Idle: Encyclopedia Ii - Eric Idle - University Life
Eric Idle attended Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge, where he studied English. At Pembroke College he was invited to join ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eric Idle: Encyclopedia Ii - Eric Idle - Monty Python
Unlike the other Pythons, who wrote in pairs (Cleese/Chapman and Palin/Jones), Idle wrote alone. His work was often closely associated wi...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eddie Murphy: Encyclopedia Ii - Eddie Murphy - Comeback And Image Makeover
On May 2, 1997, Los Angeles police stopped Murphy's car and found a transgendered prostitute named Shalimar (Atisone Seiuli) in the passe...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eddie Murphy: Encyclopedia Ii - Eddie Murphy - Career Lulls
In the late 80's and early 90's, Murphy's fame was fading via a series of poor sequels (Another 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop III), drab ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eddie Murphy: Encyclopedia Ii - Eddie Murphy - Singing Career
Murphy was also a singer, and had two hit singles, "Party All the Time" (which was produced by Rick James) and "Put Your Mouth on Me" in ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eric Idle: Encyclopedia Ii - Eric Idle - Writing
Idle has written several books, both fictional and nonfictional. His novels are Hello Sailor and The Road to Mars. In 1976 he produced a ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eric Idle: Encyclopedia Ii - Eric Idle - Other Performances
Eric Idle played one of the four members of the pre-fab-four 'group' The Rutles, which was a parody of The Beatles. The 'group' was creat...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Laurel And Hardy: Encyclopedia Ii - Laurel And Hardy - Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel (June 16, 1890 - February 23, 1965) was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson in Ulverston, Lancashire (now Ulverston, Cumbria), Engl...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Laurel And Hardy: Encyclopedia Ii - Laurel And Hardy - Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy (January 18, 1892 - August 7, 1957) was born Norvell Hardy in Harlem, Georgia, near Augusta. When he turned 18, he changed h...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - John Cleese: Encyclopedia Ii - John Cleese - Cleese In Spamalot
From the 14 March 2005 issue of New York Magazine (article entitled, "King Mike and the Quest for the Broadway Grail", by Bill Zehme): Go...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Groucho Marx: Encyclopedia Ii - Groucho Marx - Later Years
Off-stage he was bookish and stated late in life that he lamented the fact he had never finished school or gone to college. Despite his l...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Groucho Marx: Encyclopedia Ii - Groucho Marx - Career Highlights
Groucho developed a routine as a wise-cracking hustler with a distinctive chicken-walking lope and an exaggerated greasepaint mustache, i...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eddie Murphy: Encyclopedia Ii - Eddie Murphy - Saturday Night Live
On an autumn morning in 1980, the phone of talent coordinator Neil Levy began ringing off the hook. A young man at the other end of the l...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Eddie Murphy: Encyclopedia Ii - Eddie Murphy - Early Life
Eddie's biological father died when he was quite young, and he, his brother Charlie, and step-brother Vernon Jr. were raised by his mothe...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bill Hicks: Encyclopedia Ii - 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 Florid...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bob Hope: Encyclopedia Ii - Bob Hope - Thanks For The Memory
Before starting his showbusiness career, Hope boxed professionally under the name Packy Easte. His fame began with several Broadway music...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Billy Connolly: Encyclopedia Ii - 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 ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bill Hicks: Encyclopedia Ii - Bill Hicks - Legacy
Bill Hicks' influence has been far reaching. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, fellow comedians and comedy insiders voted H...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bill Hicks: Encyclopedia Ii - Bill Hicks - 1990s
In 1990, he released his first album, Dangerous, did an HBO special, One Night Stand, and performed at Montreal's Just for laughs festiva...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bob Hope: Encyclopedia Ii - Bob Hope - Tours Of Duty
On May 6, 1941, at March Field, California, Hope performed his first United Service Organizations (USO) show. He continued to travel and ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Bob Hope: Encyclopedia Ii - Bob Hope - Hope's Twilight
Hope lived so long that he suffered the rare indignity of receiving premature obituaries on two separate occasions. In 1998 his death was...   » Read the article