My favourite comedians
by apipoulai | created - 16 Aug 2012 | updated - 03 Jun 2013 | PublicI love comedy and the haha. This is a personal and (unordered) list. The list is a work in progress and suggestions are always welcome!
1. George Carlin
Actor | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
George Denis Patrick Carlin was born and raised in Manhattan, New York City, to Mary (Bearey), a secretary, and Patrick John Carlin, an advertising manager for The Sun; they had met while working in marketing. His father was from Donegal, Ireland, and his mother was Irish-American. His parents ...
2. Marc Maron
Actor | To Leslie
For over fifteen years, Marc Maron has been writing and performing raw, honest and thought-provoking comedy for print, stage, radio and television. A legend in the stand-up community, he has appeared on HBO, Conan, Letterman, his two Comedy Central Presents specials and almost every show that ...
3. Bill Cosby
Actor | The Cosby Show
Bill Cosby is one of the world's most well-known entertainers and comedians. William Henry Cosby, Jr. was born on July 12, 1937, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Anna Pearl (Hite), a maid and William Henry Cosby, Sr., a U.S. Navy sailor. After 10th grade, Cosby joined the Navy and completed high ...
4. Greg Proops
Actor | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Greg Proops was born on October 3, 1959 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Brother Bear (2003). He has been married to Jennifer Canaga since February 14, 1990.
5. Tom Rhodes
Actor | Harold
Tom Rhodes has been a stand-up comedian since he was 17 years old.
Early years
At the age of 12 Tom's father, a decorated Vietnam war hero with a great sense of humor and a love of stand-up comedy, took Tom to see his uncle Bob perform at a comedy show. The entrance to the room was right next to the ...
6. Pete Holmes
Actor | CollegeHumor Originals
Pete Holmes was born on March 30, 1979 in Lexington, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for CollegeHumor Originals (2006), Crashing (2017) and Don't Think Twice (2016). He has been married to Valerie Chaney since 2017.
7. Doug Stanhope
Actor | Louie
Doug Stanhope was born on March 25, 1967 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Louie (2010), The Road Dog (2023) and Roseanne (1988). He has been married to Renee Morrison since March 26, 2002.
8. Dana Gould
Actor | The Simpsons
Dana Gould is an American writer, producer, stand-up comedian and actor from Hopedale, Massachusetts known for voicing Gex of the video game franchise of the same name. He also worked on The Simpsons, Murry Wilson: Rock N Roll Dad, Father of the Pride, Seinfeld and Mystery Men. He had three ...
9. Robin Williams
Actor | Mrs. Doubtfire
Robin McLaurin Williams was born on Saturday, July 21st, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois, a great-great-grandson of Mississippi Governor and Senator, Anselm J. McLaurin. His mother, Laurie McLaurin (née Janin), was a former model from Mississippi, and his father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams, was a Ford ...
10. Louis C.K.
Writer | Louie
Louis C.K. was born on September 12, 1967 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Louie (2010), American Hustle (2013) and Horace and Pete (2016). He was previously married to Alix Bailey.
11. Jim Gaffigan
Actor | Chappaquiddick
Jim Gaffigan is a six-time Grammy nominated comedian, actor, writer, producer, two-time New York Times best-selling author, three-time Emmy winning top touring performer, and multi-platinum-selling recording artist. He is known around the world for his unique brand of humor, which largely revolves ...
12. Tony Woods
Actor | NYPD Blue
Tony Woods is known for NYPD Blue (1993), Detective MJ: Our Nations' Capital (2022) and Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready (2019).
13. Alonzo Bodden
Actor | Scary Movie 4
A regular panel member on NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me, Alonzo Bodden has been making audiences around the country laugh for more than 20 years. In his upcoming stand-up special, Heavy Lightweight, which streams on Amazon Prime Video this summer, he presents a range of topics from slavery, cell ...
14. Stephen Colbert
Writer | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert (pronounced "cole-BEAR") was born on May 13, 1964 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. He is the son of Lorna Elizabeth (Tuck) and James William Colbert, Jr., a doctor and medical school dean at Yale, Saint Louis University, and MUSC. He is the ...
15. Chris Rock
Actor | Top Five
Christopher Julius Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Rosalie (Tingman), a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped, and Julius Rock, a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman, whose own father was a preacher.
...
16. Bill Burr
Actor | Old Dads
Bill Burr is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Patrick Kuby in the crime drama series Breaking Bad (2008), and creating and starring in the Netflix animated sitcom F Is for Family (2015).
In 2008, Burr's voice was featured in the game Grand ...
17. Bill Engvall
Actor | Delta Farce
Bill Engvall was born on July 27, 1957 in Galveston, Texas, USA as William Ray Engvall Jr. He is an actor and writer, known for Delta Farce (2007), Catching Faith (2015) and Last Man Standing (2011). He has been married to Mary Gail Watson since December 18, 1982. They have two children, Emily and ...
18. Billy Connolly
Actor | Brave
Billy Connolly was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. He left school to work in the shipyards, becoming a welder, and joined the Territorial Army (in the parachute regiment) at around the same time. He developed an interest in folk music, eventually being an accomplished banjo player and a ...
19. Bob Newhart
Actor | Elf
Bob Newhart is an American actor and stand-up comedian. His comedic style involves deadpan delivery of dialogue, a slight stammer when talking, and comedic monologues. He has cited earlier comedians George Gobel (1919-1991), Ray Goulding (1922-1990), and Bob Elliott (1923-2016) as his main ...
20. Brian Regan
Actor | Top Five
Critics, fans and fellow comedians agree: Brian Regan is one of the most respected comedians in the country. His specials, Brian Regan: On The Rocks, and Brian Regan: Nunchucks and Flamethrowers, are streaming on Netflix along with his Netflix series, Stand Up And Away! With Brian Regan. Brian ...
21. David Cross
Actor | Arrested Development
David Cross is an American actor, writer and comedian who is known for playing Tobias Fünke from Arrested Development, Minion from Megamind, Crane from Kung Fu Panda, Ian Hawke from Alvin and the Chipmunks, Yivo from Futurama and Happy Time Harry from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. He also acted in Grand ...
22. Doug Benson
Actor | The Lego Batman Movie
Doug Benson was born on July 2, 1962 in San Diego, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Lego Batman Movie (2017), How I Met Your Mother (2005) and Trover Saves the Universe (2019).
23. Eddie Murphy
Actor | The Nutty Professor
Edward Regan Murphy was born April 3, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York, to Lillian Lynch (born: Lillian Laney), a telephone operator, and Charles Edward Murphy, a transit police officer who was also an amateur comedian and actor. After his father died, his mother married Vernon Lynch, a foreman at a ...
24. Elvira Kurt
Writer | The Great Canadian Baking Show
A Toronto native and alumna of Second City, Elvira Kurt is an accomplished comedian who hosts her own TV program in Canada, has starred in an acclaimed Comedy Central half-hour special, has earned multiple nominations as College Comedian Of The Year, and has countless other TV credits as a comic, ...
25. Emo Philips
Actor | UHF
Emo Philips was born on February 7, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for UHF (1989), Meet the Parents (2000) and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022). He has been married to Kipleigh Brown since November 5, 2011. He was previously married to Carmi Lynn Raynsford and ...
26. Felipe Esparza
Writer | Felipe Esparza: Translate This
Felipe Esparza is a stand-up comedian and actor, known best for his stand-up comedy specials "They're Not Gonna Laugh at You" (2012), "Translate This" (2017) and "Bad Decisions"/"Malas Decisiones" (2020). He is also known for his quirky recurring guest roles on "Superstore" (NBC) and "The Eric ...
27. George Lopez
Producer | George Lopez
George Lopez was born on April 23, 1961, in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California, the son of Frieda and Anatasio Lopez, a migrant worker. He is of Mestizo Mexican descent. He was deserted by his father when he was two months old and by his mother when he was 10 years old, but was raised by his ...
28. Gilda Radner
Actress | Saturday Night Live
Gilda Radner was one of the great comic geniuses of the 20th century, ranked with Lucille Ball and other comedy legends of the highest caliber. She was born on June 28, 1946, in Detroit, Michigan, the younger of two children of Henrietta (Dworkin), a legal secretary, and Herman Radner, a ...
29. Javier Guzman
Actor | Flikken Maastricht
Javier Guzman was born on April 13, 1977 in Las Palmas, Spain. He is an actor and writer, known for Flikken Maastricht (2007), De co-assistent (2007) and All in Kitchen (2016).
30. Jeff Foxworthy
Producer | Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
Foxworthy was born Jeffrey Marshall Foxworthy in Atlanta, Georgia on September 6, 1958.
He followed in his father's footsteps working for IBM in Georgia, but on a dare from friends, he did a few minutes of comedy at an Atlanta comedy club. A few months later, Foxworthy quit his job and started on ...
31. Jim Jefferies
Writer | Legit
Jim Jefferies was born on February 4, 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is a writer and producer, known for Legit (2013), Jim Jefferies: Freedumb (2016) and The Librarians (2014). He has been married to Tasie Lawrence since September 2020. They have one child.
32. Joe Rogan
Writer | The Joe Rogan Experience
Joe Rogan was born on August 11, 1967 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is a podcaster and writer, known for The Joe Rogan Experience (2009), NewsRadio (1995) and Zookeeper (2011). He has been married to Jessica Rogan since 2009. They have three children.
33. John Pinette
Actor | The Punisher
John Pinette was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 23, 1964, the son of Robert Pinette Sr. and Louise Pitre (Petrie). His mother was of Acadian ancestry, with her parents both from the Canadian province of New Brunswick. He graduated from Malden Catholic High School in 1982. He was a ...
34. Kathleen Madigan
Actress | The Opening Act
Kathleen Madigan was born on September 30, 1965 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for The Opening Act (2020), Kathleen Madigan: Hunting Bigfoot (2023) and Foxworthy's Big Night Out (2006).
35. Lewis Black
Actor | Inside Out
Lewis Black was born on August 30, 1948 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Inside Out (2015), Man of the Year (2006) and Accepted (2006).
36. Lily Tomlin
Actress | Nashville
Lily Tomlin was born September 1, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, to Lillie Mae (Ford) and Guy Tomlin, who moved to Michigan from Paducah, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Her mother was a nurse's aide and her father was a factory worker. She graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1957, and ...
37. Lisa Lampanelli
Actress | Drillbit Taylor
Lisa Lampenelli is one of the most high-profile insult comics. Though actually born in Connecticut, she is identified as a New Yorker, where she built up her career on the stand-up comic circuit. She is known for her outrageous pot shots at celebrities as well as references to her own weight and ...
38. Margaret Cho
Producer | Margaret Cho: PsyCHO
Margaret Cho was born on December 5, 1968 in San Francisco. Her grandfather was a Methodist minister who ran an orphanage in Seoul during the Korean War. Ignoring the traditions of her patriarchal culture, her mother bravely resisted an arranged marriage in Korea & married Margaret's father, who ...
39. Maria Bamford
Actress | Barnyard
Maria was born in Port Hueneme, California at the Naval Base. Her parents are Joel (dermatologist) and Marilyn (therapist) of Duluth, MN. She attended Chester Park Elementary and Marshall High School in Duluth MN and went on to attend Bates College (Lewiston, ME), University of Edinburgh (Scotland)...
40. Michael McIntyre
Self | Michael McIntyre's Big Show
Michael McIntyre was born on February 21, 1976 in Merton, London, England, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Michael McIntyre's Big Show (2015), Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow (2009) and The Wheel (2022). He has been married to Kitty Ward since 2003. They have two children.
41. Mike Birbiglia
Actor | A Man Called Otto
Mike Birbiglia was born on June 20, 1978, in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Sleepwalk with Me (2012), Mike Birbiglia: What I Should Have Said Was Nothing (2008), and Your Sister's Sister (2011). His 2013 special, Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2013)...
42. Mitch Hedberg
Actor | Almost Famous
Mitch Hedberg was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on February 24, 1968. He began his stand-up career in Florida, and after a period of honing his skills there he moved to Seattle and began touring. He soon appeared on MTV's "Comikaze", then a 1996 appearance on [error] brought him his big break. He ...
43. Najib Amhali
Writer | Kaskrakers
Najib Amhali is a charismatic and versatile actor renowned for his dynamic presence on both the stage and screen. Najib's talent and dedication made him one of the most beloved comedians in the Netherlands, with countless memorable performances.
His debut on television in the series "Barst" in 1990 ...
44. Pablo Francisco
Writer | MADtv
Pablo Francisco was born on January 5, 1974. He is a writer and actor, known for Mad TV (1995), Frank TV (2007) and Mind of Mencia (2005).
45. Patton Oswalt
Actor | Young Adult
Patton Oswalt has been headlining at comedy clubs all over the United States since 1996, as well as appearing in his own standup specials on Comedy Central and HBO. He was chosen as Entertainment Weekly's "It" comedian in 2002. He is a regular on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993). His other ...
46. Phil Hartman
Actor | NewsRadio
Phil Hartman was born Philip Edward Hartmann on September 24, 1948, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. His surname was originally "Hartmann", but he later dropped the second "n". He was one of eight children of Doris Marguerite (Wardell) and Rupert Loebig Hartmann, a salesman. He was of German, Irish, ...
47. Ralphie May
Actor | For da Love of Money
Ralphie May was born on February 17, 1972 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for For da Love of Money (2002), Cubed (2009) and Whoopi (2003). He was married to Lahna Turner. He died on October 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
48. Robert Schimmel
Actor | Scary Movie 2
Robert Schimmel was born on January 16, 1950 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Scary Movie 2 (2001), A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994) and Dark Seduction (2015). He was married to Melissa Schimmel and Vicki Schimmel. He died on September 3, 2010 in ...
49. Seán Cullen
Actor | The Love Guru
Seán Cullen was born in 1965 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He is an award-winning comedian, actor, author and screenwriter, known for The Willoughbys (2019), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2017-2018), Phil the Alien (2004) and The Seán Cullen Show (2003). He has performed stand up ...
50. Steven Wright
Actor | Natural Born Killers
Steven Wright was born on December 6, 1955 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Natural Born Killers (1994), So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) and Reservoir Dogs (1992).
51. Suzanne Westenhoefer
Actress | We Have to Stop Now
Suzanne Westenhoefer was born on March 31, 1961 in Columbia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress, known for We Have to Stop Now (2009), Genesis: The Future of Mankind Is Woman and A Family Affair (2001).
52. Todd Barry
Actor | The Wrestler
Todd Barry was born on March 26, 1964 in The Bronx, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Wrestler (2008), Bob's Burgers (2011) and Flight of the Conchords (2007).
53. Woody Allen
Writer | Annie Hall
Woody Allen was born on November 30, 1935, as Allen Konigsberg, in The Bronx, NY, the son of Martin Konigsberg and Nettie Konigsberg. He has one younger sister, Letty Aronson. As a young boy, he became intrigued with magic tricks and playing the clarinet, two hobbies that he continues today.
Allen ...
54. Willie Barcena
Writer | Willie Barcena: The Truth Hurts
Willie Barcena is known for Willie Barcena: The Truth Hurts (2016), Susan's Plan (1998) and Worth (2018).
55. Herman Finkers
Actor | De beentjes van Sint-Hildegard
Herman Finkers is mainly known as one of the most famous Dutch cabaret stars. He started in the early 1980s and quickly became successful with his trademarks of dry wit, puns and musical numbers, as well as a large amount of visual gags. He made over a dozen highly successful one-man shows with ...
56. Hans Teeuwen
Writer | Masterclass
Hans Teeuwen was born on March 3, 1967 in Budel, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands. He is a writer and actor, known for Masterclass (2005), Jezus is een Palestijn (1999) and Interview (2007).
57. Richard Jeni
Actor | The Mask
Richard Jeni was born on April 14, 1957 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Mask (1994), Richard Jeni: Platypus Man (1993) and Platypus Man (1995). He died on March 10, 2007 in West Hollywood, California, USA.
58. Steve Martin
Writer | Roxanne
Steve Martin was born on August 14, 1945 in Waco, Texas, USA as Stephen Glenn Martin to Mary Lee (née Stewart; 1913-2002) and Glenn Vernon Martin (1914-1997), a real estate salesman and aspiring actor. He was raised in Inglewood and Garden Grove in California. In 1960, he got a job at the Magic ...
59. Jonathan Winters
Actor | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Jonathan Harshman Winters III was born on November 11, 1925 in Dayton, Ohio. His father, Jonathan Harshman Winters II, was a banker who became an alcoholic after being crushed in the Great Depression. His parents divorced in 1932. Jonathan and his mother then moved to Springfield to live with his ...
60. Carl Reiner
Writer | The Dick Van Dyke Show
Carl Reiner is a legend of American comedy, who achieved great success as a comic actor, a director, producer and recording artist. He won nine Emmy Awards, three as an actor, four as a writer and two as a producer. He also won a Grammy Award for his album "The 2,000 Year Old Man", based on his ...
61. Mel Brooks
Actor | Spaceballs
Mel Brooks was born Melvin Kaminsky on June 28, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York. He served in WWII, and afterwards got a job playing the drums at nightclubs in the Catskills. Brooks eventually started a comedy act and also worked in radio and as Master Entertainer at Grossinger's Resort before going to ...
62. Ricky Gervais
Writer | The Office
Ricky Dene Gervais was born in a suburb of Reading, Berkshire, to Eva Sophia (House) and Lawrence Raymond Gervais, who was a hod carrier and labourer. His father was born in Ontario, Canada, of French-Canadian descent, and his mother was English. He was educated at Ashmead Comprehensive School and ...
63. Steve Carell
Actor | The Office
Steve Carell, one of America's most versatile comics, was born Steven John Carell on August 16, 1962, in Concord, Massachusetts. He is the son of Harriet Theresa (Koch), a psychiatric nurse, and Edwin A. Carell, an electrical engineer. His mother was of Polish descent and his father of Italian and ...
64. Brian Regan
Actor | Top Five
Critics, fans and fellow comedians agree: Brian Regan is one of the most respected comedians in the country. His specials, Brian Regan: On The Rocks, and Brian Regan: Nunchucks and Flamethrowers, are streaming on Netflix along with his Netflix series, Stand Up And Away! With Brian Regan. Brian ...
65. Jackie Kashian
Actress | Murphy Brown
Jackie Kashian is known for Murphy Brown (1988), Looking Forward: 2016 (2018) and Bam Bam and Celeste (2005). She has been married to Andy Ashcraft since October 8, 2006.
66. Brad Garrett
Actor | Everybody Loves Raymond
Standing 6 feet 9 inches tall, Garrett grew up in Woodland Hills outside of Los Angeles. His father was a hearing aid specialist working in geriatrics and his mother was a housewife. Garrett spent a whopping six weeks at UCLA before going into stand-up comedy full time. He began performing his act ...
67. Rick Overton
Actor | Willow
Raised in New Jersey and New York, Overton comes from a musical family. His father, Hal Overton, was Thelonious Monk's big band arranger as well as a music teacher at the Juilliard Institute. His mother, Nancy Overton aka Anne Swain Overton, sang in personal appearances as a member of The Chordettes...
68. Bill Hicks
Producer | Ninja Bachelor Party
Born in Georgia but raised in Houston since the age of 7, this self-described "Prince of Darkness" was compelled to use the comedy stage as his philosophic soapbox. At 13, he would sneak out of his suburban house to hustle his way onto open-mike night rosters. In two brief decades, Hicks worked his...
69. Brendon Burns
Actor | Revolver
Brendon Burns was born on April 19, 1971 in Perth, Australia. He is an actor and writer, known for Revolver (2005), Fighting with My Family (2019) and Tucked (2018).
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