Wanda Sykes Biography (1964-)

Comedian, actress. Wanda Sykes was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on March 7, 1964. She grew up in Gambrills, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. Her father, a colonel in the United States Army, worked at the Pentagon, while her mother was a banker; Sykes also has an older brother, Harry. Sykes enjoyed a comfortable middle-class childhood and attended Arundel High…

Jon Favreau Biography (1966-)

Jon Favreau’s career as an actor and movie maker took off when his indie comedy Swingers (1996) became a hit in art houses and on video. The semi-autobiographical tale of two single and struggling actors made a movie star out of his friend and co-star Vince Vaughn. It also set Favreau on his path as a successful character…

Russell Brand Biography (1975-)

Russell Brand is a British comedian and actor whose success spread from United Kingdom radio and television to big-time Hollywood movies such as Get Him to the Greek. Brand became a popular host on the airwaves between 2006 and 2008 on the radio show The Russell Brand Show, and on the TV reality-show spin-off Big Brother’s Big Mouth….

Jane Lynch Biography (1960-)

Actress. Born on July 14, 1960, in Dolton, Illinois. Raised outside of Chicago, she discovered her love for acting in the third grade while playing a candle in a school production.

In high school, Lynch participated in the choir. She loved singing and performing in school plays, but much of the time she preferred to keep a low profile….

Sandra Bernhard Biography (1955-)

Comedian, actress. Born June 6, 1955, in Flint, Michigan. Raised in Arizona, Bernhard began to receive attention in the late 1970s for her brash, in-your-face stand-up comedy routines. Her ferocious attacks against political and celebrity figures have become something of a calling card, and she has amassed a loyal following thanks to successful shows and subsequent albums, including…

Mindy Kaling Biography (1979-)

Comedian and actress Mindy Kaling’s portrayal of airhead Kelly Kapoor on the hit series The Office is so good, it’s easy to forget that in real life, her considerable brain power has gone into producing and writing the show as well. Kaling graduated from Dartmouth College in 2001, but not before leaving her mark on the school’s improv…

Mary Lynn Rajskub Biography (1971-)

With a quiet exterior and a unique array of facial expressions that hint at something hilarious simmering beneath the surface, actress/comedian Mary Lynn Rajskub has come a long way since joining the cast of Mr. Show back in 1995. A Detroit native whose entry into the comedy scene wasn’t entirely intentional, the former performance artist decided to…

Kristen Wiig Biography (1973-)

Kristen Wiig has been a regular performer on Saturday Night Live since 2005, and her star rose after her turn as a snarky television executive in the Judd Apatow comedy Knocked Up (2007, starring Seth Rogen). A veteran of the Los Angeles comedy group The Groundlings, Wiig began as a minor player on SNL while appearing in small…

Dane Cook Biography (1972-)

Comedian, actor. Born March 18, 1972 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Cook was raised Irish Catholic alongside six siblings in the Boston suburbs. As a kid, he would perform stand-up for his family, often mimicking his favorite TV comedians like Bill Cosby and Johnny Carson. He began performing in comedy clubs in 1990 and landed a spot on Comedy Central’s Premium…

Tim Minchin Biography (1975-)

Tim Minchin’s initial aspirations leaned more toward music and acting than comedy. In his hometown of Perth he completed an Advanced Diploma in Contemporary Music as well as recording an album called Sit with his first band, Timmy the Dog, before moving to Melbourne. In Melbourne he joined a covers band as a keyboardist, acted in the theater,…

Seann William Scott Biography (1976-)

Known in the halls of history as the smirking Stifler from the 1999 teen sex comedy American Pie, Seann William Scott found his niche in show business due in no small part to that very iconic, wisecracking character. Born in Cottage Grove, MN, Scott finished high school early and moved to L.A., where he soon caught a…