Born:
January 20, 1956
Quick Bill Maher Facts:
- Bill Maher was born in New York and raised in New Jersey.
- He started doing comedy in 1979 and continues to perform up to 50 dates a year.
- From 1993 to 2002, Maher hosted the political talk show Politically Incorrect first for Comedy Central and then for ABC. The show was canceled after remarks Maher made following September 11th.
- In 2003, Maher became the host of the similarly political Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO.
- Maher has written four best-sellers and taped eight stand-up specials for HBO.
- In 2008, Maher co-created and starred in the film Religulous, a critique of organized religion.
Bill Maher Overview:
Bill Maher didn't start out as a political comedian, but now stands alongside
Chris Rock and
George Carlin as one of the country's premiere comedic voices on politics. After finding success with political talk shows, Maher's act became entirely political. As a libertarian, he's critical of large institutions like government and religion. He often creates controversy with his shocking or outrageous commentary. Maher is a provoker, combining sharp satire with a penchant for brutal -- sometimes inappropriate -- honesty.
Early Life:
William Maher, Jr., was born in New York City in January of 1956. The son of an Irish Catholic father and Jewish mother, Maher was raised Irish Catholic in his home town of River Vale, New Jersey. He graduated from Cornell University in 1978 and, one year later, began his life as a professional stand-up comedian.
Bill Maher: A Wannabe Actor:
In 1979, Maher was regularly performing stand-up in New York and was hosting at Catch a Rising Star. By the early '80s, Maher began making talk show appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. But for most of the 1980s, Maher was also trying to get an acting career off the ground. With appearances on TV shows like Murder She Wrote and roles in movies such as D.C. Cab, House II: The Second Story and Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death, Maher never hit it big as an actor. Eventually, he would become famous enough to play himself in films (as a talk show host).
Politically Incorrect:
Maher's career really took off in 1993, when he created and became the host of the political talk show Politically Incorrect for Comedy Central. The show -- one of Comedy Central's few original series at the time -- became a big hit for the network and launched Maher into the world of political punditry. The show was so popular, in fact, that in 1997 it was picked up by ABC Television for late-night broadcast. It ran on ABC until 2002.
Controversy:
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, Maher made some controversial comments on Politically Incorrect about how he didn't agree with statements that the terrorists who carried out the attacks were "cowardly." Several advertisers and ABC affiliates dropped the show, and though Maher apologized for the comments (which he felt had been misinterpreted), the show was canceled the following June. ABC denied that Maher's comments led to the cancellation, but Maher still contends that one was the result of the other.
Getting 'Real':
In 2002, Maher's one-man show, Victory Begins at Home, premiered on Broadway. It became his sixth HBO special in 2003 and was nominated for an Emmy. The same year, Maher returned to the realm of late-night with the debut of his new HBO series Real Time with Bill Maher. Similar to Politically Incorrect, the show -- hosted by Maher -- gathered political and media personalities and allowed them to discuss current events.
In 2005, Maher's HBO special, I'm Swiss, premiered. It was nominated for two Emmy Awards.
Religulous:
In 2007, Maher's eighth HB0 special, The Decider, premiered. It was subsequently nominated for an Emmy, but did not win.
In 2008, Maher finally got to star in his own feature film. Maher, an agnostic who drew fire throughout his career for attacking and often mocking organized religion, co-wrote and starred in Religulous, a non-fiction film designed to question faith. The film, which had its debut at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, was directed by Seinfeld alum and Borat director Larry Charles.
Additonal Bill Maher Facts:
- Maher is a self-proclaimed libertarian and staunchly supports gay marriage, the legalization of marijuana and animal rights. He is a vegetarian and serves on the board of PETA.
- He is a regular contributor to the news website The Huffington Post.
- He was ranked number 38 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.
- Maher has been nominated for 21 Prime Time Emmy Awards for his stand-up specials, Politically Incorrect and Real Time, but has never won.
