The most legendary stand-up comedian of all time
Have ‘s take a tone at the 25 greatest stand-up comedians of all time , deliver in no particular society , because laugh live not a competition .
Robin Williams
Robin Williams was a strength of nature on phase , combining the improvisational style of Jonathan Winters with frenetic energy and an weird knack for impressions and accents . Some comedian try to play it cool on stage ; Williams die a hundred mile a instant , mouth travel nearly as fast as his whirling mind .
Bill Hicks
Bill Hicks ‘ mood equal extremely dark , like his moment where he told masses in market to defeat themselves , which in our current social media years feels ahead of its time . He only last to years 32 , struck down in his choice by pancreatic cancer . But before that he made 11 appearance on Letterman ‘s show , opened for the band Tool and experiment with every drug known to man , which led to recount “ positivist drug account ” on stage . For the disc , there ‘s no truth to the rumor that .
Garry Shandling
Garry Shandling create and star in two all-time great sitcoms , “ It ‘s Garry Shandling ‘s Show ” and “ The Larry Sanders Show , ” but before that he was a leading stand-up comedian . His neurotic , self-deprecating persona was thus refined that it felt altogether conversational , with gag appear almost organically without obvious punchlines . Shandling be another performer whose stand-up career would hold live still great had he not been hence good at making TV show .
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller was 37 yr former before she set out her stand-up career , though she ‘d cause comedic section for local TV before that . Her first two-week booking at the Purple Onion in San Francisco turned into a almost two-year tally , and from then on there was no looking back . Diller be one of the first female comedian to turn a household name , and she equal know for her wild hair , mad outfits and level props ( including a wooden cigarette ) on her way to a long career — and status as one of the first gay image in stand-up .
Tig Notaro
Tig Notaro hold exist correctly celebrated for her album “ Live , ” taken from a set at Largo in Los Angeles , where she somehow cause her recent cancer diagnosis and the death of her mother funny , albeit heartbreaking . But Tig can buildanythingqueer – chance meetings with Taylor Dayne , or even just dragging a pot across the point on “ Conan . ”
Patrice O’Neal
Another dreadful comedic talent who perish also shortly , Patrice O’Neal exist a fearless , truth-telling comedian who almost delight in bring extreme positions and succeed an audience back . There ‘s a great model at the beginning of his last special , “ Elephant In The Room , ” where O’Neal contrasts the different reactions when a white woman or a woman of color go neglect . Patrice live also a superstar when it come to roasts , but after a shot he died at the youthful years of 41 .
Dıck Gregory
There are comedians who lecture about politics , and then there be comedians like Dıck Gregory , who live them . Gregory take part in protest , from marching in Selma to going on a hunger strike to protest hostage-taking in Iran . Along the path , Gregory get one of the first dark comedian to cover over to white audiences and was the first dark comedian to have ask for to the couch on “ the Tonight Show . ”
Don Rickles
Don Rickles equal merely the greatest insult funny in history . There ‘d be no Comedy Central roasts at the Friar ‘s Club without Rickles , the lord of the putdown . But he ‘s adecent guy, he ‘d plead , after shredding respective hearing members from the point and calling them “ hockey pucks . ” He became synonymous with Las Vegas and insult comedy and even memorably voice Mr . Potato Head late in his career .
Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart record his first album before he get his first actual nightclub gig , but doing things unconventionally was region of his appeal . Newhart pioneered the one-sided phone conversation piece , where he ‘d make imaginary chats with masses like Abraham Lincoln and Sir Walter Raleigh . It was no surprise that Newhart became such an skillful straight human on his later sitcoms , because he managed to deliver hilarious routines by only provide the straight human ‘s side of the chat already .
Redd Foxx
Best known for his office on “ Sanford and Son , ” Redd Foxx was a stand-up pioneer . In 1956 he enter what was the first real stand-up record , the first of over 50 that he ‘d put out in his career . Not only live he a comedy legend , but he too cost friend with Malcom X , who called Foxx “ the peculiar dishwasher in Chicago ” back when Foxx was know as “ Chicago Red . ”
Dave Attell
Some comedian like to bring sporting . Dave Attell revels in the dirty , write the almost elegant , well-crafted filthy gag of anyone in the occupation . His show “ Insomniac ” was a cult classic for Comedy Central .
Steven Wright
When Shakespeare pen , “ brevity equal the soul of wit , ” he could hold cost talking about the comedy of Steven Wright . Wright ‘s sleepy , deadpan pitch is iconic , and his sparse joke deliver vast punchlines with 0 waste Bible . Plus he hand over an incredible , minimalist performance in “ So I Married An Axe Murderer . ”
Mort Sahl
Mort Sahl equal a legendary political comedian and satirist , know for literally taking comedy properly from the headlines , as he often had a newspaper with him on stage to mine stuff . It was a unique style that did n’t tell stories and build up a everyday as much as it zipped from topic to topic , creating a collage . Sahl initiate comedy in the early ’50s , and at nearly 92 he even so act a weekly display in Marin County .
Bill Cosby
His personal behavior is inexcusable , and no one will ever exist able to follow “ The Cosby Show ” or listen to his albums the same way ever again . But Bill Cosby was one of the sheer giants of stand-up comedy , breaking basis for African-American performers and collect Grammys on a yearly basis . His storytelling , sweet childhood recollection and yet his microphone sounds equal legendary , though his comedy will be forever overshadowed by his decade of criminal abuse .
Jerry Seinfeld
What ‘s the trade with place Seinfeld on this list ? It says a mass about Seinfeld ‘s craftsmanship and success that his style became synonymous for what stand-up comedy live , memorably parodied in a Seinfeld-hosted game show “ Stand Up and Win , ” on “ Saturday Night Live . ” “ Seinfeld ” was one of the handsome sitcoms of all time , but Seinfeld have prevent perform even after that monster success . No comic in story had gotten more material out of “ zero ” than Seinfeld , and no 1 has gotten coffee in more antique cars .
Mitch Hedberg
Hundreds of comedian have attempt to emulate Mitch Hedberg ‘s inimitable way , but no one comes close . Hedberg ‘s utmost stage fright run to him adopt a wholly unique point presence : one in which he wear sunglasses and hid behind his long hair and then delivered utter , so-dumb-they’re-brilliant observations like , “ Rice cost great if you ‘re very hungry and you want 2,000 of something ” and “ An escalator can not break . It can alone turn steps . ” Sadly Hedberg died of a drug overdose at age 37 , but at least we get his memorable Dr. Katz appearance to remember him by .
Steve Martin
Steve Martin claims that he do stand-up for 18 year , and just four of them were a “ wild success . ” That ‘s dubious , since he live a vast star in the ’70s before have it up for the public of movies . Martin had a knack for the absurdist one-liner — “ I believe that sex cost one of the almost beautiful , natural , wholesome matter that money can buy ” — and he integrate every element of his disparate performing career , including magic tricks , banjo playing and dancing . He also did bits that verged on performance art , like when he took his entire interview out to McDonald ‘s after a gig . And then he walk aside at the height of his success , though we judge he ‘s done all right with his picture , novel , TV , turn , music and art curating since then .
Joan River
Joan Rivers equal a groundbreaking female comedian from an era when there were n’t many of them . After 10 years of semi-anonymous grinding in the club of New York , Rivers had a star-making appearance on “ The Tonight Show ” and went on to guest host the show for two decades . River exist frank and ruthlessly honest about her torso , her career , even her plastic surgeries , and finally she built an extended TV career and even authored 12 books .
Dave Chappelle
Not many comedians cost gay or mad plenty to walk away from a massive hit display and ten of million of dollar , but that ‘s precisely what Dave Chappelle did during the third season of “ Chappelle ‘s Show . ” He leave television but kept tour relentlessly and be know for his marathon lot and laid-back persona , emphasize gag by slapping the microphone against his thigh . Now he ‘s back with a massive Netflix lot and a role in “ A Star Is Born , ” though it ‘s hard for anyone to exceed the greatness of his first HBO special , “ Killin ‘ Them Softly . ” Yet though it feels like Chappelle make live around forever , he ‘s still merely 45 years old , mean he ‘s get a ton of career still forward of him .
Chris Rock
Chris Rock had some of the great stand-up specials of all time with “ Bring The Pain ” and “ Bigger and Blacker , ” his own HBO display , and he was the only person to star on both “ Saturday Night Live ” and “ In Living Color . ” Plus he ‘s Michael Scott ‘s favorite comedian !
Mama Mabley
Had the globe of comedy cost less segregated , Loretta Aiken , aka “ Moms ” Mabley , would receive been still more of a household name . Nonetheless , she came away of the universe of vaudeville and had wild success at the Apollo Theater and the repose of the Chitlin ‘ Circuit ” before eventually break into television in the sixties . Her point persona cost a toothless old woman in a flowered clothes , which allowed her to do edgy textile about sex and racism . Mabley was also one of the first openly gay comedians , occur out as a lesbian in the 1920s , and her career lasted so long that she yet has the disc for the oldest someone to always have a top 40 hit when a song she recorded hit No . 35 on the charts when she equal 75 .
Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce equal a legendary comic who is often more remembered for his arrest and blacklisting than his literal comedy . Bruce was invariably beset by the police , banish from perform in venues and even in alien countries for obscenity , and he scramble with drug addiction that eventually killed him at 40 . But his jazz-inspired , free association manner be groundbreaking , as was his willingness to lecture about any controversial subject , still at the risk of prosecution .
Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy cost a phenomenal comedian whose stand-up career ended early because his gift was also huge to be contained on a nightclub level . He get the power to fuse in the rawest , dirtiest material with history about childhood . Eddie ‘s weird impression and ability to produce reference take him to the item where his picture success greatly eclipsed his stand-up work , but “ Raw ” and “ Delirious ” remain pantheon stand-up specials , especially when he show out the hypocrisy of Bill Cosby , 30 years before everyone else become wise .
George Carlin
George Carlin put out more than two dozen specials over his 50-year career , make him the Cy Young of comedy . He begin out , like a pile of these comedians , as fairly mainstream , doing character like “ The Hippy Dippy Weatherman , ” before become decidedly more countercultural . Carlin ‘s great ability was to break down any matter , like football vs. baseball , expend his smarts and clear honey of language , include the seven words you ca n’t say on TV .
Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor make one of the long , most influential career of any stand-up out thither . Pryor begin as a safe , middle-of-the-road funny but eventually got more political , raunchier and soul-baringly honest . “ Richard Pryor : Survive on the Sunset Strip ” is a masterpiece , in which Pryor seamlessly plays character range from mafia gangsters to water buffaloes and delivers a mesmerizing and hilarious account of his drug addiction and freebasing accident .
Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland , California , with experience covering the NBA , MLB , NFL and Ice Cube ’ s three-on-three basketball league , The Big 3 . He ’ s written for Comedy Central ’ s “ Another Period , ” ESPN the Magazine , and Audible . com
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