Hollywood is worldwide recognized having various movies to its credit. Comedy films are not an exception.
Amidst our day-to-day hustle and buzzle of life, we all need some time to cool off, laugh, and forget our worries. Some people have been blessed with the ability to make people laugh. Be it with their words, actions, or facial expressions.
These people have mastered their talent so well that they earn a living making people laugh and forget their worries. Most of these comedians built their careers from scratch and are successful.
Table of Contents
11 Of The Best Hollywood Comedians And Their Biography
Here we have reviewed the best Hollywood comedians, their date of birth, their struggles to become world-renowned, deals, awards, and every other thing you need to know about them.
1. Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan Murphy. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 3, 1961, and raised in the borough’s Bushwick. His mother and father got separated when he was three (3) years old and his father later died when Murphy was Eight (8) years old.
Eddie married Nicole Mitchell from 1993 to 2006. He is now married to Paige Butcher. He is blessed with 10 children
Eddie’s fame came as a result of his regular cast as a stand-up comedian. He developed various characters in imitating his acting hero Peter Sellers. His role as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (SNL) earned him his first national attention in the early 1980s and he was credited for helping in revitalizing the show.
In 1982, the film 48 Hrs gave him his big-screen debut with Nick Nolte. 48 Hrs was a hit released in the Christmas season of 1982.
He played multiple roles in other comedy movies like Coming to America (1988l, Wes Craven’s Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), Bowfinger (1999), The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), Norbit (2007l, and Meet Dave (2008). In 2015, he became the sixth-highest-grossing actor in America.
2. Kevin Hart
Was born on July 6, 1979, in Philadelphia where he was raised by his mother(Nancy Hart). She works at the University of Pennsylvania, she died of cancer in 2007. His father was a cocaine addict who was absent throughout his childhood days. He has an older brother. She was a system analyst at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kevin was married to Torrei Hart but filed for a divorce in 2010. Kevin requested the custody of their two children. He proposed to Eniko and they got married in 2016. They welcomed their son in 2017 and their daughter in 2020.
He moved to New York after graduation to pursue his career as a stand-up comedian. Hart’s first comedy was at The Laff House in Philadelphia, which did not go well. He had a slow start in his career. It took a while for him to develop his comedic style.
Hart made his debut in the movie Paper Soldiers. He then gained more recognition in other movies like Sul Plane, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Death at a Funeral, and Little Fockers.
Kevin has also hosted several ceremonies. The first of which is the 2011 BET Awards. Hart hosted the 2012 MTV video music Awards, Three episodes of Saturday Night Live, 2016 MTV Movie Awards with Dwayne Johnson.
Hart has a game on iTunes called ” Little Jumpman” which is connected to his social media accounts.
3. Adam Sandler
Adams Richard Sandler was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 9 September 1966 to Judy and Stanley Sandler. He graduated in 1988 from New York University’s Tisch School of Arts. He got married to Jacqueline in June 2003 and the couple has two daughters.
Sandler starred in movies likely Madison (1995), Bulletproof (1996), Happy Gilmore (1996), and The Wedding Singer (1998).
He is the owner of Happy Madison Production Company which he founded in 1999. In 2014, Netflix signed a four-movie deal with his company. Also in 2020, Netflix signed a new four-movie deal worth $275 million.
4. Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell was born in California on July 16, 1967, to his mother Betty kay and Roy Lee. He has English, German, and Irish ancestry. He suffered pyloric stenosis when he was an infant. His parent got divorced when he was eight years old
He was into football and basketball at University High School in Irvine. He wrote and performed weekly comedy skits while in school and talent shows. Ferrell got married in 2000 to a Swedish actress.
He has the talent of imitating people including the then U.S president George W. bush.
Some of his moves is: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, The Ladies Man, Dick, Drowning Mona, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Zoolander. He also worked on numerous animation films and programs as a voice-over actor.
5. Jim Carrey
James Eugene Carrey is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. Born in Ontario, Canada on 17 January 1962 to Percy Carrey and Kathleen. His father is an accountant and his mother is a home keeper. He has three older siblings, a sister, and two brothers. He was raised as Roman.
Jim was married to former actress Melissa Womer who got divorced in 1995. They gave birth to a daughter in 1987. He was dating Catherine White from 2012 till her death in 2015. She died from a drug overdose
In 1983, Carrey started performing at The Comedy Store in Hollywood. He was a regular cast of Living Color, a television series
His role in Ace Ventura and Batman Forever (1995). He was the first actor to be paid $20 million for his movie, The Cable Guy.
6. Tiffany Haddish
With the birth name, Tiffany Sara Cornelia Haddish was born to Tsihaye Read Haddish and Leola on December 3, 1979. She is an American stand-up comedian, author, and actress. She has four half-siblings. Her mother died of schizophrenia as a result of brain damage she sustained in a car accident in 1988.
She became the caregiver to her siblings at the young age of nine. At age 12, she and her siblings were taken to a foster home temporarily. They later reunited under the care of their grandmother. Haddish was married to Stewart in 2008 and got a divorce in 2013. And She starred in the NBC sitcom The Carmichael Show.
She had a role in 2013 in The Real Husbands of Hollywood. In 2014, she was cast on the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series.
In 2017, Haddish alongside Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall, and Queen Latifah starred in the comedy movie girls trip. The movie received a widely positive review. The movie became the highest-grossing comedy of 2017 with $140 million against its production budget of $20 million.
Haddish also starred in the first Studio Comedy film of the 2020s Like a boss for Paramount Pictures.
7. Kristen Wiig
Kristen was born in New York on 22 August 1973 to Laurie and Jon Wiig. Kristen has an older brother, Erik.
She majored in Arts at the University of Arizona where she took some acting classes to fulfil her course requirements. His teachers had advised her to continue acting even after school.
Wiig was married to Hargrove Hayes and got divorced in 2009. She got engaged to Actor Rothman and had twins, a boy, and a girl through surrogacy. Wiig confirmed her marriage to Rothman in February 2021.
She made her film debut in the 2006 movie Unaccompanied Minors and later appeared in 2007’s comedy knocked up. She was awarded four times for Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her work in SNL (2009-2012).
8. Melissa McCarthy
Born on 26 August in Illinois, U.S. She is an American actress, producer, and fashion designer. She is married to Ben Falcons and has two Children. Her mother Sandra is of Irish, German, and English origin and her Father Michael McCarthy is of Irish descent.
McCarthy and her husband founded The Day Production, a production company. Their company has collaborated with other companies on numerous comedy films.
She launched a clothing line for plus-sized women in 2015 called Melissa McCarthy seven7.
McCarthy first appeared in the 1990s and gained recognition in the television series Gilmore Girls (200-2007). She was the host of Saturday Night Live in 2017 which won the primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress.
She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in her performance in the comedy film Bridesmaids (2011). She also starred in Identity Thief (2013), The Heat (2013), Tammy (2014), St. Vincent (2014), Spy (2015), and The Boss (2016). McCarthy earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2018 for her role in the biographical film can you Ever Forgive Me?
9. Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina Fey was born on 18th May 1970 in upper Derby Township, Pennsylvania, the U.S to Donald Henry and Zenobia. She was nicknamed “Tina” at a young age.
Fey is married to Jeff Richmond, a pianist. They got married in a Greek Orthodox ceremony in June 2001. In 2009, Fey and Reymond purchased a $3.4 million apartment in New York City.
Her first role was in the Chicago-based improvisational comedy group The Second City. She later joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) but later left in 2006.
Fey has received nine Primetime Emmy Awards, five-screen Actors Guild Awards, seven Writers Guild of America Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards.
Fey was announced to be the narrator for the Disney Nature Film Monkey in 2015 which was released in theatres in April of that same year. Her role in the Netflix comedy film Wine country earned her three Academy Award nominations, including a win for Best Animated Feature, she also won the Critics Choice Super Award.
In January 2013, Fey alongside Amy Poehler hosted the 70th Golden Globe Awards. They also hosted it in 2014 and 2015 which generated the highest ratings for the annual ceremony in decades.
10. Catherine O’Hara
Born on 4th March 1954, Catherine Anne O’Hara is a Canadian actress, comedian, and writer. She was born in Toronto, Ontario. She is the sixth of seven children of Irish descent and was raised Catholic. She holds dual citizenship in U.S. and Canada. She is married to Bo Welch who is a director
She has numerous awards including Golden Globe Award, Genie Award, and two Screen Actors Child Awards. She was also honored with the Governor-General performing Arts Lifetime Artistic Achievement Awards in 2020.
O’Hara was nominated for an Emmy Award and a satellite award for her role in Temple Grandin. She won five awards Canadian screen awards consecutively for Best lead actress.
O’Hara has served as a voice-over artist for various animations including The Addams Family (2019), Tue Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Bartok the Magnificent(1999), Chicken Little (2005), Brother Bear(2006), and Frankenweenie (2012).
She was also featured in the first season of the Netflix black comedy-drama series as Dr. Georgina.
11. Seth Rogen
Seth Aaron Rogen is a Canadian actor, comedian, filmmaker, producer, and director. Born on 15 April 1982 in British Columbia. His mother was a social worker, and his father was an assistant director who was all Jewish. Rogen had always wanted to be a comedian since childhood stating “As soon as I realized you could be funny as a job, that was the job I wanted”.
He began dating actress Miller in 2004, got engaged in 2010, and married in 2011 in California. The couple is yet to have children as they stated they are not ready to have children.
At age 12 he enrolled in a comedy workshop. His jokes were mainly about his grandparents. His mother was supportive as she drives him to some of his gigs. He was the breadwinner at the age of 16 as a result of his father’s job loss.- His first movie was Donnie Dario where he was given a minor role.
He was a writer for Sach Baron Cohen’s Season Da Ali G Show in 2014. That was where he met his wife. His breakthrough was in the movie Knocked up in 2007. The movie topped the US box office for two weeks in a row. He starred in Neighbors along with Zac Efron and Rose Bryne.
