List of Famous Comedians

Comedy keeps the heart sweet. ~ Mark Twain

Often at times, when you are feeling down and dejected, you just need someone to tell you that nothing in life is worth crying about. You need someone to cheer you up and bring a smile on your face! There are people who are gifted with a great sense of humor - people who can make others laugh, yes we call them comedians! A simple joke, a silly prank, a funny poem or just a hilarious expression on the face - comedians can have you in splits with their amusing antics. Since everyone has their favorite genre of comedy, given a chance everyone would come up with a different list of favorite comedians. Although my favorite comedian remains to be my boyfriend who makes me laugh with his cute jokes, I do have my own list of famous favorite comedians. Here is my list of famous comedians. One more thing, before you even think of commenting or rather objecting about the order, let me tell you that the names are listed in an alphabetic order.

List of Famous Comedians

Andy Kaufman: Andy Kaufman was never labeled as a ‘comedian’ because he himself wanted to be known as more than just a comedian. He usually referred to himself as a song and dance man. It is said that his performances were more like avante-garde theater and could not be included in the same genre as stand-up comedy. He is well known for his impersonation of Elvis Presley and his famous stint as an immigrant auto-mechanic on Taxi.

Andrew Dice Clay: Andrew "Dice" Clay is a famous American comedian, who is controversial owing to the profanity and sexual content in his routine. He performed his first HBO Special in Philadelphia, which was called The Diceman Cometh. His got his first starring role in a feature film titled The Adventures of Ford Fairlane in 1990. Although his popularity diminished in the nineties, he made a comeback in 2007 with the reality TV series Dice: Undisputed.

Adam Sandler: After starting his career with Saturday Night Live, this hilarious comedian went on to be one of the most adorable comedians in Hollywood. Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Fifty First Dates, Mr. Deeds, The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, Punch-Drunk Love, Spanglish, Reign Over Me and the more recent You Don’t Mess With The Zohan are some of his memorable movies.

Albert Brooks: Albert Brooks is not just a comedian, but also an Academy Award-nominated actor, writer and director. He began his career as a stand-up comic.

Alan King: Alan King was a Jewish comedian and satirist, who is often known for his sharp wit and angry humorous rants. Being a high-school dropout, he started from telling jokes for a dollar a night, progressed to television with The Ed Sullivan Show, and then, earned status as one of the most popular entertainers!

Benny Hill: A popular English comic, who is most remembered for his television show called The Benny Hill Show. Although, many of his critics have labeled his humor to be sexist and smutty, the comedian still remains to be a favorite for many around the world.

Bill Cosby: A veteran actor, television producer, activist and an author, Bill Cosby had also started his career as a stand-up comedian by performing at various clubs. His show titled The Bill Cosby Show is one of the all-time popular shows on television.

Bob Newhart: Comedian Bob Newhart is an American stand-up comedian and actor, who is always remembered for his trademark stammer, one-sided telephone conversations and hysterical what if routines.

Bob Hope: Bob Hope was an American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, in addition to his performances on radio, television as well as movies. Read more about Bob Hope.

Billy Crystal: No matter what others remember him from, I will always remember Billy Crystal as the endearing and eccentric Harry from the movie Harry Met Sally. Billy Crystal is not only a comedian, but also an American Golden Globe Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actor, writer, producer, and film director.

Bill Maher: Bill Maher is a popular American stand-up comedian, television host, actor, and author who is known for his shows like Politically Incorrect and is currently, the host of the HBO show called Real Time With Bill Maher.

Billy Connolly: Billy Connolly is a Scottish comedian, who is also a popular musician, presenter and actor. He is known in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin.

Buddy Hackett: Buddy Hackett was an American comedian and actor, who referred to himself as a saloon comic. Buddy Hackett always kept his performance very interactive and was popular for getting the people from the audience on stage with him.

Charlie Chaplin: One of the greatest comedians of the world. Charlie Chaplin remains to be the king of silent comedy.

Cheech and Chong: They say the best things come in pairs! Cheech and Chong are a popular comedy duo, consisting of Richard ‘Cheech’ Marin and Tommy ‘Chong’. Together, Cheech and Chong found a wide audience in the 1970s and 1980s for their stand-up routines, which were based on themes like hippie, free love, and especially, drug culture movements.

Carl Reiner: A nine-times Emmy Award winner, Carl Reiner is not just a famous comedian, but also an American actor, film director, producer and writer. His famous television plays include Your Show of Shows, Sid Caesar Invites You and The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Chris Rock: Read information about the famous comedian Chris Rock.

Cantinflas Mario Moreno: Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes, popularly known after his film and stage persona as Cantinflas, was a Mexican comedian who is considered as the pioneer of Mexican cinema. His popular stage and film persona Cantinflas, usually portrayed as an impoverished campesino slum dweller of pelado origin, came to be associated with the national identity of Mexico. Charlie Chaplin had once called him the greatest comedian in the world.

David Chappelle: Read information about the famous comedian Dave Chappelle.

David Cross: Remember Michael Bluth’s twisted brother-in-law from Arrested Development? That’s David Cross, who is an Emmy Award-winning American comedian. He is also known for his television series Mr. Show.

Don Rickles: Popularly known as an insult comic, Donald Jay Rickles has enjoyed a sustained career in insult performance. He is known for his habit of apologizing to his victims at the end of every performance and conveying the fact that the performances are meant only for some harmless humor.

Dana Carvey: Dana Thomas Carvey is an Emmy-award winning American comedian, who is best known for his work in Saturday Night Live and the movie Wayne’s World.

Denis Leary: Denis Leary is known for his angry comedic style. He is currently the co-creator and the star of the television show called Rescue Me.

Dick Gregory: Dick Gregory is popular as one of the first comics who could perform for both black and white audiences.

David Brenner: David Brenner, who made his debut on the The Tonight Show, has made over 150 appearances. He has been ranked 53rd on Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.

David Steinberg: David Steinberg is a famous Canadian comedian who is also an actor, director and author. He appeared on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show 140 times and has also directed episodes of many successful television sitcoms like Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mad About You and Friends.

Eddie Izzard: Edward John, popularly known as Eddie Izzard, is a British stand-up comedian whose comedy style is expressed in rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime.

Ellen DeGeneres: Well, if you thought the Oprah Winfrey show is awesome, then I am sure you’ll love every bit of the Ellen DeGeneres Show as well. Ellen DeGeneres is a famous American comedian who is tremendously popular.

Eddie Murphy: I can’t get over Eddie Murphy’s voice-over for the donkey in the animated movie Shrek. Eddie Murphy is one of the most famous and amazing comedians till date. Read more about Eddie Murphy.

Freddie Prinze: Freddie Prinze was an American comedian who started his career as a stand-up comedian in New York. Some of the popular night clubs where he performed were The Improv and Catch a Rising Star. He often introduced himself to audiences as a Hungarican, which referred to the fact that he was part Hungarian and part Puerto Rican. He is best remembered for his work in Chico and the Man.

Flip Wilson: Clerow Wilson Jr., who is popularly known as Flip Wilson, was an American comedian who was a regular at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and was also a part of many shows like The Tonight Show, Laugh In, and The Ed Sullivan Show. He also had his own show called The Flip Wilson Show, in which he greeted all his guests with the trademark Flip Wilson Handshake which started with hand slaps and ended with hip-bumps.

Groucho Marx: Julius Henry Groucho Marx was an American comedian and actor, who is known as a master of wit. He is known for his radio and television game show titled You Bet Your Life.

Gilbert Gottfried: Gilbert Gottfried is an American stand-up comedian and actor, who has starred in movies like Problem Child and is also known for his voice-over for Iago in Disney’s Aladdin.

George Carlin: George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, actor as well as an author. He is noted for his black humor as well as insights on psychology, politics, English language, religion and also various taboo subjects. He is considered as one of the best comedians and has won four Grammy Awards for his comedy albums.

Gary Shandling: Garry Shandling is an American comedian who is most popular for his work in It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show.

George Burns: George Burns was an American comedian, actor and whose career spanned vaudeville, film, radio and television. Some of his trademarks that are still popular are his arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation.

Henny Youngman: Henry ‘Henny’ Youngman, was a British-born American comedian and violinist, who was best known for his one-liners. His short, simple jokes usually delivered rapid-fire were a huge hit with the audience. One of his best known one-liners was "Take my wife—please".

Harry Langdon: Harry Langdon is one of the biggest names in slapstick humor and is known for his hilarious expression and childish demeanor. He appeared in vaudeville and silent films as well.

Professor Irwin Corey: Professor Irwin Corey is an American comic, actor as well as a left-wing political activist. He is best known for his unscripted, improvisational style of stand-up comedy at the San Francisco club called the Hungry I. His comic specialty remains to be the character of a crazy professor delivering double-talk lectures.

Jack Benny: Jack Benny was among the most beloved American entertainers of the twentieth century. Jack Benny was best known for his amazing comic timing and his ability to get laughs from the audience with either a pregnant pause or a single expression, such as 'Well!'. His popular radio and television programs were a great influence in pioneering the genre of situation comedy.

Jim Carrey: The weirdo Ace Ventura or the crazy, but lovable Bruce from Bruce Almighty, yes I can just go on and on about Carrey, since he is one of my personal favorites! Jim Carrey to me is synonymous with laughter riots, I just can't keep a count of all the times I’ve watched Ace Ventura and found myself rolling on the floor with unstoppable laughter!

Jackie Vernon: Jackie Vernon is an American stand-up comedian, actor, as well as a popular voice artist. He is best known for his gentle, low-key delivery and self-deprecating humor and has been acclaimed as The King of Deadpan. His signature opening line, which was a major hit remains to be "To look at me now, it's hard to believe I was once considered a dull guy."

Jon Stewart: Read about Jon Stewart.

Joey Bishop: Joey Bishop was an American entertainer, who was best known for being a member of the Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin.

Jerry Seinfeld: Read information about Jerry Seinfeld.

Jerry Lewis: Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, producer, writer and director, who is well-known for his slapstick humor.

Jay Leno: Read information about Jay Leno.

Kathy Griffin: Kathleen "Kathy" Griffin is an Emmy Award-winning American stand-up comedienne, television personality, and an actress as well. Her claim to fame was her supporting role on NBC’s Suddenly Susan.

Lenny Bruce: Read information about Lenny Bruce.

Larry David: Larry David is an American Emmy-winning actor, writer, comedian, producer and film director. He was the one who along with Jerry Seinfeld, co-created the television series Seinfeld. He also created the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, which was like an improvised sitcom, in which he starred as a fictionalized version of himself.

Lily Tomlin: Lily Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer as well as a producer. She was also one of the first female comedians to carve her niche among male comedians.

Moliere: Moliere was a French playwright and actor, who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature. Among his best-known dramas are The Misanthrope, The School for Wives, Tartuffe or the Hypocrite, The Bourgeois Gentleman, The Miser and many more.

Mort Sahl: Mort Sahl is a Canadian-born American comedian and actor, who is best known for pioneering a style of stand-up comedy that paved the way for Lenny Bruce, Nichols and May, and Dick Gregory.

Mitch Hedberg: He was an American stand-up comedian known for his surreal humor, unconventional comedic delivery and hilarious one-liners. His style of comedy was observational comedy and his on-stage persona gained him such a cult following that the audience members sometimes shouted out the punch lines to his jokes before he could finish them!

Moms Mabley: Moms Mabley was an African-American comedienne, who was one of the most successful entertainers of the black vaudeville stage. She tackled topics too edgy for many other comics of her time, including issues like racism. She was acclaimed as The Funniest Woman in the World.

Phyllis Diller: Phyllis Diller is an American comedienne, considered to be one of the pioneers of female stand-up comedy. She is best known for her stage-persona that was a wild-haired, eccentrically dressed housewife, who made jokes about a fictional husband named Fang.

Ray Romano: Yes, that’s right, the guy plays Raymond on Everybody Loves Raymond. Ray Romano is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian, who is also known for his voice-overs in the Ice Age movies.

Richard Pryor: Read information about Richard Pryor.

Roseanne Barr: Roseanne Barr is one of the most popular comedians of her time. Her stand-up comedy routine received critical acclaim for her unglamorized portrayal of the typical American working-class housewife.

Russell Peters: Russell Peters is a Canadian stand-up comic, and actor of Indian descent, whose routine focuses largely around his Canadian upbringing and racial stereotypes. Much of his material is related to the cultural divides between many different ethnicities and upbringings and it includes many impressions.

Robin Williams: Read information about Robin Williams.

Sammy Davis Jr.: Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. was an American entertainer. He is known as a member of the 1960s Rat Pack.

Sarah Silverman: Sarah Silverman is an Emmy-award-winning American comedienne, writer, singer, guitarist, as well as an actress who is also known as Big S. She is best known for her satirical comedy tackling issues like racism, religion and sexism.

Steven Wright: Steven Wright is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer, who is known for his distinctly lethargic voice and deadpan delivery of ironic, witty, deeply philosophical and sometimes confusing or nonsensical jokes.

Steve Martin: When I think about Steve Martin, I think about the movie Father of the Bride or even Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. This American actor, comedian, musician and playwright is one of the best comedians of all time!

Sanjeev Bhaskar: Sanjeev Bhaskar is a British comedian and actor, who is best known for his work in the BBC Two comedy series Goodness Gracious Me and as the host of The Kumars at No. 42.

Woody Allen: Read information about Woody Allen.

In addition to this, if you are looking for some more humor at our site, you can always find topics like comic books, funny quotes, jokes, cartoons and various types of comedy.