Greer Barnes (born 1964) is an Americanstand-up comedian and actor. He is known for clever wordplay, observational humor, sketch comedy, mimicry, and energetic physical comedy. He has performed in comedy festivals, in commercials, on television and in films. He regularly appears atThe Comedy Cellar in New York City’sWest Village.[1][2]
Barnes was born in theSouth Bronx and grew up onManhattan's West Side.[1] He has a Jewish stepfather and wasbar mitzvahed at thirteen.[2] He was a star athlete in high school, especially in baseball. At 19, he was invited to try out with theSan Francisco Giants,[3] but was unable to afford to make the trip. He went into stand-up comedy and was soon well known in the New York scene. His comic idols are the lateRichard Pryor andEddie Murphy.[3] He has appeared atCatch a Rising Star,Comic Strip Live,The Comedy Cellar, andCarolines on Broadway.[4] In 2014, he released his debut comedy albumSee What I'm Saying.[1]
He has performed at theAspen,Montreal,Melbourne, andEdinburgh Comedy Festivals.Dave Chappelle has taken Barnes along as his opening act on international tours. Greer performed atMadison Square Garden numerous times while opening forLouis CK.[5][6]
Barnes has appeared frequently on TV.[2] He appeared onLate Night with David Letterman in July 1995 and onLate Night with Stephen Colbert in 2017.[1] He has been seen on MTV, BET, HBO, and most other major networks. In February 2009, he wrote and starred in a half-hour special onComedy Central Presents.