Brian Regan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brian Joseph Regan (1958-06-02)June 2, 1958 (age 67) Miami, Florida U.S. |
| Spouse | [1][2] |
| Children | 2 |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Medium | Stand-up, television |
| Genres | Observational comedy,clean comedy,self-deprecating,physical comedy |
| Website | www |
Brian Joseph Regan (/ˈriːɡən/) (born June 2, 1958) is an Americanstand-up comedian who usesobservational,sarcastic, andself-deprecating humor. He is known for incorporating body language and facial expressions into his act.[3] His performances are often described asclean as he refrains fromprofanity as well as taboo subject matter.[3] Regan's material typically covers everyday events, such as shipping a package withUPS, mortgages, and visits to theoptometrist.[4] While he does not define himself as youth-oriented, Regan makes frequent references to childhood, including little league baseball, grade school spelling bees, and science projects.[5]
Regan started out doing standup comedy in the 1980s and made his television debut onThe Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1991. Regan subsequently released his first standup album,Brian Regan: Live in 1997 and has performed on various talk shows includingThe Dennis Miller Show,Late Show with David Letterman,Late Night with Conan O'Brien andThe Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. He has since gained acclaim among fans and comedians, selling out nationwide tours and continuing to release comedy albums. In 2014 he made his film debut making an appearance inChris Rock's comedyTop Five (2014). He starred inPeter Farrelly's dark comedy seriesLoudermilk (2017–2020). He has appeared twice onJerry Seinfeld's showComedians in Cars Getting Coffee and has released threeNetflix comedy specials. In 2018, Regan's sketch comedy seriesStand Up and Away! with Brian Regan which was produced by Seinfeld, was released on Netflix.
Born inMiami, Florida to a Catholic Irish-American family,[6][7] Brian Regan was raised inWestchester, Florida.[8] He has seven siblings, including brotherDennis Regan, who is also a stand-up comedian.[9][6] He attendedChristopher Columbus High School.
He attendedHeidelberg College inTiffin, Ohio where he played wide receiver on the football team.[10][11] Originally he had plans of being an accountant, but one of his football coaches saw his comic routines and encouraged him to consider theater and communications. During his last semester in 1980, Regan dropped out of school to pursue stand-up comedy. He finished his degree in 1997.
In 1991, Regan made his first late night appearance onThe Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.[12] Regan continued standup comedy, releasing his first comedy album,Brian Regan Live, in 1997. In 2004, Regan self-released a DVD of his performance at theIrvine Improv, titledI Walked on the Moon. He was a featured comedian in aComedy Central's animated stand-up seriesShorties Watchin' Shorties.[13] In April 2007, Regan signed a deal withComedy Central to star in two one-hour stand-up specials, release the specials on DVD, develop a show for the network, and headline a theater tour,Brian Regan in Concert: A Comedy Central Live Event, which began June 8, 2007.
Brian's first one-hour special,Standing Up, debuted on Comedy Central on June 10, 2007. The special was recorded in April at The Barclay Theater in Irvine, CA, and a DVD of the performance was released August 14, 2007. His second Comedy Central special, entitledThe Epitome of Hyperbole, premiered on September 6, 2008.[14] A DVD of the performance was released September 9, 2008. His performance,All By Myself, is available via CD, exclusively on his website.
In 2012, Regan was the featured guest onJerry Seinfeld's web seriesComedians in Cars Getting Coffee. He is also one of the few comedians to be featured on that show twice appearing in the 2018 episode: "Are There Left Handed Spoons?". After seeing him perform standup in New Jersey,Chris Rock invited Regan to appear in his filmTop Five (2014), which was his first film appearance.
In 2015, Regan made his 28th and final stand-up performance onThe Late Show With David Letterman.[15] On September 26, 2015, Regan recorded the first ever live special onComedy Central,Brian Regan: Live from Radio City Music Hall.[16] It was released as a video/audio album in Feb 2016.
In 2017, Regan was cast as Mugsy inPeter Farrelly's dark comedy seriesLoudermilk starringRon Livingston.[17] The series has earned critical acclaim with a 92% onRotten Tomatoes. Creator Farrelly praised Regan on his dark subversive performance in the show by saying, "the performance [Regan] gives this year is the best performance on television this year".[18] That same year, Regan signed a deal withNetflix and Jerry Seinfeld to release two stand-up specials,Nunchucks and Flamethrowers (2017), andStand Up and Away! with Brian Regan (2018).[19] On February 23, 2021, Regan released a stand-up special,On the Rocks, on Netflix.[20]
Regan citesJohnny Carson,Steve Martin,George Carlin,Richard Pryor, andDavid Letterman as influences on his comedy.[21]
Regan has received acclaim among his comedy peers, includingJerry Seinfeld who has described him as "one of my favorite, favorite stand-up comedians". Other comedians to have praised Regan includeNorm Macdonald,Chris Rock,Jimmy Fallon,Patton Oswalt,David Letterman, andBill Burr.[22][23]
| Film and television appearances | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1989-1990 | The Pat Sajak Show | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 1990 | ‘’A Pair of Jokers’’ | Himself | 1 episode |
| 1991 | The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson | Himself | Episode: "Bob Hope / Brian Regan" |
| 1992 | A-List | Himself | Also writer |
| 1992 | Something's Wrong with the Regan Boy | Himself | Also writer |
| 1992 | The Dennis Miller Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Short Attention Span Theater | Himself/host | Episode: "Comedy Bootcamp" |
| 1995–2015 | Late Show with David Letterman | Himself/guest | 28 episodes |
| 1998 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | Himself | Season 2, episode 82 |
| 2000 | Comedy Central Presents | Himself | Also writer |
| 2000 | Open Mic | Himself | Deleted scenes |
| 2002 | Comic Remix | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2004, 2008 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2004 | Brian Regan: I Walked on the Moon | Himself | Also writer and executive producer |
| 2004 | Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2007 | Brian Regan: Standing Up | Himself | Also writer and executive producer |
| 2008 | Brian Regan: The Epitome of Hyperbole | Himself | Also writer and executive producer |
| 2011 | The Marriage Ref | Himself/panelist | Episode: "Kathy Griffin / Ellen Pompeo / Brian Regan" |
| 2012 | Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee | Himself | Episode: "A Monkey and a Lava Lamp" |
| 2014 | Top Five | Engineer | Feature film debut |
| 2015–2017 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Brian Regan: Live From Radio City Music Hall | Himself | Also writer and executive producer |
| 2017 | Brian Regan: Nunchucks and Flamethrowers | Himself | Also writer and executive producer |
| 2017 | Loudermilk | Mugsy | 30 episodes |
| 2018 | Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee | Himself | Episode: "Are There Left Handed Spoons?" |
| 2018 | Stand Up and Away! with Brian Regan | Himself | 2 episodes and executive producer |
| 2021 | Brian Regan: On the Rocks | Himself | Also writer and executive producer |
