Dave Attell | |
|---|---|
 Attell in 2009 | |
| Born | (1965-01-18)January 18, 1965 (age 60) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Notable work | Saturday Night Live (writer, 1993–1994) The Jon Stewart Show (writer, 1993–1995) The Ugly American onThe Daily Show Insomniac with Dave Attell The Gong Show with Dave Attell Frank inPootie Tang Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attell Everybody Loves Raymond |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
| Genres | |
| Subjects | |
David Attell (born January 18, 1965)[1][2] is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host ofComedy Central'sInsomniac with Dave Attell.[3]
Attell was born in the New York City borough ofQueens to aJewish family.[4][5] He was raised inRockville Centre onLong Island.[6] He graduated fromSouth Side High School.[7]
After graduating fromNew York University in 1987 with a degree in communications, Attell began performing at open-mic nights.[6]
Attell's first appearance on television was in 1988 onVH1'sStand-Up Spotlight, which also featured early appearances byLewis Black,Margaret Cho,Jeff Garlin,Jay Mohr andWanda Sykes.[8]
On November 23, 1993, he made his first appearance onLate Show with David Letterman. The appearance was seen bySaturday Night Live creatorLorne Michaels, who then recruited Attell to be a writer and occasional performer onSNL. Attell can be seen behindChris Farley during the "Rudy Giuliani Inauguration" sketch. Attell worked on the show for the 1993–94 season.
In 1995, Attell was featured on twoHBO specials alongside up-and-comersLouis C.K. andDave Chappelle.[8] He was a featured performer on the 1995Young Comedians Special hosted byGarry Shandling. He was given his own 60-minute special on the channel'sHBO Comedy Showcase. Subsequently, Attell was also given an episode ofHBO Comedy Half-Hour in 1997. Attell's first one-hour special,Dave Attell: Captain Miserable aired December 8, 2007, on HBO.
His comedy specialDave Attell: Road Work aired 2014 onComedy Central.[9]
In 1995 and 1997, Attell appeared onDr. Katz, Professional Therapist.
In 1999, the network issued Attell an installment in thesecond season ofComedy Central Presents series. The same year the network signed him as a regular commentator to its satirical news seriesThe Daily Show, on which he appeared for three years. Attell's commentary segment was called "The Ugly American". He returned for the finale episode of host Jon Stewart's tenure.
In 2001, the television seriesInsomniac with Dave Attell premiered on Comedy Central. Attell described it as "Wild on E! for Ugly People".[10]
In 2003, Attell began appearing onTough Crowd with Colin Quinn. The show featured many of the performers he works with at the New York City comedy club theComedy Cellar and is based on the conversations they would have off-stage at the Olive Tree Cafe, the restaurant above the club.
Attell appeared on Comedy Central'sLast Laugh in 2007. In 2008, Attell began hostingThe Gong Show with Dave Attell forComedy Central. Like the1970s version, the show had a rotating panel of celebrity judges grading unusual acts.[11][12][13]
In May 2008, Attell announced a casting call on his MySpace page for Comedy Central's relaunch ofThe Gong Show. Attell was host, along with Greg Fitzsimmons serving as head writer on the series. However,The Gong Show with Dave Attell aired only from July to September 2008.
In January 2010, he co-hosted theAVN Awards show, along with porn actressesKirsten Price andKayden Kross;[14] and again in 2012 with co-hostessesSunny Leone andBree Olson.
Attell returned to television on Showtime beginning October 20, 2011, inDave's Old Porn, a TV series in which Attell views and jokes about retro 1970s and 1980s pornographic films with different guest comedians. Typically, during a given show, Attell and his guest view clips that give an overview of a particular retro porn star's career. Near the end of the show, that particular actor appears and also comments on clips from some of their films.[15]
In April 2014, Comedy Central premieredComedy Underground with Dave Attell, a late-night stand-up comedy show taped live in New York.[16]
In 2018, he toured withJeff Ross on the Bumping Mics Tour.[17] Over the last three days of the tour they taped a three-part documentary series,Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attell forNetflix. Interspersed footage showcases the duo's interactions both off-stage and on as they return to theComedy Cellar, where a spontaneous first performance marked the birth of their ensemble act.[18]
In 2024, Attell released the Netflix comedy specialDave Attell: Hot Cross Buns.[19]
Attell has been sober since the late 2000s.[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Caesar's Salad | Policeman | Short film | |
| 1999 | Los Enchiladas! | Don | ||
| 2000 | The Office Party | Don | Short film | |
| 2001 | Pootie Tang | Frank | ||
| 2003 | Abby Singer | Cameo | [21] | |
| 2005 | My Suicidal Sweetheart | Efram the driver | ||
| 2006 | Scary Movie 4 | Knifeman | Cameo | [22] |
| 2007 | Twisted Fortune | Abbot | ||
| 2007 | Heckler | Himself | ||
| 2008 | The Great Buck Howard | Las Vegas Husband | Credited as David Attell | |
| 2008 | Harold | Barker | [23] | |
| 2009 | Funny People | Himself | Cameo | [24] |
| 2010 | Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo | The G.P.S. | Voice, direct-to-video | [25] |
| 2015 | Trainwreck | Noam | [26] | |
| 2017 | Gilbert | Himself | Documentary film | [27] |
| 2018 | I Feel Pretty | Really Tan Dude | [28] | |
| 2025 | Kinda Pregnant | Shirley's Father |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | HBO Comedy Half-Hour | Special |
| 1999 | Comedy Central Presents | Special |
| 2003 | Skanks for the Memories... | Album |
| 2005 | Dave Attell: Hey, Your Mouth's Not Pregnant! | DVD |
| 2006 | Dave Attell's Insomniac Tour | Special |
| 2007 | Dave Attell: Captain Miserable | Special |
| 2014 | Dave Attell: Road Work | Special |
| 2024 | Dave Attell: Hot Cross Buns | Special |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-1991 | Stand-Up Spotlight | Himself | |
| 1995–1997 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Dave | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 1996–1997 | Everybody Loves Raymond | Dave | 2 episodes |
| 2001–2004 | Insomniac with Dave Attell | Himself | 44 episodes |
| 2002 | Crank Yankers | Frank Demore | Voice, episode: "David Alan Grier & Dave Attell" |
| 2003 | Ed | Brad Campbell | Episode: "Business as Usual" |
| 2005 | Arrested Development | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | New Car Smell | Harry | Television film |
| 2008 | The Gong Show with Dave Attell | Himself | 8 episodes |
| 2011 | Dave's Old Porn | Himself | 16 episodes |
| 2013 | Inside Amy Schumer | Ghost | Episode: "Terrible People" |
| 2014 | Louie | Dave | Episode: "So Did the Fat Lady" |
| 2014 | Comedy Underground with Dave Attell | Himself | 8 episodes |
| 2014 | TripTank | Dave Attell | Voice, episode: "Roy & Ben's Day Off" |
| 2014 | Teachers Lounge | School Photographer | |
| 2015–2016 | The Jim Gaffigan Show | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Bob's Burgers | Scalper | Voice, episode: "The Laser-inth" |
| 2017 | Difficult People | New York City | Voice, episode: "Sweet Tea" |
| 2017–2019 | Crashing | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | The Simpsons | Luke | Voice, episode: "Bart's Not Dead" |
| 2018 | Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attell | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2024 | Mr. and Mrs. Smith | Kosher Food Mart Clerk | 1 episode |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Outlaw Golf 2 | Commentator | |
| 2009 | Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust | Merv Wallski |
...Attell, 54...
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
