About This Quiz
How well do you know these famous comedians? Take this quiz to find out.
Regardless of class, income, or gender, we all love to laugh. And on television (and before television, on stage and radio), these laughs are generated by some of the world's most talented comedians. Some are no longer with us, and some are, but we've compiled a list of them here.
Some of the greatest comedians in the world are no longer with us, including Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Joan Rivers, Richard Pryor, and Robin Williams.Â
Williams, one of the most prolific and popular comedians of all time, passed away in 2014 and left us with memorable performances in both stand up and the big and small screens. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, then progressed to star in "Mork and Mindy" as Mork, an alien from Ork. From there, Williams moved on to movies such as "Good Morning Vietnam," "Good Will Hunting," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Awakenings," and "What Dreams May Come," comedy and drama roles for which he was awarded multiple Academy and Golden Globe awards.
So, if you think you can name each of the comedians on this quiz, let's get started to see how well you do.
The Queen of Television, Betty White was born in Illinois on January 17, 1922. She is most remembered for her role in "The Golden Girls" where she played the character, Rose Nylund. At 88, White is the oldest person ever to host "Saturday Night Live." Before being a famous actress, she worked with American Women's Voluntary Services where she drove a truck during World War ll.
John William Carson was born October 23, 1925. He was known for hosting "The Tonight Show" as well as "The Johnny Carson Show." He served three years in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946. In 1992, Carson retired from television after having hosted the same network series for 29 years. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1987.
Famous for "The Carol Burnett Show," actress Carol Creighton Burnett was born on April 23, 1933, in San Antonio Texas. She has won five Golden Globes for her TV show that ran for 11 seasons. Burnett would always tug on her right ear when on camera as a way to say hello to her grandmother who raised her.
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Known for his slapstick comedies, Adam Richard Sandler was born 9 September 1966. He has his own production company, Happy Madison Productions, which produces the films in which he stars. Sandler loves the cartoon, SpongeBob SquarePants, and working with Rob Schneider.
Will Ferrell, is the son of the keyboardist and saxophonist of the Righteous Brothers, Lee Ferrell. Although now very well known for his humor and comedy, he has admitted to not have been funny when he was younger. He says he was a good student and athlete. Will Ferrell was once voted the third funniest person in America. Time to go for gold, Will!
Steve Martin was born Stephen Glen Martin on August 14, 1945. In 2014 he won an Honorary Academy Award for the recognition of his extraordinary talents. He has won Grammy Awards for comedy and music. He is an accomplished banjo player and specializes in bluegrass. He has appeared in some of the greatest comedies of all time, including "The Jerk," "LA Story," and "Father of the Bride."
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Thomas Jeffery Hanks was born on 9 July 1956. He has won two Oscars for his role in "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump." In "That Thing You Do!," you can see Hanks, wife Rita Wilson, son Collin Hanks, and daughter Elizabeth Hanks. Tom is one of only two actors to win two Oscars for Best Actor in two consecutive years. He is good friends with Bruce Springsteen.
Born Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller on November 30, 1965, Ben Stiller followed in the footsteps of his parents and became a comedian. His first movie on the big screen was Stephen Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun." His parents often appear in small cameo roles in his movies. Stiller’s first directing job was a parody of Martin Scorsese's movie, "The Color of Money," "The Hustler of Money."
Born on 17 January 1962, Jim Carrey is well known for the characters he portrays as well as his rubber face! He is the only actor who has played two characters who are the meanest Christmas villains ever, the Grinch and Scrooge. A Canadian, he only became a U.S. citizen in October 2004. He was cast as the role for Dr. Evil in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" but had to drop out because he was filming "Liar Liar" at the same time.
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Born Jerome Silberman on 11 June 1933, this Hollywood star was better known as Gene Wilder. Wilder said he chose the name because he couldn't see a Jerry Silberman in the role as Hamlet. Wilder starred alongside fellow comedians in numerous movies including, "Stir Crazy," "See No Evil/Hear No Evil" and "Silver Streak."
William James Murray, born 21 September 1950, is better known as Bill Murray. He originally studied pre-med but stopped after he was arrested for possession of marijuana. During the filming of "Mad Dog and Glory," he accidentally broke Robert DeNiro's nose. Murray is co-owner of a minor league baseball team, The Charleston RiverDogs. Three of his siblings are also actors.
William Edward Crystal was born March 14, 1948. He is the father of filmmaker Lindsay Crystal. His father, Jack Crystal, is the co-founder of Commodore Records. Crystal used to be a teacher, with subject specialties of maths and wood shop. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was Jay Leno's first guest in 1992.
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Actor, writer, and producer Edward Reagan Murphy was born on April 13, 1961. Murphy is known for several comedies, including "Dr. Doolittle," "Norbit," and "Shrek." He worked on "Saturday Night Live" when he was just 19 years old and was known for his acerbic wit. He doesn't drink any alcohol or smoke.
Born 12 September 1967, Louis C.K has dual citizenship in the USA and Mexico. His first language is Spanish and before he was famous, he used to be a cook at KFC. Despite his own stand-up success, he has written comedy shows for David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Chris Rock.
Rodney Dangerfield began performing at an early age under the name Jack Roy. No fame came under this alias so he tried again, this time under the name Rodney Dangerfield and started meeting some success. Dangerfield suffered from depression and a lack of self-esteem all his life. He had much success as a stand-up comedian and later in life as a comedic actor.
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Credited with starting the 'Gonzo' style of comedy, John Belushi was one of the most gifted comics in America. As with many comedians, his big break came in 1975 with "Saturday Night Live." He also appeared in numerous movies, including "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978). After quitting SNL in 1979, he appeared in Steven Spielberg's "1941," as well as the iconic "Blues Brothers," with Dan Akroyd. His later movies included "Neighbors" and "Continental Divide." Belushi died of a drug overdose in 1982.
Known for his political humor, Stephen Colbert is the youngest of 11 children. His current show, "The Colbert Report," averages about 1.2 million viewers per episode. Colbert has a love of singing and dancing and has voiced a few different characters on "Crank Yankers."
Leslie Nielsen was born on 11 February 1926 in Canada. He is perhaps best known for his involvement in the "Naked Gun" franchise, although Nielsen has appeared in many Hollywood and television movies. He specialized playing in serious roles in his early acting years, only branching out to comedy much later in his career.
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Chase started out with "Saturday Night Live" from its beginnings in 1975 but left in 1976 to pursue a movie career. His most famous movies include "Caddyshack," the "National Lampoon" series, "Fletch" and "Fletch Lives." Later movies in which Chase appeared were not well received, although his appearance in the series, "Community," brought him back into the limelight.
Comedian and actor Richard Pryor was born Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor on 1 December 1940. He was known for his controversial foul language during his live shows. Prior battled drug addiction during his lifetime, had several marriages to 5 different women and remarried two of his ex-wives. Pryor reunited with wife # 4 in 2001. He suffered from multiple sclerosis from 1986, until he died in 2005.
Vince Vaughn, the son of Vernon and Sharon Vaughn, was born on March 28, 1970. He is best known for his role in the "Wedding Crashers," with Owen Wilson and "Dodge Ball." He had a year-long relationship with actress Jennifer Aniston from August 2005 to November 2006. Hiis father, Vernon Vaughn, has been in six of his movies.
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Comedian and actor Chris Farley died at the age of 34 from a drug overdose. A regular cast member of "Saturday Night Live," Farley also appeared in numerous movies, including "Wayne's World," "Tommy Boy," "Beverley Hills Ninja," and "Cone Heads." He was best friends with comedian David Spade.
Best known for his work in "Blackadder and Mr. Bean," Rowan Sebastian Atkinson was born on 6 January 1955. He loves buying fast cars and owns several of them, including an Aston Martin Vantage and McLaren F1. The Aston Martin DB7 Vantage he owns was used for the filming of "Johnny English." Atkinson is not a fan of the first series of Blackadder.
Paul Rudd is a successful comedic actor, famous for his roles in numerous movies, including "Role Models," "Dinner for Schmucks," "I Love You, Man" and "The 40-year-old Virgin." He has also appeared in TV series' such as "Friends," "Robot Chicken" and "Reno 911." Rudd and Jennifer Aniston are good friends and knew each other before they were famous.
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The first-ever host of "Saturday Night Live," George Carlin was born 12 May 1937. He starred in 14 HBO specials from 1977 until his death on 22 June 2008 due to heart failure. Carlin suffered three heart attacks in his lifetime. He won two Grammy Awards for his comedy albums.
Now an award-winning talk-show host, Ellen DeGeneres started as a comedian doing stand-up comedy. She also appeared in a few TV shows, including "Open House" and "Laurie Hill." In 1994, she was given her own show called "Ellen," which ran for four years. DeGeneres came out as a lesbian in 1998 and is a huge advocate for gay rights. She has hosted numerous awards shows, including the Grammys, Emmys and the Oscars.
John Candy landed TV roles fairly early in his career. These included his debut in an episode of "Police Surgeon" as well as other Canadian movies, such as "Tunnel Vision" and "Find the Lady." He then starred with Dan Akroyd and Jim Belushi in Steven Spielberg's "1941," as well as in "The Blues Brothers." He hit the big time, however, with his role in the smash hit, "Stripes." Candy became a regular in Hollywood comedies, including "Spaceballs," "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," and "Home Alone." In 1994, he died of a heart attack.
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Conan O'Brien started out his road to stardom as a writer, first for "Saturday Night Live" in the 1970s, for which he won an Emmy, and later for "The Simpsons." In 1993, he became the host of the NBC's late night talk show, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." He is now the host of "Conan" on TBS. He is an excellent guitarist and is good friends with rocker Jack White.
Lucille Ball starred in many B grade Hollywood movies in the 1930s. She is best remembered for her role in the 1950s sitcom, "I Love Lucy." She was the first woman to own a production company - Desilu Productions.
Dan Akroyd, born in Canada in 1952, started his comedy career in clubs in Toronto. He was good friends with John Belushi and the two appeared in a few movies together, most notably, "Blues Brothers." After Belushi's death, Akroyd hit a huge commercial success, starring with Bill Murray and Harold Ramis in "Ghostbusters."​
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Born George Robert Newhart on 5 September 1929, Newhart first worked as an accountant for a firm in Chicago before he got his big break. He had a comedy album called 'The Buttoned-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' that topped the charts, beating Elvis Presley to #1. The album also won three Grammy Awards. Newhart acted in numerous series and films. More recently, he appeared in "The Big Bang Theory."
Chris Rock is one of the most famous comedians in the United States. After doing comedy in clubs in the early part of his career, Rock joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" for three years. His first movie role was in "Beverley Hills Cop II." He once performed his comedy act in front of close to 16,000 people in London, a record at the time.
Mel Brooks is a Hollywood legend! He is responsible for some of the best cult classic comedies ever made, including "Spaceballs," "Silent Movie," "The History Of The World" and "Blazing Saddles." After serving in World War II, Brooks started his life as a musician before moving on to comedy and writing. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.
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Mike Meyers has played many incredible characters on the silver screen. These include British spy, Austin Powers, his nemesis, Doctor Evil as well as much-loved Dr. Seuss character, The Cat in the Hat. Mike Myers first started out with "Saturday Night Live" in 1988 where he spent the next six seasons. During this time he released the "Wayne's World" movies with fellow cast member Dana Carvey, with characters they had showcased on SNL. Myers loves to play multiple characters in his movies.
One of America's most loved comedians, Jerry Seinfeld was born on 29 April 1954 in Brooklyn, New York. He performed stand-up routines in his early career which really took off after his appearance on a Rodney Dangerfield special in 1976. He then appeared on all the major talk shows, including Johnny Carson and David Letterman. He is perhaps best remembered for his own sitcom, "Seinfeld." It ran for nine seasons, from 1989 to 1998.
Galifianakis started out as a stand-up comedian performing whenever he got the chance. His big break came in the Hollywood blockbuster, "The Hangover." Since then he has appeared in many more movies, including sequels to "The Hangover," "Dinner for Schmucks," "The Campaign," "Due Date," and "Masterminds."
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Born Daniel Micheal DeVito Jr. on 17th November 1944, this comedian has graced not only the stage but also the silver screen. He is very short and has a very distinct raspy voice. He is known for his roles in "Twins," "The Lorax," "Throw Momma from the Train" and "Batman Returns."
A stand-up comedian to begin with, Melissa McCarthy quickly found a home in TV sitcoms, most notably the "Gilmore Girls" and "Mike and Molly." This led to various film roles, such as "Bridesmaids," "The Heat," and more recently, the reboot of "Ghostbusters." She has huge star power, and ​in 2016, she was the second highest-paid actress in Hollywood.
Born in Reading, England, Ricky Gervais is known for his sarcastic wit where no subject is taboo. He first started out in music in the 1980s in a failed band called Seona Dancing. In 2000, he was given his first TV show, "Meet Ricky Gervais." It ran for only six episodes. His big breakthrough came in the BBC series, "The Office," in 2001. Gervais has gone on to become a household name and has hosted the Golden Globe Awards.
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Jack Black was born in 1969 in California. His first acting credit was in the movie, "Bob Roberts" (1992). He later appeared on the popular TV show, "The X-Files," as well as in a video for the Foo Fighters. His first major role came in 2000 in "High Fidelity." That led to even bigger roles, including those in "School of Rock," "Nacho Libre," and "Kung-Fu Panda." Black also has a comedy rock band, Tenacious D.
Englishman John Cleese has made an impact in Hollywood, starring in numerous movies over the years. He is perhaps best known for his role in the comedy troup, Monty Python's Flying Circus, as well as the sitcom, "Fawlty Towers."
Phil Hartman, a Canadian actor and comedian is best known for his appearances on "Saturday Night Live." Here Hartman took on many roles, including that of US President Bill Clinton. He appeared in 153 episodes in the series. He also lent his voice to "The Simpsons," both as Clinton and Troy McLure. Hartman was shot dead by his wife in 1998 while she was under the influence of narcotics.
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Actor, producer, and writer Steve Carell was born on 16 August 1962. He had his first role in 1991 in "Curly Sue" as Tesio and has appeared in many movies since. He often works with Will Farrell and Stephen Colbert. He owns and runs a general store where he stays in Marshfield, Massachusetts in the summer. He received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2016.
Dave Chappelle was born on 24 August 1973 and began his career at the age of just 14 where he started performing stand-up comedy in nightclubs. At the age of 19, he made his screen debut in "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." He is perhaps the only celebrity who does advertisements for both Coca - Cola and Pepsi. Chappelle started his own production company -- Pilot Boy Productions -- because of all the failed pilots in which he has starred.
Tina Fey started out in television as a writer for "Saturday Night Live" in 1995. She quickly became head writer, eventually moving in front of the cameras on the show. Fey has gone on to write many movies, including "Mean Girls," as well as the acclaimed TV series, "30 Rock." She has also appeared in "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."
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Seth MacFarlane started out his working life as a writer for children's cartoons such as "Johnny Bravo" and "Cow and Chicken." His big breakthrough came in 1999 with the animated series, "The Family Guy." His other shows include "American Dad" and "The Cleveland Show." He wrote, directed and starred in the movies, "TED," "TED 2," and "A Million Ways To Die In The West."
Stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan has appeared in a who's who of Hollywood sitcoms, including "That 70s Show," "Sex and the City," as well as dramas, such as "Law and Order." After appearing with David Letterman, the veteran talk show host was so impressed that he asked Gaffigan to appear in a new comedy TV show produced by his network. Unfortunately, although well received, "Welcome to New York" only lasted 15 episodes.
Golden Globe winner Amy Poehler, received her award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series for "Parks and Recreation." She was Tina Fey's co-anchor after Jimmy Fellon left "Saturday Night Live." She is also one of the very few actresses who had two movies in which she starred open on the same day.
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Robin Williams was well known for several movie roles and for improvising scenes and dialogue. He was voted the funniest man alive in 1997. Williams was nominated for several Oscars and Golden Globes but only won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. This was for his portrayal of Sean Maguire in "Good Will Hunting." He committed suicide in 2014.
Kevin Hart, now a successful Hollywood actor, started out life as a stand-up comedian. Hart won several comedy competitions before he received his first TV role in "Undeclared" in 2001. He made his movie debut the following year and went on to star in movies such as "Soul Plane" and "Meet the Fockers." He released his first stand-up comedy album in 2008.