Bob Zany (born Robert Earl Tetreault; September 11, 1961) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is known for performing with his trademark cigar on stage. According to an article found on his web page, he "stuff
a cigar into a plastic bag with a couple of Bob Zany original postcards and charge
five bucks for the package.
ecall
it the Bob Zany Fun Kit."
Career
In 1976, he appeared as a contestant on ''
The Gong Show
''The Gong Show'' is an American amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976, through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976 to 1 ...
''. Between that time and a 1986 appearance on the TV special ''
George Schlatter's Comedy Club'', he had gained a significant amount of weight, which he was able to lose by the time he appeared as a contestant on ''
To Tell the Truth'' in 1990.
In the 1980s Zany was a frequent guest on
Frazer Smith's morning show on
95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles.
Zany is an occasional guest on the nationally syndicated radio program ''
The Bob & Tom Show
''The Bob & Tom Show'' is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995. Originally syndicated by Premier ...
'', and has his own segment called ''The Zany Report''. In recent years, he has also guest-hosted portions of
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...
'
Labor Day
Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...
Telethon
A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other purportedly worthy cause.
Most telethons f ...
.
Zany also had a small role in the film ''
Joe Dirt
''Joe Dirt'' is a 2001 American adventure comedy film, directed by Dennie Gordon (in her feature film directorial debut), starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Adam Beach, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik ...
'' as the guy at the radio station who pushes Joe down at the beginning of the movie.
On September 16, 2006, he appeared on the
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
special, ''The Friends of the Bob and Tom Show''.
In June, 2007, he appeared on ''
Last Comic Standing
''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...
''. He passed the initial interview, but was not advanced to the next round.
Zany appeared in the
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker.
Soderbergh's direc ...
film ''
The Informant'', released September 18, 2009. The movie is a dark comedy about a Decatur, Illinois agri-business giant's price-fixing scandal, and the
bipolar whistleblower,
Mark Whitacre
Mark Edward Whitacre is an American business executive who came to public attention in 1995 when, as president of the Decatur, Illinois-based BioProducts Division at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), he became the highest-level corporate executive i ...
, who is portrayed by
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...
. Zany plays Whitacre's lawyer,
John Dowd, in the comedian-rich cast.
In June 2010 Zany toured
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
with the
Comedy for Koby
Comedy for Koby is a bi-annual tour of Israel featuring some of America's top stand-up comedians. The tour, which was first launched in 2008, benefits The Koby Mandell Foundation, an Israeli non-profit organization that works with victims of terro ...
show, hosted by the Koby Mandell Foundation. Zany performed in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Raanana, Beit Shemesh, Haifa, Modi'in and Gush Etzion.
Zany is slated to star in the documentary film ''Close But No Cigar'', directed by Jay Kanzler, which chronicles his thirty-plus years in show business. The documentary has not yet been released, but is expected to contain interviews with
Ralphie May
Ralph Duren May (February 17, 1972 – October 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his extensive touring and comedy specials on multiple media platforms.
Early life
May was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and raised in ...
,
Jimmy Pardo
James Ronald Pardo, Jr. (born July 28, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and host of the long-running comedy podcast ''Never Not Funny''. From the show's inception until mid-2015, he performed as the Conan O'Brien program ''Conans ...
,
Andy Kindler
Andy Kindler (born October 16, 1956) is an American comedian and actor from Queens, New York. He played the character "Andy", a fellow sportswriter and friend of sportswriter "Ray Barone" (Ray Romano) on the TV show ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', w ...
,
Nia Peeples
Virenia "Nia" Peeples (born December 10, 1961) is an American R&B and dance music singer and actress. Peeples is known for playing Nicole Chapman on the hit TV series '' Fame''; Pam Fields on the drama ''Pretty Little Liars''; Karen Taylor Win ...
,
Carrot Top
Scott Thompson (born February 25, 1965), known professionally as Carrot Top, is an American actor and stand-up comedian.
Early life
Thompson was born in Rockledge, Florida, and grew up in Cocoa. He is the youngest son of a NASA engineer. He ...
,
Rick Messina
Rick may refer to:
People
*Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name
*Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality
*Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...
, and others.
Zany is a 1979 graduate of
West Covina High School
West Covina High School (WCHS) is a four-year comprehensive secondary school located in West Covina, California, USA.
History
West Covina High School opened in 1956 on the old Covina High School campus on Citrus Ave. and Puente Ave. as the Spar ...
and lives in Los Angeles.
He is a three-time nominee for Annual American Comedy Awards Best Male Standup Comic.
Filmography
References
External links
Official website*
1961 births
American radio personalities
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
American male comedians
21st-century American comedians
People from West Covina, California
{{US-comedian-stub