Craig Shoemaker (born November 15, 1959) is an American stand up comedian, actor, author, writer and producer. He was named Comedian of the Year at The American Comedy Awards on ABC and garnered two NATAS Emmy awards. He is best known for his 90-minute stand-up special, ''Daditude''.

Life and career

Craig was born in Mount Airy and grew up in the Philadelphia area, He graduated from

Springfield Township High School Springfield Township High School (commonly STHS) is a public high school serving grades 9-12. The school serves Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Springfield Township, Pennsylvania, and is the sole high school of the Springf ...

. He attended

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

, financing his college years by working as a bartender and being an emcee for comedy shows. He also attended

California University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Western University, California (abbreviated as PennWest California) is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University in California, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus had an enrollment of 2,717 as of fall 2024. Founded in 1852 ...

. Shoemaker received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree with majors in

Radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

. "Shoe's" stage, film and TV acting credits are extensive and wide ranging. Recently, he co-starred as Bandit in the critically acclaimed movie, ''Middle Man''. He had a recurring character named Wilson Gromling, the head of Pawnee's Liberty or Die Party, on NBC's ''Parks & Recreation'', and a five episode run on ''The Bold & The Beautiful.'' He also played the snooty film professor in the horror sequel ''Scream 2''. As a writer, Craig joined the writing staff for season two of the iconic sitcom reboot ''Fuller House''. His best-selling book, ''LoveMaster'd A Digital Journey to Love & Happiness'', has been critically acclaimed by the likes of Whoopi Goldberg and Dr. Drew Pinsky, inspiring readers worldwide in managing through personal difficulties. In 2003, he founded LaughterHeals.org, a nonprofit group dedicated to using laughter as a healing modality. Previously, Shoemaker hosted a weekly podcast & webcast, "Laugh It Off," and currently tours the world speaking about the healing powers of laughter. Currently they are in preproduction on the documentary, ''Live 2 Laugh'', with Shoemaker serving as producer and writer. As a producer, Craig has been a creative force in several independent features and television shows. He wrote, produced and starred in the cult classic ''Totally Baked'', and his movie ''The LoveMaster'' was honored at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. Currently, Craig is producing a number of feature films with European partners, including the soon-to-be-released ''Working with Warhol'' and two projects currently in production, ''Breakfast with Charly'' and ''The Boogeyman Chronicles''. He was hired as lead writer on the animated show, ''Bad Zoo'', and along with animator David Feiss is developing two other cartoons, ''From The Crib'' and ''ChickenShip''. He is also performing stand up with Bill Bellamy on their joint project, the "Make America Laugh Again Tour," and just started the production company Really Big Shoe Media, with a current slate of over 25 television and film projects in varying genres.

Personal life

Shoemaker was first married to actress Nancy Allen in September 1992. They divorced in 1995. He next married actress Carolyn Ann Clark in February 1998. The couple had two sons, Justin (b. July 25, 1998) and Jared (b. July 1, 2004), though they divorced in 2005. Craig married to Mika Sogawa, in Maui on June 21, 2008. They had a son, Jackson Kai (b. September 8, 2009), and a daughter, Chloe Akeila (b. January 14, 2014). They divorced in 2023. On May 8, 2010, Craig received an honorary doctorate in Humanities/Humanistic Studies from

.Commencement programs scheduled at PASSHE universities - April 10, 2010
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Film

Select television series

Awards

Books

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References

External links

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Laughter Heals charity

Craig Shoemaker IG

Craig Shoemaker Facebook

CraigShoemaker.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoemaker, Craig 1964 births 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians American game show hosts American male comedians American male film actors American impressionists (entertainers) American male television actors American male voice actors American stand-up comedians Pennsylvania Western University, California alumni Comedians from Philadelphia Living people Male actors from Philadelphia People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Temple University alumni