Bob Zany
Encyclopedia
Bob Zany is an American
stand-up comedian. He is known for performing with his trademark cigar on stage. According to an article found on his web page, he "stuff[s] a cigar into a plastic bag with a couple of Bob Zany original postcards and charge[s] five bucks for the package. [He] call[s] it the Bob Zany Fun Kit."
In 1976, he appeared as a contestant on The Gong Show
. 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.
Zany now appears weekly on the nationally syndicated radio programThe Bob and Tom Show, and has his own segment called The Zany Report. In recent years, he has also guest-hosted portions of Jerry Lewis
' Labor Day
Telethon.
Zany also had a small role in the film Joe Dirt
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 special, The Friends of the Bob and Tom Show.
In June, 2007, he appeared on Last Comic Standing. He made it through the initial interview, but was not passed on to the next round.
Zany appeared in the Steven Soderbergh
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
, who is portrayed by Matt Damon
. Zany plays Whitacre's lawyer, John Dowd
, in the comedian-rich cast.
In June 2010 Zany toured Israel with the Comedy for Koby show, hosted by the Koby Mandell Foundation. Zany performed in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Raanana, Beit Shemesh, Haifa, Modi'in and Gush Etzion.
Bob also stars in the documentary film, "Close But No Cigar," which chronicles his thirty-plus years in show business. The documentary will be released in 2011, and contains interviews with Ralphie May, Andy Kindler, Nia Peeples, Carrot Top, Rick Messina and others. It was directed by Jay Kanzler.
Zany is a 1981 graduate of West Covina High School
and lives in Los Angeles.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stand-up comedian. He is known for performing with his trademark cigar on stage. According to an article found on his web page, he "stuff[s] a cigar into a plastic bag with a couple of Bob Zany original postcards and charge[s] five bucks for the package. [He] call[s] it the Bob Zany Fun Kit."
In 1976, he appeared as a contestant on The Gong Show
The Gong Show
The Gong Show is an 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 1976–1980 and 1988–1989. The show was produced by Chuck Barris, who also served...
. 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
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
in 1990.
Zany now appears weekly on the nationally syndicated radio programThe Bob and Tom Show, and has his own segment called The Zany Report. In recent years, he has also guest-hosted portions of Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
' Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
Telethon.
Zany also had a small role in the film Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt is a 2001 American comedy film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan, Adam Beach and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf.-Plot:...
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 special, The Friends of the Bob and Tom Show.
In June, 2007, he appeared on Last Comic Standing. He made it through the initial interview, but was not passed on to the next round.
Zany appeared in the Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...
film The Informant
The Informant (2009 film)
The Informant! is a 2009 American fact-based comic drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh. It depicts Mark Whitacre's involvement as a whistle blower in the lysine price-fixing conspiracy of the mid-1990s as described in the 2000 nonfiction book The Informant, by journalist Kurt Eichenwald. The...
, released September 18, 2009. The movie is a dark comedy about a Decatur, Illinois agri-business giant's price-fixing scandal, and the bipolar
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
whistleblower, Mark Whitacre
Mark Whitacre
Mark Edward Whitacre came to public attention in 1995 when, as president of the BioProducts Division at Archer Daniels Midland , he was the highest-level corporate executive in U.S. history to become a Federal Bureau of Investigation whistleblower...
, who is portrayed by Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
. Zany plays Whitacre's lawyer, John Dowd
John M. Dowd
John M. Dowd , an American lawyer. He received his J.D. from Emory University School of Law.-Career:As of 2010 Dowd is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.-Pete Rose investigation:...
, in the comedian-rich cast.
In June 2010 Zany toured Israel with the Comedy for Koby show, hosted by the Koby Mandell Foundation. Zany performed in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Raanana, Beit Shemesh, Haifa, Modi'in and Gush Etzion.
Bob also stars in the documentary film, "Close But No Cigar," which chronicles his thirty-plus years in show business. The documentary will be released in 2011, and contains interviews with Ralphie May, Andy Kindler, Nia Peeples, Carrot Top, Rick Messina and others. It was directed by Jay Kanzler.
Zany is a 1981 graduate of West Covina High School
West Covina High School
West Covina High School is a four year comprehensive secondary school located in West Covina, California.-History:West Covina High School first opened its campus in 1956 on the old Covina High School campus on Citrus Ave. and Puente Ave. as the Spartans. In 1957, the school moved to its new...
and lives in Los Angeles.
External links
- http://www.bobzany.com/