The Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s. History Originally, it was a 50-seat single venue (which immediately prior, housed a Vietnamese restaurant) founded on 20 April 1963, by Budd Friedman and his future wife, Silver (née Schreck) Saundors, and located at 358 West 44th Street, at Ninth Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City near the southeast corner of 9th Ave. The Improvisation was originally an after hours coffee house where Broadway performers could unwind after shows with an open mic inviting impromptu musical performances. In 1964, Dave Astor was its first comedian. Gradually comedians would use it as a venue to try out new material and talent scouts from ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' and other New York-based television shows began frequenting the venue looking for new acts to book. Afte ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Improv01
Improv may refer to: *Improvisation, an act of spontaneous invention **Improvisational theatre (includes improvisational comedy) **Musical improvisation *The Improv, a chain of U.S. comedy clubs *The Improv (India), a comedy show in Bangalore *Lotus Improv, a spreadsheet program See also *Improvisations (other) {{Disambiguation ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tampa, Florida
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough County, Florida, Hillsborough County. With an estimated population of 403,364 in 2023, Tampa is the List of United States cities by population, 49th-most populous city in the country and the List of municipalities in Florida, third-most populous city in Florida after Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville and Miami. Tampa was founded as a military center in the 19th century, with the establishment of Fort Brooke. The cigar industry was brought to Tampa by Vicente Martinez Ybor, Vincente Martinez Ybor, after whom Ybor City is named. Tampa was reincorporated as a city in 1887 following the American Civil War, Civil War. Tampa's economy is driven by tourism, health care, finance, insurance, technology, construction ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Joe Piscopo
Joseph Charles John Piscopo ( ; born June 17, 1951) is an American actor, comedian and conservative radio talk show host. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1980 to 1984, where he played a variety of recurring characters. His film roles include Danny Vermin in '' Johnny Dangerously'' (1984), Moe Dickstein in '' Wise Guys'' (1986), Doug Bigelow in '' Dead Heat'' (1988) and Kelly Stone in '' Sidekicks'' (1992). Early life Piscopo was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and grew up in North Caldwell. He attended West Essex High School and was a member of the drama club "The Masquers." He developed a reputation for never playing a part the way it was written. After graduating in 1969, Piscopo attended Jones College in Jacksonville, Florida, where he received a degree in broadcast management. ''Saturday Night Live'' In the summer of 1980, Piscopo was hired as a contract player for ''Saturday Night Live''. The show had gone through a major upheaval when all the write ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, best-known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York dialect, his squint, and his edgy, often-controversial, sense of humor. His numerous roles in film and television included voicing Iago in The Walt Disney Company's ''Aladdin'' franchise until his death in 2022, Mister Mxyzptlk in '' Superman: The Animated Series'' and '' Justice League Action'', Digit LeBoid in PBS Kids' '' Cyberchase'' until his death in 2022, Kraang Subprime in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', and the Aflac duck (before he was replaced by Daniel McKeague in 2011). He also played Mr. Peabody in the '' Problem Child'' franchise, the only actor in the series to reprise his role in all three films as well as the animated television series. Gottfried hosted ''Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast'' (2014–2022), along with Frank Santopadre, which featured discussions of classic fil ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. Among his List of awards and nominations received by Dustin Hoffman, numerous accolades are two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as a nomination for a Tony Award. He was honored with the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1997, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1999, and the Kennedy Center Honors, Kennedy Center Honors Award in 2012. Hoffman studied at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music before he decided to go into acting, for which he trained at the Pasadena Playhouse. He made his film debut with the black comedy ''The Tiger Makes Out'' (1967). He went on to receive two Academy Award for Best Actor, Academy A ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 2009 when Conan O'Brien took over as host. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, ''The Jay Leno Show'', which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, ET, also on NBC. O'Brien turned down NBC's offer to have Leno host a half hour monologue show before ''The Tonight Show'' to boost ratings amid reported viewership diminishing, which sparked the 2010 Tonight Show conflict, 2010 ''Tonight Show'' conflict that resulted in Leno's returning to hosting the show on March 1, 2010. He hosted his last episode of his second tenure on February 6, 2014. That year, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. From 2014 to 2022, he hosted ''Jay Leno's Garage,'' and from 2021 to 2023, hosted the revival of ''You Be ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. Tomlin started her career in stand-up comedy and sketch comedy before transitioning her career to acting across stage and screen. In a career spanning over fifty years, Tomlin has received numerous accolades, including seven Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, two Tony Awards, and a nomination for an Academy Award. She was also awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2014 and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2017. Tomlin started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was on the variety show ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' from 1969 until 1973. Her signature role, which was written by her then-partner (now wife) Jane Wagner, was in the show '' The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe'', which opened on Broadway in 1985 and earned Tomlin the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bette Midler
Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numerous accolades, including four Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Kennedy Center Honors, Kennedy Center Honor, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award. Born in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, Hawaii, Midler began her professional career in several off-off-Broadway plays, prior to her engagements in ''Fiddler on the Roof'' and ''Salvation (musical), Salvation'' on Broadway theatre, Broadway in the late 1960s. She came to prominence in 1970 when she began singing in the Continental Baths, a local gay bathhouse where she managed to build up a core following. Since 1970, Midler has released 14 studio albums as a solo artist, selling over 30 milli ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Steve Landesberg
Steve Landesberg (November 23, 1936December 20, 2010) was an American actor and comedian known for his role as the erudite, unflappable police detective Arthur P. Dietrich on the ABC sitcom ''Barney Miller'', for which he was nominated for three Emmy Awards. He appeared in 124 episodes, from the last episode of the 1975 season until the end of the series in 1982. Life and career Stephen Landesberg was born on November 23, 1936, in the Bronx, New York, to Ann Landesberg, a milliner, and Abraham Landesberg, a grocery store owner. He was Jewish. He was part of improv group New York Stickball Team, which performed several shows that aired on cable television shortly after ''Barney Miller'' went off the air. Landesberg had a successful career as a stand-up comedian, often appearing on Johnny Carson's ''The Tonight Show''. He was fond of using celebrity impersonations and dialects in his monologues, and employed them for comic effect. A dramatic western story had Landesberg as Gregor ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robert Klein
Robert Klein (born February 8, 1942) is an American stand-up comedian, singer, and actor. He is known for his appearances on stage and screen. He has released four standup comedy albums: ''A Child of the 50s'' (1973), ''Mind Over Matter'' (1974), ''New Teeth'' (1975), and ''Let's Not Make Love'' (1990). The first two albums received Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album nominations. Klein hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' in its first season in 1975 and again in 1978. Klein made his Broadway debut in the 1966 production of '' The Apple Tree'' opposite Alan Alda. He earned a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical nomination for his performance in Neil Simon's musical comedy '' They're Playing Our Song'' (1979). He also starred on his own show, ''Robert Klein Time'', which aired on USA Network from 1986 to 1988. He is known for his film roles in '' The Owl and the Pussycat'' (1970), ''Mixed Nuts'' (1994), '' One Fine Day'' (1996), '' Primary Colors'' (1998), '' The Safety of Objects' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential stand-up comedians of all time. Pryor won a Primetime Emmy Award and five Grammy Awards. He received the first Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1998. He won the Writers Guild of America Award in 1974. He was listed at number one on Comedy Central's list of all-time greatest stand-up comedians. In 2017, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked him first on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time.The 50 Best Stand-up Comics of All Time . Rollingstone.com. Retrieved February 15, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's List of United States cities by area, 24th-largest city; however, by population density, it is the 265th most dense city. Louisville is the historical county seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, Kentucky, Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. Since 2003, Louisville and Jefferson County have shared the same borders following a consolidated city-county, city-county merger. The consolidated government is officially called the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government, commonly known as Louisville Metro. The term "Jefferson County" is still used in some contexts, especially for Louisville neighborhoods#Incorporated places, incorporated cities outside the "Lou ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |