Bob Nelson (born March 3, 1958) is an American

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Life and career

Nelson began doing stand-up in comedy clubs while a theater student at

Nassau Community College Nassau Community College (NCC) is a Public college, public community college in the East Garden City, New York, East Garden City section of Uniondale, New York, Uniondale, Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, New York (state), N ...

in the late 1970s.Len Righi,
Multiple Personalities Comic Bob Nelson Brings His Cast Of Characters To Valley
. ''

The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second-longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after '' The Express-Times''. The newspaper is owned by Alden Global Capital ...

'', May 22, 1993. Nelson specializes in rubber-faced comedy characters. He is also known for his

Jacques-Yves Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), called the A ...

impersonations and his "football act", in which he parodies the old team rundowns in the College Football All-Star games, wherein players announce their names, numbers, and teams. Nelson was

Rodney Dangerfield Jack Roy (born Jacob Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004), better known by the stage name Rodney Dangerfield, was an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, ...

's opening act for eight years and was featured in two of Rodney's HBO stand-up comedy showcases, alongside

Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy. Seinfeld gained stardom playing a semi-fictionalized version ...

Roseanne Barr Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952), also known mononymously as Roseanne, is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom ''Roseanne'' (19 ...

Rita Rudner Rita Rudner (born September 17, 1953) is an American comedian. Beginning her career as a Broadway dancer, Rudner noticed the lack of female comedians in New York City and turned to stand-up comedy, where she has performed for over three decades. ...

, and

Bob Saget Robert Lane Saget (May 17, 1956 – January 9, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and television host. He portrayed Danny Tanner on the sitcom ''Full House'' (1987–1995) and its sequel '' Fuller House'' (2016–2020). ...

. That led to two HBO specials starring Nelson, including "Nelson Schmelson." Nelson was also in a comedy group called "The Identical Triplets" with

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

and

Rob Bartlett Robert James Bartlett (born May 18, 1957) is an American comedian, actor, impressionist, and writer, who gained widespread fame on the radio show ''Imus in the Morning''. ''Imus in the Morning'' Bartlett appeared on the 'Imus in the Morning' s ...

. Nelson appeared several times on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Johnny Carson, it aired from October 1, 1962 to May 22, 1992, replacing ''T ...

'' and various other talk shows and appeared on tour with Gallagher during 2016–17. In 2008, Nelson relocated his family and his show to

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, Missouri, Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County, Missouri, Stone County. Branson is in the Ozarks, Ozark Mountain ...

, to take a break from the road, where he performed locally for three years. In 2013, Nelson and family returned to Long Island. In late 2020, Nelson was diagnosed with colon cancer and was undergoing treatment to battle his illness. Nelson won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

for a children's show he wrote and starred in, called ''Double Muppet Hold the Onions'', in 1983. He also had supporting roles in

Nora Ephron Nora Ephron ( ; May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing romantic comedy films and received numerous accolades including a British Academy Film Award as ...

's directorial film debut '' This Is My Life''. He also starred in the film ''

Brain Donors ''Brain Donors'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and released by Paramount Pictures, loosely based on the Marx Brothers comedies '' A Night at the Opera'' and '' A Day at the Races'' (the first two films the Marx Brother ...

'', the 1992 update of the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

' comedy '' A Night at the Opera''.

Filmography

*''

Kindergarten Cop ''Kindergarten Cop'' is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and distributed by Universal Pictures. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as John Kimble, a tough Los Angeles police detective working undercover as a kindergarten teac ...

'' (1990) – Henry Shoop *'' Nothing Upstairs'' (1990) – Bob *'' This Is My Life'' (1992) – Ed *''

'' (1992) – Jacques *''

Miss Evers' Boys ''Miss Evers' Boys'' is an American made-for-television drama starring Alfre Woodard and Laurence Fishburne that first aired on February 22, 1997, and is based on the true story of the four-decade-long Tuskegee Syphilis Study. It was directed by ...

'' (1997) – Source musician *'' The Appleby Sensation'' (1997) – Linguist

References

External links

Official Website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Bob 1958 births American male film actors Living people People from Massapequa, New York 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Comedians from New York (state) Nassau Community College alumni