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.

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 ...

''. 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'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

'' 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 Pre ...

'', 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, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

Telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause. Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...

. 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 ...

'' 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 Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

special, ''The Friends of the Bob and Tom Show''. In June, 2007, he appeared on ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' is an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, and again in 2014 and 2015. Each season a comedian from an initially large group of hopefuls was picked as ...

''. 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 film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...

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 Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...

. Zany plays Whitacre's lawyer, John Dowd, in the comedian-rich cast. In June 2010 Zany toured

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

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. 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,

Jimmy Pardo James Ronald Pardo, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and host of the comedy podcast ''Never Not Funny''. From the show's inception until mid-2015, he performed as the Conan O'Brien program Conan (talk show), ''Conans warm-up comedi ...

Andy Kindler Andy David Kindler (born October 16, 1956) is an American comedian and actor. He played the character "Andy", a fellow sportswriter and friend of sportswriter "Ray Barone" ( Ray Romano) on the TV show '' Everybody Loves Raymond'', was a regular ...

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 TV series ''Fame (1982 TV series), Fame''; Pam Fields on the drama ''Pretty Little Liars''; ...

Carrot Top Scott Thompson (born February 25, 1965), known professionally as Carrot Top, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is widely known for his use of prop comedy. Early life Thompson was born in Rockledge, Florida, and grew up in Coc ...

, Rick Messina, 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, United States. History West Covina High School opened in 1956 on the old Covina High School campus on Citrus Ave. and Puente Ave ...

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 Comedians from California {{US-comedian-stub