Bryan Callen (born January 26, 1967) is an American
stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up.
Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...
, actor, writer and podcaster. He studied acting at the
Beverly Hills Playhouse. Callen initiated his career as one of the original cast members on the
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and ...
series ''
MADtv
''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...
''.
Callen played Coach Mellor in ''
The Goldbergs'' and reprised the role as a main character in the ''Goldbergs'' spinoff series ''
Schooled''.
[ He is co-host of the podcast '']The Fighter and the Kid
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
,'' alongside Brendan Schaub.
Early life
Callen was born on a military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for o ...
in Manila, Philippines
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
. He is the son of American parents, Victoria Callen (née Sclafani) and Michael A. Callen. Because of his father's career as an international banker, Callen lived overseas until he was fourteen years old, including in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
, Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...
and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
. He graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon High School in Gill, Massachusetts
Gill is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,551 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The campus of Northfield Mount Hermon School is located i ...
in 1985. He then attended American University in Washington, D.C., where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in History. He is of Italian and Irish descent.
Career
''MADtv'' (1995–1997) and other television projects
Callen was one of the eight original cast members when ''MADtv
''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...
'' debuted in 1995.[ Callen's characters included Pool Boy from ''Cabana Chat with Dixie Wetsworth'', motivational speaker Al Casdy, and "relationship-challenged" ]death row
Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution ( ...
inmate Jeremy Anderson. Callen also performed impressions of Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...
, Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
, Al Gore, Luke Perry, Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th- dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...
, Sammy Hagar
Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo ca ...
, Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller ''JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), th ...
, Jim Carrey
James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy t ...
, Ted Knight and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others.
Callen has guest starred on television series such as '' Entourage'', ''NewsRadio
''NewsRadio'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from March 21, 1995 to May 4, 1999, focusing on the work lives of the staff of a New York City AM news radio station. It had an ensemble cast featuring Dave Foley, Stephen ...
'', '' Oz'', ''Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...
'', ''Suddenly Susan
''Suddenly Susan'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 19, 1996, to December 26, 2000. The series was created by Clyde Phillips and starred Brooke Shields in her first regular series. Shields played Susan Keane, a ...
'', '' NYPD Blue'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', '' CSI'', '' 7th Heaven'', ''Rude Awakening
Rudeness (also called effrontery) is a display of actual or perceived disrespect by not complying with the Norm (social), social norms or etiquette of a group or culture. These norms have been established as the essential personal boundaries, b ...
'', ''Less Than Perfect
''Less than Perfect'' is an American television sitcom created by Terri Minsky and starring Sara Rue and Sherri Shepherd which originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 1, 2002, to June 20, 2006. It follows Claude (Rue), ...
'', ''The King of Queens
''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the sh ...
'', ''Sex and the City
''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United St ...
'', '' Kingdom'', ''Stacked
''Stacked'' is an American television sitcom that aired on Fox from April 13, 2005 to January 11, 2006.
Premise
''Stacked'' was described as the opposite of ''Cheers'', instead of a smart person in a "dumb" place, it is based on the concept of a ...
'', ''Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
'', '' Reba'', '' Fat Actress'', '' Californication'' and ''How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and ...
''.
Callen played Ricky's sexually abusive father on '' The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' on ABC Family
The American cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and six different name changes) during its h ...
. He also makes frequent appearances on ''Chelsea Lately
''Chelsea Lately'' is an American late night comedy talk show created by Brody Stevens and hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler which was broadcast on E! The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and was produced by Handler's production company, Borderl ...
''. He hosted the E! show ''Bank of Hollywood
''Bank of Hollywood'' is an American reality television series. Hosted by Bryan Callen, the show airs on E!. It is based on the U.K. series '' Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway'', in which contestants must appeal to a celebrity panel to receive mon ...
'', and currently appears as a commentator of '' The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest...'' on truTV
TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows.
The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that f ...
.
Callen also plays the role of Coach Mellor in '' The Goldbergs'' and its spinoff series '' Schooled''. The pilot aired on January 24, 2018. The spinoff was picked up for 13 episode order for the fall 2018 television season.
Callen co-wrote and co-starred in ''Dream Crushers'' with Will Sasso, Sara Rue, and Scott Thompson. The series was shot in 2009 but unaired until 2011. He appeared with Melinda Hill
Melinda Hill is an American comedian and actress best known for her stand-up comedy and appearances in '' Lady Dynamite'', ''Adventure Time'', ''The Late Late Show'', '' The Bonnie Hunt Show'', '' Comics Unleashed'', '' Who Wants to Date a Comed ...
in an episode of the 2012–13 web series ''Romantic Encounters''.
''Ten Minute Podcast''
Beginning on February 20, 2012, Callen and fellow actors and comedians Will Sasso and Chris D'Elia began the ''Ten Minute Podcast''. Tommy Blacha and Chad Kultgen later replaced Callen and D'Elia.
''The Fighter and the Kid''
Callen currently cohosts a podcast titled ''The Fighter and the Kid
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
'' with Brendan Schaub, and producers Chin and Kat. The podcast formerly focused on the realm of mixed martial arts, but since their departure from Fox Sports, they regularly discuss pop culture and current events as well.
Schaub and Callen performed the podcast live on a national tour in 2016. The tour included such venues as The Vic Theatre
The Vic Theatre is a music venue located in Chicago, Illinois. Vic Theatre can easily accommodate 1,400 people or with a seated capacity of 1,000.
History
Vic Theatre, designed by architect John Eberson, opened in 1912 as the Victoria Theatre. ...
(Chicago), Gramercy Theatre (New York City), and Wilbur Theatre
The Wilbur Theatre is a historic performing arts theater at 244–250 Tremont Street in Boston, Massachusetts. The Wilbur Theatre originally opened in 1914, but underwent renovations in 2008. The Wilbur Theatre sits in the heart of Boston's histo ...
(Boston); culminating at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles.
In 2016 Schaub and Callen released ''The Fighter and the Kid 3D.'' The twelve episode digital download series features sketch comedy pieces based on the duo's podcast personas.
Schaub and Callen regularly appear alongside Joe Rogan
Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American UFC color commentator, podcaster, comedian, actor, and former television presenter. He hosts ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', a podcast in which he discusses current events, comedy, polit ...
during live event broadcasts, such as the UFC and Glory kickboxing, for what is called the Fight Companion. They also appeared on the MTV show '' Ridiculousness'', hosted by Rob Dyrdek, in June 2016.
Other
Callen has a chapter giving advice in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans.
Stand-up comedy
Callen headlines his solo stand up comedy act at venues across the United States. In early 2016 he released ''Never Grow Up'' which was recorded live at the Irvine Improv in April, 2015. ''Never Grow Up'' was released online in conjunction with ''The Fighter and the Kid 3D'' Web series. he released a special in 2019 called ''Complicated Apes''.
Sexual misconduct allegations
On July 31, 2020, following the accusations of misconduct towards Chris D'Elia from a month prior, it was reported by the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' that four women, including actress Kathryn Fiore, told the newspaper that Callen mistreated them and described incidents of sexual misconduct including rape, assault, and disturbing comments that date back to 1999.
In a tweet, Callen denied the accusations.
Callen filled an anti-SLAPP motion against Fiore and her husband Gabriel Tigerman. In January 2021 Judge Monica Bachner ruled in the couple's favor, stating that Callen "did not meet his burden of demonstrating a probability of prevailing on his claim."latimes.com
/ref>
Filmography
Comedy specials
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
Official MADtv site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Callen, Bryan
1967 births
Living people
Male actors from New York City
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American podcasters
American University alumni
People from the Bronx
Northfield Mount Hermon School alumni
People from Venice, Los Angeles
American sketch comedians
American stand-up comedians
Comedians from New York City
American expatriates in the Philippines
Comedians from California
21st-century American comedians