Biography

Birth and Early Life of John Mayer: John Mayer was born October 16, 1977 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Inspired by a Stevie Ray Vaughan tape given to him by his father, Mayer began learning to play the guitar at age 13. After practicing his skills for 2 years, John Mayer began to play live in bars...

Who is Jeff Probst?: Jeff Probst is the Emmy-nominated, well-traveled host of CBS’s long-running reality show Survivor. Birthday and Hometown: Jeff Probst was born on November 1, 1961. His hometown is Wichita, Kansas. Career Moves: Before he landed the job of a lifetime hosting the hit show Survivor, Jeff Probst hosted shows on Seattle’s local...

Early Life: Actress Catherine Bell was born August 14, 1968 in London, England to an Iranian mother and English father. As a young girl, Bell’s parents divorced, and she moved to California with her mother. Catherine became a naturalized U.S. citizen at the age of 12. Career: Bell was unsure whether to pursue art or...

Members: Jack Black, Kyle Gass Year Formed: 1994 Tenacious D Overview: The folk-metal duo of Tenacious D, made up of actor/comedians Jack Black and Kyle Gass, is the best parody of a self-indulgent rock band since the heyday of Spinal Tap. Rocking out with acoustic guitars (though, on album and on tour the duo is...

Kevin James Overview: Citing Robert Klein as his biggest comedic influence, Kevin James has made a career out of being a nice guy. His comedy is clean and never mean-spirited, instead focusing on observational humor and physicality to score laughs. In his stand-up as well as in his TV and film work, James has always...

Early Life: Zach Galifianakis was born in Wilkesboro, North Carolina in 1969. Though he grew up putting on performances for his family, he didn’t necessarily have aspirations of comedy. He attended North Carolina State University, but failed his last course by one point and did not graduate. That’s when, in 1992, Galifianakis moved to New...

Jimmy Fallon Overview: Most people probably recognize Jimmy Fallon from his days as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, where he made a name for himself doing impressions (of Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Gilbert Gottfried and others) and performing funny songs on an acoustic guitar. Those two skills became the cornerstone of Fallon’s comedy,...

Quick Jamie Foxx Facts: Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop in Terrell, Texas, where he was raised. He began performing stand-up comedy in the late 1980s, after a successful appearance at an open mic. He adopted the name Jamie Foxx as a tribute to Redd Foxx. In 1991, Foxx joined the cast of the...

Quick Whoopi Goldberg Facts: Whoopi Goldberg (born Caryn Elaine Johnson) was born and raised by a single mother in Manhattan. A formally trained actress, Goldberg began performing her own one-woman show, The Spook Show, in 1983. The show was taken Off-Broadway and ran for 156 consecutive sold-out performances. She had her first movie role when...

Quick Jim Carrey Facts: Jim Carrey was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. He began performing comedy at open mics and clubs in Toronto in the late ’70s and early ’80s before being discovered by Rodney Dangerfield and going on tour as his opening act. Carrey moved to the U.S. in the early 1980s and...