Colin Quinn

Colin Quinn (born June 6, 1959) is an Irish-American comedian. He was born in Brooklyn and was raised in the Park Slope section of the borough. His gravelly Brooklyn accent and mannerisms are a trademark of his performances, as are his political and social commentaries, right-wing humor, and bumbling delivery.

Related Topics:
June 6 - 1959 - Irish-American - Comedian - Brooklyn - Park Slope - Brooklyn accent

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Prior to becoming a comedian, Quinn worked as a bartender. He stopped drinking in the early 1980s after several bad experiences while drunk, including nights spent in jail and blackouts that led to him not knowing where he was. In 2004, stand-up Dom Irrera said Quinn used to be a "fat, bloated, alcoholic bartender"; he himself has used the term "blackout drunk" to describe his previous drinking habits.

Related Topics:
Bartender - 1980s - 2004 - Dom Irrera

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After leaving bartending, Quinn got his start in stand-up comedy in 1984. Although some people believe Jon Stewart wrote the jokes for Quinn's stand-up act, this is false; Stewart only wrote jokes for a television show Quinn hosted in 1989 called Caroline's Comedy Hour, which aired on the A&E network.

Related Topics:
Stand-up comedy - 1984 - Jon Stewart - 1989 - Caroline's Comedy Hour - A&E

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He first achieved fame in 1987 as co-host of the MTV game show Remote Control, which also featured performances by Adam Sandler and Denis Leary. He remained co-host of the show for three years, and in 1989 wrote and performed in the comedic short Going Back to Brooklyn along with Ben Stiller.

Related Topics:
1987 - MTV - Game show - Remote Control - Adam Sandler - Denis Leary - 1989 - Going Back to Brooklyn - Ben Stiller

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Much of his early comedic career focused on writing in addition to stand-up, including a stint as a writer for the popular show In Living Color. He also co-wrote the storyline and was an associate producer for the unsuccessful movie Celtic Pride, starring Damon Wayans and Dan Aykroyd.

Related Topics:
In Living Color - Celtic Pride - Damon Wayans - Dan Aykroyd

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In 1995 Quinn was hired by Saturday Night Live, working as a writer and featured player until the beginning of the 1997 season, when he became a full cast member. He established himself on the show with characters such as "Lenny the Lion" and "Joe Blow", and as well as the recurring segment "Colin Quinn Explains the New York Times". Quinn took over as host of the "Weekend Update" segment in January, 1998 after the firing of Norm MacDonald. Among the major media circuses of the late 1990s, that Quinn presided over much of the highly publicized Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal and the Microsoft Anti-Trust Trial. However, his typecast as boorish New Yorker, as well as his consistent stuttering and fumbling of words, made him somewhat unpopular with the audience. He remained the anchor until his departure in 2000.

Related Topics:
1995 - Saturday Night Live - 1997 - New York Times - Weekend Update - January - 1998 - Norm MacDonald - Media circus - Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal - Microsoft Anti-Trust Trial - 2000

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During his SNL period, Quinn made his Broadway debut in his one-man show, ', and was offered the role of Scott Evil in ' by Mike Myers, although he turned down the role to work on his writing projects http://www.theonionavclub.com/feature/index.php?issue=3923&f=1.

Related Topics:
Broadway - Mike Myers

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In 2002 Quinn had a sketch comedy show on NBC called The Colin Quinn Show that was cancelled after only three episodes because of mediocre ratings.

Related Topics:
Sketch comedy - NBC

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From 2003 to late 2004, Quinn hosted Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central in the time-slot following The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Although the show was renewed through the 2005 television season, it was put on an indefinite hiatus in October 2004, with its final episode on November 4, 2004. The show was derided because of the racial jokes told by the show's regular line-up of guest comedians.

Related Topics:
2003 - 2004 - Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn - Comedy Central - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 2005 - Indefinite hiatus - Racial

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Colin performs regularly at the Comedy Cellar in New York City.

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During his time on "SNL" and "Tough Crowd," Quinn was criticized for his inability to properly read from cue cards or a teleprompter.

Related Topics:
Cue cards - Teleprompter

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In 2004, Comedy Central named Quinn to its list of the "100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time", placing him at #56. He was also named to the Irish America Magazine list of the "Top 100 Irish Americans of the Year".http://www.irishabroad.com/irishworld/irishamericamag/aprilmay04/features/

Related Topics:
2004 - 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time" - Irish America Magazine

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