Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert (pronounced col-BEAR) (born May 13, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and author. He is the current host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He was the host of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central from 2005 through 2014.[11] Colbert has used a special form of comedy called satire to make fun of politicians and the news media.
| Stephen Colbert | |
|---|---|
 Colbert in June 2023 | |
| Birth name | Stephen Tyrone Colbert[1] |
| Born | May 13, 1964[2] Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Medium | Theatre, television, movies, books |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Genres | Sketch comedy, news satire, improvisational comedy, character comedy, political satire, observational comedy, blue comedy |
| Subject(s) | American culture, American politics, American conservatism, The Christian Right, political punditry, popular culture, current events, mass media/news media, egomania, xenophobia, anti-intellectualism, sexuality |
| Influences | Don Novello, Maurice Sendak, Bill Cosby,[3] George Carlin,[4] Dean Martin,[5] Jon Stewart,[6] Steve Martin[7] Bill O'Reilly[8] |
| Influenced | Rob Corddry,[9] Ed Helms,[9] Aasif Mandvi[10] |
| Spouse | Evelyn McGee-Colbert (3 children) |
| Notable works and roles | Host of The Late Show Chuck Noblet in Strangers with Candy Stephen Colbert in The Daily Show and The Colbert Report Writer, I Am America (And So Can You!) Co-writer, America (The Book) Phil Ken Sebben and Myron Reducto in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Professor Richard Impossible in The Venture Bros. |
| Signature |  |
| Website | ColbertNation.com |
| Emmy Awards | |
| Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program 2004, 2005, 2006 The Daily Show 2008 The Colbert Report 2010 The Colbert Report 2013 "The Colbert Report" Outstanding Variety Series 2013 "The Colbert Report" | |
| Grammy Awards | |
| Best Comedy Album 2010 A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! | |
Early life
Colbert was born in Washington, D.C.. He grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the youngest of eleven children in a Catholic family,[12] and went to Northwestern University.
Career
The Colbert Report
On The Colbert Report (which he pronounces "col-BEAR re-POAR" to make the words sound the same), he pretends to be a right-wing talk show host. He likes to ask his guests very embarrassing questions that make it seem that he is a serious far right-wing conservative who is also not very smart. His TV personality centers on the idea that if enough people believe something, it will be true. This is largely based on conservative host Bill O'Reilly. He was granted a Super PAC for the South Carolina Republican Party primaries in the 2012 U.S. presidential election.[13]
Many famous American politicians and people in the news media agree to appear on his show because it is very popular. Colbert started as a comedy writer and performer for many other programs, such as The Daily Show and the Strangers with Candy movie, both also on Comedy Central.
The Late Show
On April 10, 2014, CBS announced in a press release[14] that Colbert will succeed David Letterman as the host of The Late Show, effective when Mr. Letterman retires from the broadcast." On January 12, 2015, CBS announced that Colbert would premiere as the Late Show host on Tuesday, September 8, 2015.[15]
Other works
He has also voiced Phil Ken Sebben and Reducto in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Colbert has written three books. I Am America (And So Can You!) was No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Personal life
Colbert married his wife in 1993. He lives in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife and three children.[16]
Legacy
He has made a word, 'truthiness'.[17] At least four species have been given scientific names honoring Colbert.[18][19]
References
Further reading
- Rogak, Lisa (October 11, 2011). And Nothing but the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise) of Stephen Colbert. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-0-312-61610-6. LCCN 2011024856. OCLC 707969298. OL 25162157M.
- Watson, Bruce (May 29, 2014). Stephen Colbert: Beyond Truthiness. New Word City. ISBN 9781612307572. OCLC 870136575.
Other websites
- Stephen Colbert on IMDb
- Stephen Colbert on Twitter
- Works by or about Stephen Colbert in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Stephen Colbert collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Audio/Video
- Stephen Colbert on National Public Radio
- Stephen Colbert on Charlie Rose
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Colbert interview transcript Archived 2006-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, 60 Minutes. (April 30, 2006)
- Colbert in an open, hour-long interview and Q & A session arranged by Harvard's Institute of Politics. He speaks about the nature of his TV-show character and the interplay between wearing the mask and using it to make political points.
- Colbert Roasts President Bush – 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner
- Stephen Colbert 2006 Knox College Commencement Address
| Preceded by David Letterman | Host of The Late Show 2015-present | Succeeded by none |