More Information About Comedian Billy Gardell

Description

<p>Best known as security guard Billy on CBS’s Yes, Dear, Gardell has stood out in recurring roles on King of Queens as well as ABC’s The Practice and co-starred in NBC’s short-lived 2005 drama “Heist.”  In what was widely considered a breakout role, he was cast as John Corbett’s loyal sidekick on FX’s acclaimed drama, Lucky.  Stand-up credits include HBO Comedy and Comedy Central’s Make Me Laugh.  Movies include a co-starring role with Sylvester Stallone in the 2002 Warner Bros. movie "Avenging Angelo," a role in “Bad Santa” starring Billy Bob Thornton and most recently a role in the summer hit comedy “You, Me and Dupree” co-starring Owen Wilson.</p> <p> More about Billy:</p> <p>Born to the hard, blue collar steel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Billy Gardell would learn early that a strong sense of humor is not only a convenient weapon, but an absolute must for dealing with life. As if being a die hard Steeler's fan wasn't enough for stress in the mid-eighties, Gardell suddenly found himself transplanted from the traditional "family first values" of Pennsylvania to the obscurity and blistering humidity of Central Florida. Struggling through his awkward teens, an overweight misfit, Billy wrote, directed and starred in a high school theater production entitled "Winter Park Live," where, among other things, he performed a "show-stopping" portrayal of Ralph Cramden, Captain of the Starship Enterprise. The piece was so well executed that one reviewer, a Gleason family member, commented that "Jackie would have been very proud."

Billy's new addiction to live performance led him down the path of stand-up comedy. His bold honesty and over-whelming stage persona made him an instant hit with Florida audiences. By the summer of 1989, Gardell was the most requested act among the regular patrons at the local comedy club. Word of this "Young Gun" from the South spread quickly through the comedy circuit and Billy followed his reputation down that relentless educator known as "The Road." It's variety of tough audiences served as professor to teach first hand, the intricate art of live comedy. While many comedians of the time were mulling over dictionaries and encyclopedias to make themselves seem more clever and educated, Gardell held true to his middle class, blue collar background and approached stand-up on a more personal level. He relied on his naturally cunning wit and straightforward philosophies to make audiences not only laugh incredibly hard, but even to stand and cheer his "down to earth" performances.</p>