Bil Dwyer

Last updated
Bil Dwyer
Bil Dwyer- 06.13.13.jpg
Dwyer performs in 2013
Born
William Michael Dwyer

(1962-03-30) March 30, 1962 (age 61) [1]
Evergreen Park, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Occupation(s)Stand-up comedian, game-show host, actor
Years active1994–present

William Michael "Bil" Dwyer (born March 30, 1962) is an American stand-up comedian, game-show host, actor, and writer. He is perhaps most well known as the host or play-by-play announcer on series such as BattleBots, I've Got a Secret , and Extreme Dodgeball , as well as several iterations of VH1's I Love the '70s , I Love the '80s , and I Love the '90s , and a 2006 appearance on Last Comic Standing . His debut comedy album, Am I Yelling?, was released in September 2020 by comedy label Stand Up! Records. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Personal life

Dwyer was born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, the youngest of five children in an Irish Catholic family. [6] He graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1984 with a degree in radio and television. [1] [7] [8] Before landing on comedy as a career Dwyer worked as a DJ, a salesman, and a tour guide at Universal Studios. [9] Dwyer has been married since 1993 and has four children. [10] He lives in Glendale, California. [1]

Dwyer spells his first name with only one L, once explaining to the Los Angeles Times , "the second is superfluous." [11]

Career

Stand-up comedy

Dwyer began performing stand-up while in college in Chicago, and later moved to Los Angeles. [1] His comedy tends to focus on domestic topics such as marriage, family, and children. Tahoe Daily Tribune writer Howie Nave described his style as "somewhat sarcastic", but added, "you can see his Midwestern sweetness emerge." [12]

In 2001, he recorded a half-hour special for Comedy Central Presents . In 2006, he was a contestant on the fourth season of Last Comic Standing, but was eliminated in the second regular episode, finishing 10th in the competition. [13] He has also performed on Comedy Bang Bang , The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn . [6] [3]

Game shows

Dwyer hosted five seasons of the Comedy Central show BattleBots from 2000 to 2002. [4] [5] He was the play-by-play announcer for the Game Show Network's Extreme Dodgeball in 2004, [14] and in 2006, he hosted a remake of the panel show I've Got a Secret whose twist was that all the featured panelists were gay. [15] The series ran for 40 episodes and was canceled after one season, but the Hollywood Reporter praised Dwyer's performance as host, calling him "affable and fast with a quip." [16] Other shows Dwyer has hosted include Dirty Rotten Cheater for PAX/Ion Television in 2003, [17] the FSN sports-trivia show Ultimate Fan League, as well as a YouTube series about golf, The Range with Bil Dwyer. [18] He hosted the 2005 series MTV's The 70s House in character as the intentionally cheesy "Bert Van Styles". [6]

Acting

Dwyer appeared on the 2007 Cartoon Network live-action/animation hybrid series Out of Jimmy's Head in a dual role as the main character's father and his school guidance counselor. [12] [19] He had a recurring role on the sitcom Hot in Cleveland as Valerie Bertinelli's ex-husband. [7] Dwyer played the lead role of Leon, a washed-up champion ping-pong player, in the 2010 dark-comedy web series Kill Spin. The series ran for 10 episodes on the social-media website Lockerz. [20] He has also been a guest star on a number of other sitcoms and TV shows, including Space Force , The Middle , Lopez , Parks and Recreation , House of Lies , Childrens Hospital , Suburgatory , The Larry Sanders Show , Ally McBeal , and iCarly . [18] [3] Dwyer's film credits include Ski School 2, The Bogus Witch Project and What Planet Are You From? [1] Dwyer also starred in a series of Toyota commercials about the "Tiny Football League" which ran during NBC's Sunday Night Football . [12]

Discography

Selected podcast appearances

  • Probably Science , Episode 364: Bil Dwyer (December 6, 2019) [21]
  • Never Not Funny with Jimmy Pardo, multiple appearances [22] [23] [24]
  • The Tom Barnard Podcast, Bil Dwyer and Gold Country (September 4, 2012) [25]
  • Probably Science , Episode 26: Bil Dwyer (June 25, 2012) [26]
  • The Dork Forest with Jackie Kashian , Rob Delaney and Bil Dwyer (December 15, 2009) [27]

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Rhea</span> Canadian actress and comedian (born 1964)

    Caroline Gilchrist Rhea is a Canadian actress and stand-up comedian, who is best known for her role as Linda Flynn-Fletcher, Betty Jo Flynn and additional voices from the Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb and Hilda Spellman on the ABC series Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Brennan (comedian)</span> American stand-up comedian and podcaster

    Kevin Brennan is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster and writer. He is the host of the Misery Loves Company podcast, and is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live'sWeekend Update in 1999 and 2000.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Neal Brennan</span> American writer, comedian, and producer (born 1973)

    Neal Brennan is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, and podcaster. He is best known for co-creating and co-writing the Comedy Central series Chappelle's Show (2003–2006) with Dave Chappelle and for his Netflix stand-up comedy special 3 Mics (2017).

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Pardo</span> American comedian

    James Ronald Pardo, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and host of the comedy podcast Never Not Funny. From the show's inception until mid-2015, he performed as the Conan O'Brien program Conan's warm-up comedian and cast member, after which he received a general development deal with O'Brien's production company. He last hosted the game show Race to Escape on the Science Channel.

    Allan Havey is an American stand-up comic and actor. He started his career as a comedian in New York City in 1981.

    On May 30, 2006, competitive reality show Last Comic Standing began airing its fourth season on NBC with a two-hour special and a new host, Anthony Clark.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Aukerman</span> American actor and comedian

    Scott David Aukerman is an American writer, actor, comedian, television personality, director, producer, and podcast host. Starting as a writer and performer in the later seasons of the sketch series Mr. Show, Aukerman is best known as the host of the weekly comedy podcast Comedy Bang! Bang! as well as the IFC original television series of the same name. Aukerman is the co-creator of Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis and co-founder of the Earwolf podcast network.

    ASpecialThing Records is a stand-up comedy record label started by Matt Belknap and Ryan McManemin. Belknap was the creator of aspecialthing.com, an internet message board especially popular with West Coast comedy fans. McManemin was an executive at Sony/MGM and longtime member of the message board.

    <i>Never Not Funny</i> Comedy podcast

    Never Not Funny is a podcast hosted by American comedian Jimmy Pardo, since spring 2006, currently releasing two episodes a week. He and producer/co-host Matt Belknap have appeared in every episode. Comedian Mike Schmidt appeared as co-host for season one, except for the final episode of the season, when his departure was announced.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Kirshen</span> British comedian

    Matt Kirshen is a British comedian, actor, writer, and presenter based in Los Angeles.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Glass</span> American comedian

    Todd Steven Glass is an American stand-up comedian.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Madrigal</span> American actor and comedian

    Alessandro Liborio Madrigal is an American comedian, writer, actor and producer. He is a co-founder of the All Things Comedy podcast network, alongside Bill Burr. He rose to fame on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as a regular correspondent for five seasons. Outside of the standup world, he is known for his co-starring roles in the film Night School, Showtime's dark comedy I'm Dying Up Here, NBC's About A Boy, as well as CBS sitcoms Gary Unmarried and Welcome to The Captain. He has also performed on Conan and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Braunger</span> American actor

    Matthew Braunger is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. His most recent special Finally Live In Portland was launched by Comedy Dynamics in 2019. Outside of performing stand-up, Braunger is noted for being a cast member on MADtv during its final season in 2008–2009, numerous guest star roles, and numerous voice over roles.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Kashian</span> Armenian-Irish American stand-up comedian

    Jackie Kashian is an American stand-up comedian.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgetown Comedy Festival</span>

    The Bridgetown Comedy Festival is a stand-up comedy festival located in the Hawthorne district of Portland, Oregon that took place every spring from 2008 to 2017, featuring standup comedy showcases, live podcasts, panel discussions and improv comedy. It was created in October 2007 by comedians Andy Wood and Matt Braunger and filmmaker Kimberly Brady.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jo Firestone</span> American comedian, writer, and actor

    Joanna Firestone is an American actress, comedian, and television writer. She played Sarah Conner on the television series Joe Pera Talks with You.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Amber Preston</span> American stand-up comedian

    Amber Preston is a stand-up comedian originally from North Dakota and Minnesota and now living in Los Angeles.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Shubert</span> American stand-up comedian and Actor

    Jimmy Shubert is a stand-up comedian from Philadelphia now living in Los Angeles. He is known for being part of Sam Kinison's "Outlaws of Comedy," as a 2014 finalist on Last Comic Standing, and for acting roles on shows such as The King of Queens, Entourage, and ER, and movies including Go and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

    Whitney Chitwood is a stand-up comedian from Chicago. Her debut album, 2019's The Bakery Case, was produced by Grammy winner Dan Schlissel for Stand Up! Records. It reached No. 9 on the Billboard Comedy Albums chart, and No. 1 on the iTunes and Amazon comedy charts.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Sam</span> American stand-up comedian and author

    Tony Sam is an American stand-up comedian, author, actor, and former marine biologist from Chicago now living in Los Angeles. He has worked extensively as a television producer and writer. LA Weekly named him one of 10 Comedy Acts To Watch in 2015.

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Comics: Bil Dwyer". NBC: Last Comic Standing. 2006-07-02. Archived from the original on 2006-07-02. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    2. ↑ Bil Dwyer at IMDb
    3. 1 2 3 Stricker, Julie (2017-03-01). "Stand-up comedian Bil Dwyer returns to Fairbanks with one goal — find that moose". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner . Fairbanks, Alaska . Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    4. 1 2 Michael Benson (2002). Fighting Robots: A Guide to Radio Controlled Combatants. Citadel Press. ISBN   978-0-8065-2372-9.
    5. 1 2 Mark Clarkson (2002). BattleBots: The Official Guide. McGraw-Hill/Osborne. ISBN   978-0-07-222425-2.
    6. 1 2 3 Stricker, Julie (2014-02-21). "Comedian Bil Dwyer brings warm humor to a cold Fairbanks". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner . Fairbanks, Alaska . Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    7. 1 2 Potempa, Philip (January 13, 2012). "Funny business: Center for Visual and Performing Arts offering some comedy greats". Northwest Indiana Times . Munster, Indiana . Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    8. ↑ Bode, Gus (May 7, 2001). "Engineering students ready for battle". Daily Egyptian. Carbondale, Illinois . Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    9. ↑ Iwasaki, Scott (January 1, 2013). "McCarthy and Dwyer aiming to bring laughs to Park City". Park City and Summit County News. Park City, Utah . Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    10. ↑ Dwyer, Bil (2020-09-18). Am I Yelling? (Digital audio). Stand Up! Records.
    11. ↑ "NBA, NBC Making Lakers Must-See TV". Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles. 1999-02-12. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    12. 1 2 3 Nave, Howie (September 14, 2016). "Comedy at the Improv: Bil Dwyer and Suli McCullough perform this week". Tahoe Daily Tribune. South Lake Tahoe, California . Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    13. ↑ "NBC's 'Last Comic Standing 4' eliminates three, reveals Top 5 finalists". Reality TV World. 2006-07-12. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    14. ↑ "No, not those Dodgers". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. June 17, 2004. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    15. ↑ Tim Brooks; Earle F. Marsh (24 June 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. pp. 681–. ISBN   978-0-307-48320-1.
    16. ↑ "I've Got a Secret (GSN)". The Hollywood Reporter . 2006-04-25. p. 22. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
    17. ↑ Farkash, Michael R. (2003-01-06). "I've Got a Secret (GSN)". The Hollywood Reporter . Vol. 376, no. 38. p. 19.
    18. 1 2 Wilson, P.F. (December 1, 2014). "Bil Dwyer on Adrian Peterson, TMZ Sightings, Scaring Small Children". City Pages . Minneapolis-St. Paul . Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    19. ↑ "Cartoon Network Goes Into Jimmy's Head this Fall". Coming Soon. July 2, 2007. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    20. ↑ "Lockerz Debuts First Original Web Series". PR Newswire. 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    21. ↑ Matt Kirshen, Andy Wood, Jesse Case (2019-12-06). "Episode 364 - Bil Dwyer". Probably Science (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-09-19.{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    22. ↑ Jimmy Pardo (October 30, 2016). "19L – Walking the Dog with Bil Dwyer". Never Not Funny (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    23. ↑ Jimmy Pardo (August 20, 2014). "15A – Jamming Out with Bil Dwyer". Never Not Funny (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    24. ↑ Jimmy Pardo (February 22, 2012). "1011 – Bil Dwyer". Never Not Funny (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    25. ↑ Tom Barnard (September 4, 2012). "Bil Dwyer and Gold Country [#14]" (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    26. ↑ Matt Kirshen, Andy Wood, Jesse Case (June 25, 2012). "Episode 026 - Bil Dwyer". Probably Science (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-09-19.{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    27. ↑ Jackie Kashian (December 15, 2009). "Rob Delaney and Bil Dwyer". The Dork Forest (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-09-19.
    • This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.