Dean Ward (screenwriter)

Last updated

Dean Ward is an American screenwriter, television comedy writer and documentary filmmaker. [1]

Contents

Early life

Ward was raised in Brookline, Massachusetts and graduated from Brookline High School. He attended New York University.

Career

As a television comedy writer, Ward has written for "Chelsea, Lately," "After Lately," "Talk Soup," "Penn & Teller: Bullshit," "The Josh Wolf Show" and the Netflix talk show "Chelsea." His screenwriting credits include work for CBS Films [2] and Frank Sinatra Enterprises.

Ward's documentary film "Let Me In, I Hear Laughter - A Salute To The Friars Club" appeared on Cinemax and features interviews with legendary members of the Friars Club including Steve Allen, Milton Berle, Red Buttons, Sid Caesar, Jack Carter, Norm Crosby, Phyllis Diller, Susie Essman, Buddy Hackett, Jeff Ross and Henny Youngman. [3] The film also chronicles the untimely death of comedian Harry Einstein (aka "Parkyakarkus") shortly after performing at a Friars Club dinner honoring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in 1958. Einstein was the father of comedians Bob Einstein and Albert Brooks. Rolling Stone Magazine called the film “a funny, lovable documentary featuring memories from a bunch of amazing comedians old enough to have shtupped Adam Sandler’s grandmother.” Ward was interviewed on Fresh Air With Terry Gross while promoting the film's release. [4]

Ward's documentary "The Bielski Brothers: Jerusalem In The Woods" earned him an Emmy Nomination in the category of Best Research. [5]

Ward hosts "The No-Show Roast Show" on the Callin Podcast Network, which has featured appearances by comedians Chelsea Handler, Ian Karmel, Greg Fitzsimmons, Wayne Federman and many others.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Brooks</span> American actor

Albert Brooks is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1987's Broadcast News and was widely praised for his performance in the 2011 action drama film Drive. Brooks has also acted in films such as Taxi Driver (1976), Private Benjamin (1980), Unfaithfully Yours (1984), and My First Mister (2001). He has written, directed, and starred in several comedy films, such as Modern Romance (1981), Lost in America (1985), and Defending Your Life (1991). He is also the author of 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Rickles</span> American comedian and actor (1926–2017)

Donald Jay Rickles was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), Enter Laughing (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970), and Casino (1995). From 1976 to 1978, Rickles had a two-season starring role in the NBC television sitcom C.P.O. Sharkey, having previously starred in two eponymous half-hour programs, an ABC variety show titled The Don Rickles Show (1968) and a CBS sitcom identically titled The Don Rickles Show (1972).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Buttons</span> American comedian and actor (1919–2006)

Red Buttons was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the 1957 film Sayonara. He was nominated for awards for his acting work in films such as They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Harlow, and Pete's Dragon. Buttons played the lead role of Private John Steele, the paratrooper hung up on the town steeple clock, in the 1962 international ensemble cast film The Longest Day.

Gary Joseph Knipfing, known professionally as Gary Valentine, is an American actor and comedian. Valentine is the older brother of actor Kevin James. He starred as Kevin James' cousin Danny Heffernan in The King of Queens (1998–2007) and as Kevin James' older brother Kyle Gable in Kevin Can Wait (2016-2018), and has appeared in numerous Happy Madison Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roast (comedy)</span> Comedic genre

A roast is a form of humor in which a specific individual, a guest of honor, is subjected to jokes at their expense, intended to amuse the event's wider audience. Such events are intended to honor a specific individual in a unique way. In addition to jokes and insult comedy, such events may also involve genuine praise and tributes. The assumption is that the roastee can take the jokes in good humor and not as serious criticism or insult. The individual is surrounded by friends, fans, and well-wishers, who can receive some of the same treatment during the evening. The party and presentation itself are both referred to as a roast. The host of the event is called the roastmaster, a pun on toastmaster. Anyone mocked in such a way is said to have been roasted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Leggero</span> American actress and comedian (born 1974)

Natasha Leggero is an American stand-up comedian, actress and writer. She rose to fame after appearing as the host of the MTV reality television series The 70s House in 2005, and as a regular roundtable panelist on Chelsea Handler's late-night talk show Chelsea Lately from 2008 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelsea Handler</span> American comedian, actress, writer, and producer (born 1975)

Chelsea Joy Handler is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer. She hosted the late-night talk show Chelsea Lately on the E! network from 2007 to 2014 and released a documentary series, Chelsea Does, on Netflix in January 2016. From 2016 to 2017, Handler hosted the talk show Chelsea on Netflix.

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

Harry Einstein, known professionally as Harry Parke and other pseudonyms, most commonly Parkyakarkus, was an American comedian, writer, and character actor. A specialist in Greek dialect comedy, he became famous as the Greek chef Nick Parkyakarkus on the Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson radio programs, and later on a program of his own. He appeared in eleven films from 1936 to 1945. He was also the father of comedians and actors Albert Brooks and Bob Einstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Branum</span> American comedian, writer (born 1975)

Guy Branum is an American actor, comedian, and writer best known as the head writer of, and a sketch performer on, X-Play on the G4 network and as a regular panelist on Chelsea Lately on the E! network. He used to host the podcast Pop Rocket on the Maximum Fun network and hosted TruTV's Talk Show the Game Show.

<i>The Aristocrats</i> (film) 2005 film by Paul Provenza, Penn Jillette

The Aristocrats is a 2005 American documentary comedy film about the famous eponymous dirty joke. The film was conceived and produced by comedians Penn Jillette, Paul Provenza and Peter Adam Golden, and it was edited by Emery Emery. Distributed by THINKFilm, it is dedicated to Johnny Carson, as "The Aristocrats" was said to be his favorite joke.

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

Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known as the "Roastmaster General" for his insult comedy, his multiple appearances at celebrity roasts held by the New York Friars Club, the Comedy Central Roast television series, and the Netflix historical comedy series Historical Roasts. In 2009 the Chicago Tribune called Ross "the new millennium Don Rickles." His directorial debut, the 2006 documentary Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie, won the prize for Best Film at the Comedia film festival held at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Federman</span> American comedian

Wayne Federman is an American comedian, actor, author, writer, comedy historian, producer, and musician. He is noted for numerous stand-up comedy appearances in clubs, theaters, and on television; his book on The History of Stand-Up; and supporting comedic acting roles in The X-Files, The Larry Sanders Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Crashing, Silicon Valley, Legally Blonde, 50 First Dates, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Step Brothers. He was the head monologue writer for NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in its first season. He won a 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for producing the HBO documentary George Carlin's American Dream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Fitzsimmons</span> American comedian

Gregory Sebastian Fitzsimmons is an American stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster, and Emmy Award-winning television writer.

<i>Chelsea Lately</i> American late night comedy talk show

Chelsea Lately is an American late night comedy talk show created by Brody Stevens and hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler. The show was produced by Handler's production company, and taped at Universal Studios Stage 1, in Universal City, California. It was broadcast on E!, with the first episode aired on July 16, 2007, and the 1048th, and last, on August 26, 2014. In American markets, the show aired at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and 8:00 p.m. Pacific time having been recorded at 3:30 p.m. PT, usually the same day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Friars Club</span> Private club in New York City

The Friars Club is a private club in New York City. Famous for its risqué roasts, the club's membership is composed mostly of people who work in show business. Founded in 1904, it is located at 57 East 55th Street, between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue, in the historic Martin Erdmann House, now known as the Monastery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Levy (American comedian)</span> American actor and comedian; not the son of Eugene Levy

Daniel Levy is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles. He began performing stand-up in the 2000s and has released three comedy albums, including his most recent special Dan Levy: Lion in 2016. He has written for a number of television comedies including Whitney (2011–2013) and was a producer of The Awesomes (2013–2015), Mulaney (2014–15), and The Goldbergs (2014–15). In 2020, he created the NBC series Indebted.

Sarah Noel Colonna is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and comedy writer. She appeared as a roundtable regular on the hit E! cable TV network comedy/talk show Chelsea Lately.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jen Kirkman</span> American comic, actor, writer (b. 1974)

Jennifer Ann Kirkman is an American stand-up comedian and screenwriter, podcaster, and actress. She is known for her regular appearances as a round-table panelist on Chelsea Lately for 70 episodes from 2008 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Wolf (comedian)</span> American comedian

Josh Wolf is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He has written for a number of sitcoms, including All of Us and Cuts. He is best known for his regular appearances on the round table of E!'s late-night talk show Chelsea Lately. Wolf hosted the Josh Wolf Show in 2015.

Michael Yo Simmons is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and television host who co-hosted The Insider on CBS, and currently hosts Yo Show on Yahoo! TV. Yo also appears regularly on the comedy panel of Chelsea Lately, as a guest host for The Talk on CBS, and as pop culture commentator on Showbiz Tonight. Michael played football for the University of Arkansas, but his football career was cut short due to multiple concussions.

References

  1. ↑ "Dean Ward, Documentarian".
  2. ↑ "Jay Karas & Dean Ward Tapped to Rewrite Comedy 'Man Up' for CBS Films". 28 April 2017.
  3. ↑ "Compiling a Toast to the Friars' Roasts". Los Angeles Times . 30 November 1997.
  4. ↑ "Documentary Director Dean Ward".
  5. ↑ "28th nominations" (PDF). Emmyonline. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-06-04. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
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.