WHO'S FUNNY? A Glossary of Comedians, Satirists, Humorists and the Like
The people here are split into eight groups, but many of these humorists, comedians, writers, and funny folk have done more than one kind of comedy. Woody Allen, for example, began as a writer for television in the 1950's, then went into stand-up comedy, and then (with only a couple exceptions) went into writing comedy films. so in some instances they appear in more than one list, while in other cases, they are listed in the genre for which they are best known. Also, there are instances that are not clear cut. Whoopie Goldberg's act consisted of doing monologues using various characters (e.g. a Valley Girl, a male crack addict, a crippled pan handler). She might be considered a stand-up since she did the act solo, but I've included her in sketch comics because the characters are performed within a context. She does not stand up and tell jokes per se.
Most of the clips used here are from YouTube, where they are often dropped or removed due to copyright issues. If the clip doesn't display, go to you tube and look for the artist(s) by name. (Also, please let me know that it's not working so I can update it.) For more details on these people, check their lising in Wikipedia, but note--this is one of the rare times I can accept the use of Wikipedia as a source. I have found that most of the information there about these people is reliable.
The ComediansUSA web site has a good listing of comedians in categories based on content rather than style (e.g. Construction Comedians, Culinary Comedians, Financial Comedians, etc.). You can use the Browse by pull-down menu at the top to select a name; that will bring up the list of categories on the left. There's also video of most of the people on the list, but the biographical information is not objective or historical, since it is a commercial site for people looking to book one of the acts. You'll find nothing but praise for any of the comics on the lists (e.g. "of comedy's hardest working comedians," "one of the most sought after entertainers in his field," "a regular headliner at comedy clubs and concert halls across the United States," and so forth.)[G.Wilkerson]
STAND-UP COMEDIANS (WOMEN) For a long time, women didn't have a place in stand-up comedy. To be accepted, a woman had to become a clown and sacrifice her femininity. For example, a great deal of Lucille Ball's work involved slapstick and Phyllis Diller had to wear outrageous outfits and mock her skills as a housewife. Eventually, comedians like Rita Rudner, Ellen Degeneres, Aisha Tyler, and Kathy Griffin put women on a par with men, able to use the same sources for their material and not have to denegrate themselves. [Click here to read a short article that includes a longer list of current female comics.] And check out Comedy Central's list of the Top 100 comedians of All Time to see if you agree with their choices. (You'll notice that there are only ten women on their list.)
