ENGLISH LIT 344 / COMEDY & SATIRE Who's Who in American Comedy
A comedian as well as an actor, writer, and playwright, Martin dabbled in philosophy and wrote for television shows including the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. He was also the opening act for a number of bands before 'hitting it big' with appearances on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live. He's best know for his zany routines, playing the 'Wild and Crazy Guy,' and film roles as The Jerk (directed by carl Reiner) and in Roxanne, an adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac; he wrote both. Here's an example of his early zaniness.
[For more details on these people, check their listing 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.]
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