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Greg Giraldo

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Greg Giraldo
Giraldo at his final performance, September 24, 2010 in New Brunswick, New Jersey
Born(1965-12-10)December 10, 1965
New York City, New York
DiedSeptember 29, 2010(2010-09-29) (aged 44)
New Brunswick, New Jersey
MediumStand-up, television
NationalityAmerican
Years active1992–2010
GenresObservational comedy, black comedy, surreal humor, roast comedian
Subject(s)Current events, everyday life, self-deprecation, marriage, parenting, pop culture
SpouseName unknown (1989-Unknown)
Mary Ann Giraldo (Unknown-2009) (divorced) 3 children
Notable works and rolesTough Crowd
Stand-Up Nation
Comedy Central Roasts
Lewis Black's Root of All Evil

Greg Giraldo (December 10, 1965 – September 29, 2010) was an American stand-up comedian, television personality, and retired lawyer. Giraldo was best known for his appearances on Comedy Central's televised roast specials, as well as for his work on that network's television shows Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, Lewis Black's Root of All Evil, and the programming block Stand-Up Nation, the last of which he hosted.

Early life

Giraldo was born in The Bronx and was raised in Queens.[1] He attended Regis High School. He was the oldest of three children (brother John and sister Elizabeth) to immigrant parents from Colombia (father) and Spain (mother), and was raised Roman Catholic.[2] He attended Camp Rising Sun, the Louis August Jonas Foundation's international summer scholarship program.[citation needed] He went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Columbia University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.[3]

Before becoming a comedian Giraldo worked as a lawyer, spending less than a year as an associate for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom before changing his occupation.[4]

Career

Giraldo performed regularly at the Comedy Cellar in Manhattan. Giraldo was a regular panelist on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. Additionally, he was the star of the short-lived Common Law, and also starred in several pilots, including The Greg Giraldo Show and Gone Hollywood for Comedy Central. The New York Times has praised Giraldo as "a talented comedian with a winning personality." In 2004, he was featured in the spoken-word Lazyboy song, "Underwear Goes Inside the Pants."

Giraldo performed more than a dozen times on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, "Late Show with David Letterman", and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and appeared regularly on The Howard Stern Show. He has also appeared as a member of the panel in the NBC show The Marriage Ref.[3] He had two half-hour specials on Comedy Central Presents, wrote segments for Last Call with Carson Daly, and was a panelist on Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time special.

Giraldo said on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" on July 7, 2005, that he had quit drinking alcohol but was now addicted to sweettarts.[citation needed] His series Friday Night Stand-Up with Greg Giraldo began on Comedy Central in late 2005 and ran until 2006. His CD Good Day to Cross a River was released in 2006 by Comedy Central Records.

Giraldo appeared in Comedy Central's annual roasts,[3] roasting Chevy Chase, Pam Anderson, William Shatner, Jeff Foxworthy, Flavor Flav, Bob Saget, Joan Rivers, Larry the Cable Guy, and David Hasselhoff, as well as the TBS roast of Cheech & Chong.

Giraldo was a regular on Comedy Central's television series Lewis Black's Root of All Evil. Giraldo was one of the advocates lobbying for his side to be considered the "root of all evil." He won in two of his nine appearances. Giraldo served as a judge during season seven of the NBC reality competition show Last Comic Standing.[3]

In 2008, Giraldo appeared in venues across the United States as the headlining act of the Indecision '08 Tour, produced by Comedy Central. Midlife Vices, his only one-hour special for Comedy Central, was released in 2009.

Personal life

Giraldo was married twice, telling an interviewer in October 2009, "I got married when I was 23. And that didn't last very long at all."[2] In that same interview, he said he had been living apart from his second wife for a year and was in separation proceedings, and that his oldest son was age nine.[2] At the time of his death, he had three children and was divorced.[3][5]

Greg Giraldo was Catholic.

Death

On September 25, 2010, Giraldo overdosed on prescription medication.[6] After he failed to appear for a scheduled performance at the Stress Factory, police officers found him in his hotel room at the Hyatt Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and rushed him to nearby Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.[5] TMZ reported that he had been in a coma for five days when his family had life support removed.[7] He died on September 29, 2010.[5][8]

Tributes

On September 29, 2010 on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Jon Stewart honored Giraldo by playing a stand-up clip from Giraldo, in a one-time segment deemed "Moment of Greg".[9] On September 30, 2010, multiple comedians and celebrities expressed their sorrow for Giraldo's death on Twitter,[10] and Comedy Central posted a series of clips from Greg Giraldo past works titled "The Best of Greg Giraldo" on their website.[11]

Seth MacFarlane paid tribute to Giraldo during the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump in March 2011. Also did Jeff Ross at the end of his jokes, and Anthony Jeselnik towards the beginning of his.

On March 18, 2011, Comedy Central aired Give it up for Greg Giraldo, a one-hour television special honoring his memory in which multiple comedians, including Jon Stewart, Colin Quinn, Denis Leary, Sarah Silverman, Dave Attell, and Conan O'Brien, talked about his life, career, and memories. It also contained short clips of his roasts and other acts.[12] Mike DeStefano also appeared in the special, who deceased twelve days before its airing.[13]

Discography

References

  1. ^ TheWrap.com staff. "Comedy Central Mainstay Greg Giraldo Dead at 44" TheWrap.com. September 29, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Gadino, Dylan P. "Greg Giraldo: Comedy game plan in effect" (interview), Punchline, October 29, 2009. WebCitation archive.
  3. ^ a b c d e O'Connor, Anahad. "Greg Giraldo, Insult-Humor Comic, Dies at 44", The New York Times, September 30, 2010
  4. ^ "New York State Bar Directory"
  5. ^ a b c Coyle, Jake. "Stand-up Comedian Greg Giraldo Dies at 44", Associated Press, September 30, 2010. WebCitation archive.
  6. ^ Boyle, Christina, and Nancy Dillon. "Comedian Greg Giraldo, 44, Died from Accidental Overdose of Prescription Pills Wednesday: Report", New York Daily News, September 29, 2010. WebCitation archive.
  7. ^ TMZ article: "Greg Giraldo Death – Family Pulled Life Support.'
  8. ^ "Comedian Greg Giraldo Is Dead", TMZ.com, September 29, 2010. Accessdate September 30, 2010.
  9. ^ Tobey, Matt. "The Daily Show Remembers Greg Giraldo". Comedy Central Insider. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  10. ^ "The Comedy World Reacts". Comedy Central Insider. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  11. ^ "The Best of Greg Giraldo". Comedy Central Insider. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  12. ^ Tobey, Matt. "Tonight, Give It Up for Greg Giraldo". Comedy Central Insider. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  13. ^ Hevesi, Dennis. "Mike DeStefano, Stand-Up Comic, Is Dead".
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