Larry the Cable Guy
 |
| Larry the Cable Guy | |
|---|---|
 Larry in 2007 | |
| Birth name | Daniel Lawrence Whitney |
| Born | February 17, 1963 Pawnee City, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up comedy Television Film Radio Books |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Genres | Character comedy, redneck comedy, country comedy, observational comedy, satire |
| Subject(s) | Culture of the Southern United States, obesity, human sexuality, political correctness, self-deprecation, family, personal hygiene, food, heartburn |
| Spouse |
Cara Whitney (m. 2005) |
| Children | 2 |
| Notable works and roles | Blue Collar Comedy Tour Larry McCoy in Delta Farce Himself in Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector and Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy Larry in Witless Protection Mater in Cars, Cars 2, Cars 3, Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales, and Mater and the Ghostlight |
| Website | Official site |
Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17, 1963), better known by his stage name Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice artist, country music artist and former radio personality.[4]
He was one of the members of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which included Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Jeff Foxworthy (with whom he has starred on Blue Collar TV).
Larry has released seven comedy albums, of which three have been certified gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 copies. In addition, he has starred in three Blue Collar Comedy Tour–related films, as well as in Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, Delta Farce, and Witless Protection, as well as voicing Mater in the Cars franchise. Whitney's catchphrase "Git-R-Done!" is also the title of his book.
On January 26, 2010, the TV channel History announced that it was ordering a series starring Whitney called Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, in which he would explore the country and immerse himself in different lifestyles, jobs, and hobbies.[5] The first episode of the series aired on February 8, 2011.[6] The series finale aired August 28, 2013.
Early life
Whitney was born Daniel Lawrence Whitney in Pawnee City, Nebraska on February 17, 1963, where he was raised on a pig farm.[7] He is the son of Tom Whitney, a guitarist, entertainer, and Christian minister, and Shirley Whitney.[8] Whitney attended high school at The King's Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, in the late 1970s through 1980[9][10][11] where his father was The King's Academy's elementary school principal.[12]
Whitney graduated from Berean Christian School in West Palm Beach in 1982.[13] He went to college at Baptist University of America, and the University of Nebraska. He credits his roommates from Texas and Georgia for inspiring his imitation Southern accent.[14] He dropped out after his junior year after trying his hand at comedy.[14]
Career
Radio career
Whitney started his career in radio in the early 1990s when he made regular radio appearances via phone on the nationally syndicated program, The Ron and Ron Show, as well as other radio shows such as "The Bob and Tom show" The Chris Baker Show on KDGE and KEZO's The Todd and Tyler Show in Omaha, Nebraska, as well as the Kirk, Mark, and Lopez morning show on WIYY in Baltimore, Maryland. He was also a frequent guest on The Johnny Dare Morning Show on 98.9/KQRC, Kansas City.
He also appeared on WJRR in Orlando, Florida. He was brought to New England on Greg and the Morning Buzz on WHEB 100.3 and WGIR-FM 101.1 in Portsmouth and Manchester, New Hampshire, respectively, doing two commentaries a week.
Stand-up career
He started out using his real name and dressing in standard collared shirts and slacks a normal every day look. After it wasn't working he went away. Then he became famous after developing the Larry character, a personality that he now maintains throughout his stage act. The Larry character has a stereotypical redneck appearance and a thick Southern accent, recounts stories about his "family," and uses, among other common expressions, his own catchphrase "Git-R-Done!".
He says in interviews and in his autobiographical book GIT-R-DONE that he deliberately "turns on" the accent both on and off stage, because he may forget it if he kept his normal accent intact.[15] He uses catchphrase humor, including "Lord, I apologize, and be with the starvin' Pygmies in New Guinea. Amen" after telling jokes of questionable taste; and, "I don't care who ya are, that's funny right there" after jokes that evoke raucous laughter.
His first two comedy albums, Lord, I Apologize (2001) and The Right to Bare Arms (2005), have both been certified gold by the RIAA. A third album, Morning Constitutions, and its accompanying TV special were released in 2007.
Other work
Whitney was roasted in a Comedy Central special on March 15, 2009.[16]
On February 8, 2011, the première of his newest travelogue series, Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, was broadcast on the History Channel. A total of 4.1 million viewers, 1.7 million adults 25–54, tuned in, nearly doubling the total for the "Top Shot" season 2 opener.[17] During season two in the episode "Larry Goes To Washington", Whitney was the first on-air talent from a non-news crew allowed in the War Room, also known as the Command Center, as he explained during the program.
June 2012 Disneyland's California Adventure theme park's "Cars Land" features a ride called "Mater's Junkyard Jamboree" that features Whitney's voice as his character Mater from the Disney/Pixar Cars movies.[18]
Bektrom Foods of North Dakota developed a line of Larry the Cable Guy food products, such as boxed hamburger dinners, with some of the proceeds from its sales benefiting the "Git-R-Done Foundation".[19][20]
Personal life
Whitney resides in Lincoln, Nebraska, on a 180-acre (73 ha) farm. On July 3, 2005, he married his wife, Cara. They have two children together: a son (born August 2, 2006) and a daughter (born October 29, 2007). His hometown of Pawnee City, Nebraska has a street named after him. Whitney also donated money to buy new theatrical equipment for the local high school.[21]
Whitney is an avid Nebraska Cornhuskers football fan. His signature camouflage hat has the University of Nebraska-Lincoln nickname "HUSKERS" emblazoned on it which can be seen in the 2007 film Delta Farce. He is also frequently seen with a gold Nebraska "N" on a chain around his neck.
In September 2010, Whitney donated $5 million to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Florida. The gift was for further development of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute at the Orlando hospital. After Dr. Chad Price at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children helped cure their son, Wyatt, of his dysplasia when he was an infant, Whitney and his wife, Cara, made private donations to the hospital and Whitney raised money through appearances on Family Feud and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.
The hospital opened a new wing called the "Wyatt Whitney Wing" in May 2012.[22]
Whitney is close friends with contemporary comedian Lewis Black, despite dissimilar political views, background, and material they perform in their stand-up routines.[23]
Radio shows
Whitney was a radio personality on Blue Collar Radio on Sirius XM Radio.
Discography
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Comedy | US Country | US | |||
| Law and Disorder[24] |
|
— | — | — | |
| Salutations and Flatulations[25] |
|
— | — | — | |
| Lord, I Apologize |
|
1 | 53 | — |
|
| A Very Larry Christmas |
|
1 | 8 | 43 |
|
| The Right to Bare Arms |
|
1 | 1 | 7 |
|
| Morning Constitutions |
|
1 | 5 | 16 | |
| Christmastime in Larryland |
|
1 | 12 | 42 | |
| On the CanA |
|
7 | 50 | — | |
| Tailgate Party |
|
1 | 19 | 71 | |
| The Best of Larry the Cable Guy |
|
4 | 72 | — | |
| Them Idiots: Whirled Tour (with Bill Engvall and Jeff Foxworthy) |
|
1 | 45 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
- A Box set consisting of The Right to Bare Arms, Christmastime in Larryland, and Morning Constitutions.
Filmography
Film & Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie | Valak | Documentary |
| 2004 | Larry the Cable Guy: Git-R-Done | TV movie | |
| Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again | TV documentary | ||
| 2004–2006 | Blue Collar TV | Various | 46 episodes |
| 2006 | Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector | Larry | Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Actor |
| Cars | Mater | Voice | |
| Mater and the Ghostlight | Short film; voice | ||
| Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road | Himself | TV movie | |
| 2007 | Delta Farce | Larry | |
| 2008 | Witless Protection | Deputy Larry Stalder | Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Actor Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with Jenny McCarthy) |
| 2008–2012 | Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales | Mater | 11 episodes; voice |
| 2009 | The Comedy Central Roast of Larry the Cable Guy | Himself | |
| Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? | Episode: "3.13" | ||
| Larry the Cable Guy's Hula-Palooza Christmas Luau | TV movie | ||
| 2010 | Larry the Cable Guy: Tailgate Party | ||
| 2011 | Cars 2 | Mater | Voice |
| 2011–2013 | Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy | Himself | |
| 2012 | Them Idiots: Whirled Tour | ||
| Tooth Fairy 2 | Larry Guthrie | ||
| 2013 | A Madea Christmas | Buddy | Nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with Tyler Perry) |
| 2013–present | Cars Toons: Tales From Radiator Springs | Mater | 2 episodes; voice |
| 2014 | Jingle All the Way 2 | Larry Phillips | Direct-to-video |
| 2016 | Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy: We've Been Thinking | Himself | Documentary |
| 2017 | Cars 3 | Mater | Voice |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Larry the Cable Guy's Christmas Spectacular | TV movie |
| 2011–2012 | Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy | 19 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Cars | Mater | Voice |
| 2007 | Cars Mater-National Championship | ||
| 2009 | Cars Race-O-Rama | ||
| 2011 | Cars 2 | ||
| 2012 | Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure | ||
| 2013 | Disney Infinity | ||
| 2014 | Cars: Fast as Lightning | ||
| 2014 | Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes | ||
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 |
References
- ^ "Larry the Cable Guy gives $5 million to hospital". Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "Cara Whitney Biography". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Biography for Larry the Cable Guy at IMDb
- ^ "Larry the Cable Guy". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ "History orders Larry the Cable Guy series". Reuters. January 26, 2010.
- ^ "Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy – episodes". History Channel.
- ^ "Larry The Cable Guy Biography". Cmt.com. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ "For Pig Farmer-Turned Superstar, Life is All About Faith, Family and Football - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site". Huskers.com. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
- ^ "5 Reasons to See Larry the Cable Guy at the Kravis". Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ "The King's Academy 1980 Yearbook, page 59" (PDF). Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ "The King's Academy 1979 Yearbook, page 63" (PDF). Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ "The King's Academy 1980 Yearbook, page 23" (PDF). Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ "Larry the Cable Guy brings football back to alma mater". Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ a b William Booth (September 5, 2004). "Guffaw Guys". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ An Interview with Larry the Cable Guy, Dead-Frog.com, June 15, 2005
- ^ "Comedy Central To Rip More Than Flannel Sleeves – Network To Roast Larry The Cable Guy". Comedycentral.com. May 26, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ ‘Only In America with Larry the Cable Guy’ Premieres to 4.1 Million Viewers; ‘Top Shot’ S2 Premieres to 2.8 Million. Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com (February 9, 2011). Retrieved on 2012-07-23.
- ^ Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. Disneyland.disney.go.com. Retrieved on 2012-07-23.
- ^ "Bektrom Foods, Inc.: Larry the Cable Guy". Bektrom Foods, Inc. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
- ^ Hatt, Elizabeth Louise (January 4, 2012). "Store Brands Stay Strong". Grocery Headquarters magazine. New York, NY.
- ^ Jeff Korbelik / Gzo (July 3, 2009). "Larry the Cable Guy still has hometown pride". Journalstar.com. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ Taylor, Gary. (September 26, 2010) Larry the Cable Guy gives , million to hospital – Orlando Sentinel. Articles.orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved on 2012-07-23.
- ^ "Interview with comedian Lewis Black - Albany Student Press - University of Albany". Albany Student Press. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
- ^ "Law and Disorder". Discogs. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ^ "Salutations and Flatulations". Discogs. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ^ "American album certifications – Larry the Cable Guy – The Right to Bare Arms". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
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