George Wallace (American comedian)
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| George Wallace | |
|---|---|
 Wallace in 2014 | |
| Birth name | George Henry Wallace |
| Born | July 21, 1952 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Parent(s) | George Wallace Sr. (father) Mary Lou Wallace (mother) |
| Relative(s) | Steve Wallace (nephew) |
| Website | georgewallace |
George Henry Wallace[1] (born July 21, 1952) is an American comedian and actor.
Early life and education[edit]
Wallace was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Mary Lou and George Wallace Sr. Wallace was educated at Lynwood Park Elementary School and Lynwood Park High School. His mother died when he was sixteen, prompting him to move to Ohio where he found a job with Firestone Tire. As part of the company's tuition reimbursement program, Wallace enrolled in the University of Akron, in Akron, Ohio. He studied transportation, marketing and advertising.
Career[edit]
Upon graduating college, Wallace moved to New York City to pursue his childhood dream of being a comedian. Initially, success in comedy proved elusive and Wallace worked as a salesman for an advertising agency to pay the bills.
Wallace's break came when one of his clients opened a comedy club. The club owner was amused by Wallace's natural humor and friendly demeanor and offered him the chance to perform stand-up comedy. In 1977, Wallace walked on stage for the first time, wearing a preacher's robe and calling himself The Right Reverend Dr. George Wallace. His routine was completely improvised. He stayed in New York City for several years, perfecting his craft and living with friend and fellow comedian Jerry Seinfeld.[2]
In 1978, Wallace moved to the West Coast, where he quickly became recognized as a talented young comedian. After one of his performances, producers from The Redd Foxx Show asked him to write for the popular series. However, after only one year of writing, Wallace returned to the stage. He became a regular at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, California, which also featured artists including Richard Pryor, Rodney Dangerfield, Roseanne Barr, Jay Leno and Robin Williams. Wallace also took his comedy show on the road, opening for George Benson, Diana Ross, Donna Summer and Smokey Robinson, among others.
Wallace was named the Best Male Standup Comedian during the 1995 American Comedy Awards. He has explained that his routines are inspired by everyday moments of life. His social commentary proved popular with radio audiences as well. Wallace was a regular on the Tom Joyner Morning Show before joining Isaac Hayes on a popular radio program on the former WRKS radio station in New York City. He also starred in his own HBO special and has appeared on many television shows, including The Tonight Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Late Night with David Letterman.
On May 3, 2006, Wallace performed his most famous stand-up bit, which was a diatribe against the young generation's obsession with allowances with the oft-cited catchphrase of "Get Your Mess Right." While Wallace often jokes about the flippancy of modern youth culture (often citing the "dumb dumbs on their smart phones") this one joke in particular resonated with his audience, and he repeats it at every show.[3]
In December 2007, Wallace suffered an onstage injury when he fell during a private-party performance at the Bellagio resort hotel and casino in Las Vegas. He sued the Bellagio, claiming negligence after tripping over loose wires on stage. In April 2014, a Las Vegas jury found in favor of Wallace and awarded him US $1.3 million.[4]
After winning his case against the Bellagio, Wallace announced that he would end his 10-year run as a Las Vegas headliner to pursue other projects. "There are so many things to do. It's time to get into something new."[5]
Personal life[edit]
Wallace has had political ambitions. In 2006, he considered running for mayor of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. Wallace stated that as mayor, he would update the Las Vegas Strip, with an easy-to-use monorail, close the strip to vehicles, and expand the road system behind the Strip hotels.[6]
He was the best man at comedian Jerry Seinfeld's wedding.[7]
Wallace's nephew, Steve Wallace, played professional football with the San Francisco 49ers[8] and Kansas City Chiefs.
Filmography[edit]
Wallace has had supporting roles in a number of films, including 3 Strikes and the Coen Brothers film The Ladykillers (2004, as Sheriff Wyner). Wallace also appeared in Batman Forever (1995) as the Mayor of Gotham City. Other film credits include A Rage in Harlem (1991), The Wash (2001), Punchline (1988), Things Are Tough All Over (1982), Postcards from the Edge (1990), and Mr. Deeds (2002).
Wallace made a brief appearance in the sitcom Scrubs episode "My Words of Wisdom" (2007), and in the sitcom Seinfeld episode "The Checks", where he played the doctor that was distracted by the song "Witchy Woman". He also appeared in the introduction scene to the home video release of Jerry Seinfeld: I'm Telling You for the Last Time - Live on Broadway (1999) as a fictionalized version of himself. He portrayed a man in a retirement home in The Last Laugh (2019) and starred as the Mayor in Hubie Halloween (2020).
Film[edit]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Things Are Tough All Over | The Champ | |
| 1988 | Punchline | Man with Arm in Cast | |
| 1989 | Bert Rigby, You're a Fool | Bartender | |
| 1991 | A Rage in Harlem | Grave Digger | |
| 1992 | Bebe's Kids | Card Player #4 | |
| 1995 | Batman Forever | The Mayor | |
| 1997 | Meet Wally Sparks | Bartender | |
| 1999 | Catfish in Black Bean Sauce | James | |
| 2000 | 3 Strikes | Mr. Douglas | |
| Little Nicky | Mayor Randolph | ||
| 2001 | The Wash | Mr. Washington | |
| 2002 | Mr. Deeds | NAACP Administrator | |
| 2004 | The Ladykillers | Sheriff Wyner | |
| 2014 | Shirin in Love | Officer Henderson | |
| Think Like a Man Too | Randy the Dealer | ||
| 2016 | Jerico | Greg Parsons | |
| 2017 | Grow House | Mark White | |
| Just Getting Started | Larry | ||
| 2018 | Nappily Ever After | Driver | |
| George Wallace: The Vegas Bootleg | Himself | Director | |
| 2019 | The Last Laugh | Johnny Sunshine | |
| 2020 | Hubie Halloween | Mayor Benson | |
| 2023 | James the Second | McMurray | |
| TBA | The Ogilvy Fortune | Ziggy | Pre-production |
| Garage Sale | Grandpa | Short film Pre-production | |
Television[edit]
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | The Dom DeLuise Show | George Henry Wallace | 1 episode |
| 1991 | The Sunday Comics | Himself | |
| 1993 | Tall Hopes | George Harris | Main role; 6 episodes |
| 1994 | In the Heat of the Night | Tommy Ammons | Season 8, episode 3: "Who Was Geli Bendl?" |
| 1995 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Season 6, episode 5: "The Script Formerly Known As..." | |
| 1996 | Seinfeld | Doctor | Season 8, episode 7: "The Checks" |
| C-Bear and Jamal | Hawthorne Wingo | Voice 6 episodes | |
| 1996-2001 | Arliss | George Wallace / Father / Deacon Delbert Henry | 3 episodes |
| 1997 | [Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child]] | Farmer | Season 2, episode 26: "Mother Goose: A Rappin' and Rhymin' Special" |
| 1997-1998 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Baba Mustafa / Farmer | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Moesha | Game Show Host | Season 4, episode 7: "A Terrible Thing Happened on My Tour of College" |
| Jenny | Guy Hathaway | Unaired Episode 13: "A Girl's Gotta Make Room for Daddy: Part 1" | |
| 2002 | Santa Jr. | Norm Potter | TV movie |
| 2002-2003 | The Parkers | Quincy / Quincy DeJohn | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Wanda at Large | Jimmy | Season 2, episode 8: "Back to the Club" |
| 2004 | Like Family | Bill, Tayna's Father | Episode 14: "Daddy Knows Best" |
| 2007 | Scrubs | Minister | Season 6, episode 16: "My Words of Wisdom" |
| Larry the Cable Guy's Christmas Spectacular | Wiseman | ||
| Tyler Perry's House of Payne | Jimmy | Season 2, episode 7: "Crazy In Love" | |
| 2009 | Funny People | George Wallace | |
| 2011 | The Hot 10 | 1 episode | |
| The Life & Times of Tim | Dante | Voice Season 3, episode 1: "The Model from Newark/Tim's Hair Looks Amazing" | |
| 2012 | Sullivan & Son | Leroy Williams | Season 1, episode 4: "Who's Your Daddy" |
| 2015 | The Soul Man | Clyde | Season 4, episode 9: "Who Let the Dog In?" |
| Drunk History | Bill Russell | Season 3, episode 5: "Cleveland" | |
| Gigi Does It | Melvin Schlanger | Episode 5: "Eat Something" | |
| 2015-2018 | K.C. Undercover | Poppa Earl Cooper / Poppa Ear1 | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Horace and Pete | George | "Episode 10" |
| 2017 | Detroiters | Freddie "Motown" Brown | Season 1, episode 4: "Devereux Wigs" |
| Mann & Wife | Poppa Bo | Season 3, episode 5: "Come On, Mann!" | |
| Heaven's Waiting Room | Big Al | ||
| 2017-2019 | Funny You Should Ask | Himself | Panelist 6 episodes |
| 2018-2019 | Bob's Burgers | Mr. Huggins | Voice 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Mike Tyson Mysteries | Leonard | Season 4, episode 18: "The Stein Way" |
| 2021 | The Premise | Principal Wallace | Episode 3: "The Ballad of Jesse Wheeler" |
| 2022 | Atlanta | Greg | Season 3, episode 9: "Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga" |
| Everything's Trash | Abraham | ||
| TBA | Clean Slate | Henry | 1 episode - Writer and producer |
Podcast[edit]
| Podcast | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Adam Sandler's Audio Skits | Skipper Jenkins | Season 3, episode 6: "The Champion" |
Bibliography[edit]
- Wallace, George; Ewen, Dan (2013). Laff It Off!. Chaite Press. ASIN B00FY0NOO0.
References[edit]
- ^ Gurian, Jeffrey (December 18, 2012). Make 'Em Laugh: 35 Years of the Comic Strip, the Greatest Comedy Club of All. ISBN 9781620878682. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Walkow, Brett. "Part 1 – Interview with comedian George Wallace". ActorsReporter.com. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ "George Wallace Has His Mess Right". Affotd.com. August 15, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ Geer Thevenot, Carri (April 8, 2014). "Las Vegas jury awards comedian George Wallace $1.3 million in suit against Bellagio". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- ^ Jones, Jay (April 14, 2014). "Las Vegas: Comedian George Wallace to end 10-year run on the Strip". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- ^ Wallace, George (August 23, 2006). "The Roe Conn Show". WLS (AM) (Interview). Interviewed by Roe Conn.
- ^ Osborn, Dave (August 19, 2015). "Seinfeld best friend George Wallace goes on tour after decade-long run in Sin City". Naples Daily News. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- ^ Baird, Kirk (August 30, 2002). "World of Wallace". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- George Wallace discography at Discogs
- George Wallace at IMDb
- George Wallace interview on Vegas Video Network
| General | |
|---|---|
| National libraries | |
- 1952 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American comedians
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American male writers
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- Las Vegas shows
- Male actors from Atlanta
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- People from Atlanta
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- University of Akron alumni
- Writers from Atlanta
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