Bill Burr
American comedian (born 1968) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Frederick Burr (born June 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, actor, writer, and director.
Bill Burr | |
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Burr in July 2018 | |
| Born | William Frederick Burr June 10, 1968 Canton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Emerson College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | Nia Hill |
| Children | 2 |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium |
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| Genres | |
| Website | billburr |
Burr's most notable stand-up comedy specials include You People Are All the Same (2012), I'm Sorry You Feel That Way (2014), Walk Your Way Out (2017), and Paper Tiger (2019). He has also hosted the Monday Morning Podcast every Monday and Thursday since 2007, and co-founded the All Things Comedy network in 2012. He received a Grammy Award nomination for Paper Tiger and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the short-lived Quibi dark comedy series Immoral Compass (2021). In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked him 17th on its list of the "50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time".[1]
Burr created, co-wrote, and voiced the lead character in the Netflix animated sitcom F Is for Family (2015–2021). His other notable roles include various characters in Chappelle's Show (2004), Patrick Kuby in the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad (2011–2013), Migs Mayfeld in The Mandalorian (2019–present), and John F. Kennedy in the film Unfrosted (2024). He made his feature-length directorial debut as the co-writer, director, and star of the comedy film Old Dads (2023) and has had supporting roles in Daddy's Home (2015), Daddy's Home 2 (2017), and The King of Staten Island (2020). He made his Broadway debut in the 2025 revival of the David Mamet play Glengarry Glen Ross.
Early life
William Frederick Burr[2][time needed] was born in Canton, Massachusetts,[3] on June 10, 1968,[4] the son of nurse Linda Ann and dentist Robert Burr.[5] He is of German and Irish descent, and was raised Catholic.[6][7] He graduated from Canton High School in 1987.[8][9] After attending North Carolina State University for two semesters,[10] he graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in communications.[11][12] He worked in warehouses before starting his comedy career, later stating that he enjoyed the freedom of the job: "If my boss gave me a rough time, I could just get on a forklift and just, like, drive away."[13]
Career
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Perspective
Burr first performed stand-up comedy at the age of 23 on March 2, 1992.[14][time needed][15][time needed] He moved to New York City in 1994.[16] He started to appear in numerous shows performing standup such as Showtime at the Apollo in 2000, Comedy Central Presents in 2003, Just for Laughs in 2004, One Night Stand in 2005, and Live at Gotham in 2006. Also during this time, he co-starred in the TV series Townies in 1996, appeared in Two Guys and a Girl in 1998 and Law & Order: Criminal Intent in 2002. He gained prominence as a regular on Dave Chappelle's popular sketch comedy series Chappelle's Show in 2004 on Comedy Central.
On September 9, 2006, Burr performed at the Tweeter Center in Camden, New Jersey, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, as part of Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour. After the crowd booed several comedians before him, Burr took the stage, also receiving boos. Forgoing the rest of his planned material, Burr unleashed a 12-minute expletive-laden rant in which he repeatedly attacked the crowd and the city of Philadelphia, especially its sports teams.[17][18] "I was just annoyed because I was sitting there going like, this is one of the greatest comedy line-ups, as far as up-and-coming guys, that I've been around," Burr said. "And these fucking people are treating everyone like shit. And, you know, I'm a defensive, fucking angry dude anyways, so it was just the perfect storm."[19] By the rant's end, Burr managed to win over the majority of the crowd and received a standing ovation. In 2017, Burr expressed some regret over the incident, saying, "I wasn't a professional. What I should have done was I should have kept my head in the game to survive it."[19] The Huffington Post called the rant a "watershed moment in the history of comedy".[17]
Since May 2007, Burr has recorded a weekly one-hour podcast, Bill Burr's Monday Morning Podcast, in which he speaks about his experiences, current events, going on tour, and sports, and offers advice to questions submitted by the listeners. The podcast is available on Burr's website, Spotify, YouTube, and on the All Things Comedy network he co-founded in 2012. He is sometimes joined by his wife Nia Hill and has featured guests and interviews with other comedians.[citation needed] In the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV, Burr voiced Jason Michaels of the biker gang The Lost MC in the mission "No Love Lost". In 2009, he reprised his role in the game's expansion pack The Lost and Damned.
Burr also appears as a guest on radio shows and other comedians' podcasts, such as Opie and Anthony, You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes, The Adam Carolla Show,[20] The Joe Rogan Experience,[21][22] WTF with Marc Maron,[23] The Nerdist Podcast,[24] The Adam Buxton Podcast, and Nobody Likes Onions.[25][26] Burr was also the first guest on Tom Green's podcast. Burr's first hour-long special, Why Do I Do This? (2008), was filmed in New York.[27]
Burr's special Let it Go was recorded at The Fillmore in San Francisco and premiered on Comedy Central on September 18, 2010. That same year Burr appeared in the comedy film Date Night as Detective Walsh. On April 18, 2011, he guest hosted the Hollywood Babble-On podcast alongside Ralph Garman.[28] He also appeared in the fourth and fifth seasons of AMC's Breaking Bad as Patrick Kuby from 2011 to 2013.[29] A later special, You People Are All the Same, premiered in 2012 as a Netflix exclusive.[30] Burr's stand-up special You People Are All the Same (2012) was the first to premiere exclusively on Netflix. He played Mark Mullins in the 2013 buddy cop film The Heat. In 2014, Burr filmed his fourth hour-long special I'm Sorry You Feel That Way at the Tabernacle Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. Unusual for modern comedy specials, the film was shot in black and white.
All Things Comedy was officially launched on October 1, 2012, with a roster of 11 podcasts including Burr's own Monday Morning Podcast, The Long Shot Podcast by Eddie Pepitone, and Skeptic Tank by Ari Shaffir.[31][32] By 2014, the network had six dozen members and over 50 podcasts.[33][34] The network was started by comedians Al Madrigal and Bill Burr with The Daily Show on the All Things Comedy website.[35] The network was established as an artist owned cooperative, which Madrigal and Burr emphasize as an important aspect of the collective.[36] All Things Records was started in March 2014 and released three albums in the months following its creation including Believe in Yourself by Sam Tripoli, Live at the Comedy Castle by Brian Scolaro, and This Will Make an Excellent Horcrux by Jackie Kashian.[34] Madrigal sees the network as a way of improving representation of Latin American people in media.[37] For instance, the network hosts Spanish-language podcasts such as Leyendas Legendarias and El Dollop.[38][39][40] All Things Comedy also partnered with Comedy Central to produce a documentary about Patrice O'Neal in addition to three comedy specials.[41][42]
Burr voiced lead character Frank Murphy in F Is for Family, which premiered on Netflix on December 18, 2015. The show, an animated sitcom he created and co-wrote, drew on Burr's stand-up and the absurdity of political correctness. Season 4 of the series debuted on Netflix on June 12, 2020.[43] Burr writes and executive produces the series along with Michael Price.[44] Burr's fifth hour-long special, Bill Burr: Walk Your Way Out, debuted on Netflix on January 31, 2017. He appeared in the third episode (titled "Bill Burr") of the second season of the HBO series Crashing.[45]
Burr's sixth hour-long special, Paper Tiger, debuted on Netflix on September 10, 2019. He premiered a new podcast co-hosted with fellow comedian Bert Kreischer, called the Bill Bert Podcast, in October. In December, he played Migs Mayfeld in two episodes of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. In 2020, he appeared in Judd Apatow's comedy film The King of Staten Island, and promoted the film on October 10 by hosting NBC's Saturday Night Live for the first time.[46][47][48] In March 2022, it was announced that Burr would co-write, direct, and star in the comedy film Old Dads, his feature-length directorial debut; it was released on Netflix in 2023 to mixed reviews.[49] A few months later, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series nomination for the dark comedy series Immoral Compass (2021–present).[50] His seventh stand-up special, Live at Red Rocks, was released on July 12.[51]
On August 21, 2022, Burr became the first comedian to perform at Fenway Park, in front of a sold-out crowd of around 35,000 people[52] (although he did not count them himself to confirm[53]). It was also the largest comedy show in the history of Boston.[54] He has had sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 2015, and then again on November 11, 2023,[55][56][57] the Royal Albert Hall on June 6, 2018,[58] and consecutive shows on March 4 and 5, 2019.[59][60] He holds the record for the most consecutive sold-out shows at Boston's Wilbur Theatre, where he performed 19 sold-out shows in a row, almost doubling the record of 10 set by Aziz Ansari.[61] Burr sold out 20,000 seats at the Los Angeles Forum on September 28, 2018.[62][63] In September 2021, he sold out Red Rocks Amphitheatre.[64] In 2023, he performed at the 5,000-seat ancient Roman amphitheater, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, Greece.[65] In 2024, Bill performed in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 60,000 at Gillette Stadium where he followed Jay-Z for the Tom Brady 's Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony.[66][67]
In 2023, Burr had a cameo role as the voice of pastor Nick Saint Angelo in the episode "the wizard" of HBO series Barry. It was announced that Burr would make his Broadway debut in the 2025 revival of the David Mamet play Glengarry Glen Ross acting opposite Kieran Culkin and Bob Odenkirk.[68] Burr was recommended to director Patrick Marber for the production by Nathan Lane. Lane stated he was originally approached for the role but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts but stated, the revival had to have an "all star cast and the first person you should cast is Bill Burr" adding, "he's the leading comedian in America, a wonderful actor and sounds like a David Mamet-character".[69]
Style
Burr has been referred to as a "comedian's comedian" by observers of the American stand-up comedy circuit.[70][71] Rolling Stone magazine called him "the undisputed heavyweight champ of rage-fueled humor".[72] Burr often portrays himself as "that loud guy in the bar" with "uninformed logic".[73] In an interview with The Boston Globe, he stated, "I'm the 'dude, bro' guy."[3] According to the Montreal Gazette, he is "a cynic and a contrarian who has never paid any heed to political correctness".[74] The New York Times in 2013 called him "one of the funniest, most distinctive voices in the country for years".[75] In 2022, The Hollywood Reporter described the variety and effectiveness of Burr's comedy and referred to his "mastery of the medium".[76]
In 2013, Burr listed Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Sam Kinison, and Patrice O'Neal as the five greatest stand-up comedians of all time.[77]
Political views
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Perspective
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Burr's political statements have often garnered widespread attention. He supports gun control[78][79] and abortion rights,[80] though he stated in his 2022 stand-up special Live at Red Rocks that he has a "weird take" on the latter: "Pro-choice always made sense to me because I don't like people telling me what to do. And I always was just like, 'It's your body. Who the fuck am I to tell you what to do with your body?' [...] However, I still think you're killing a baby. That's where it gets weird."[81]
Burr has said that he believes political correctness fails to effectively address the problems it aims to fix, such as racism, because it only focuses on the words people use rather than changing their attitudes.[82] He has also said that political correctness has no answer for, or impact on, other major sociopolitical issues such as the power held by bankers and pharmaceutical executives.[83][84][85][86][87]
Burr voted for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in the 2000 presidential election.[88] He did not vote for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election as he had a negative opinion of both.[89] In 2021, he criticized Florida's Republican governor Ron DeSantis for removing mask requirements in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.[90]
Burr is an outspoken critic of billionaires and health insurance companies. He garnered attention for praising Luigi Mangione, who was charged for the December 2024 assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.[91] Clips of him shouting "free Luigi" during his January 2025 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and March 2025 appearance on Complex Networks' Sneaker Shopping both went viral,[92] as did an audio clip of him stating that billionaires should be "put down like rabid dogs" during a February 2025 episode of his Monday Morning Podcast.[93]
Personal life
Burr is married to Nia Renee Hill,[73][94] who sometimes appears as a guest on his podcast.[4] They reside in Los Angeles[6][75] and have two children: a daughter born in 2017[95] and a son born in 2020.[96]
Burr is a drummer[97] and licensed helicopter pilot.[98] He has named John Bonham, Dave Lombardo, and Nicko McBrain as his favorite drummers. He is a fan of rock and heavy metal bands such as AC/DC, Gojira,[99] Karnivool, Iron Maiden,[100] Meshuggah, Metallica, Ministry, Pantera, Slayer,[101] Tool, The Mars Volta, and Led Zeppelin. He enjoys smoking cigars.[102] He has been sober since 2018.[76]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Perfect Fit | Doorman | |
| 2002 | Passionada | Blackjack Player | |
| 2006 | Thirteen or Bust | Himself | |
| 2010 | Date Night | Detective Walsh | |
| 2011 | Cheat | Billy | Short |
| Give It Up for Greg Giraldo | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2012 | Stand Up Guys | Larry | |
| 2013 | The Heat | Mark Mullins | |
| 2014 | Zombeavers | Joseph | |
| Walk of Shame | Officer Walter | ||
| Black or White | Rick Reynolds | ||
| 2015 | Daddy's Home | Jerry | |
| 2017 | Daddy's Home 2 | ||
| 2017 | Gilbert | Himself | Documentary |
| 2018 | The Front Runner | Pete Murphy | |
| 2020 | The King of Staten Island | Ray Bishop | |
| The Opening Act | Barry | ||
| 2021 | The Guilty | Nightclub Caller (voice) | |
| Back Home Again | Officer Quill (voice) | Short | |
| 2022 | Dog | Officer O'Shaughnessy | |
| 2023 | Old Dads | Jack Kelly | Also director and co-writer |
| Leo | Squirtle (voice) | [103] | |
| Steve-O's Bucket List | Himself (guest) | ||
| 2024 | Drugstore June | Dr. Weisman | |
| Unfrosted | John F. Kennedy | ||
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Townies | Ryan Callahan | Main cast |
| 1998 | Two Guys and a Girl | Fitzey | Episode: "Two Guys, a Girl and a Party" |
| 2000 | Showtime at the Apollo | Himself | Episode: "Episode #14.8" |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Jogger | Episode: "Maledictus" |
| 2003 | Comedy Central Presents | Himself | Episode: "Bill Burr" |
| I Love the '80s Strikes Back | Episode: "1980" | ||
| 2004 | Chappelle's Show | Various Characters | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Himself | Recurring cast | |
| Just for Laughs | Episode: "Bill Burr" | ||
| 2005 | One Night Stand | ||
| Weekends at the D.L. | Episode #1.15 | ||
| 2006 | Jamie Foxx Presents Laffapalooza | Episode: "Laffapalooza Volume 7" | |
| Live at Gotham | Himself/Host | Episode #1.4 | |
| 2008 | Down and Dirty with Jim Norton | Himself | Episode #1.3 |
| 2010 | Just for Laughs | Episode: "Cheech & Chong" | |
| 2011 | Dave's Old Porn | Episode: "Bill Burr/Nina Hartley" | |
| 2011–13 | Breaking Bad | Patrick Kuby | Recurring cast (seasons 4–5) |
| 2012 | Funny as Hell | Himself | Episode #2.3 |
| 2013 | Inside Joke at Moontower | 2 episodes | |
| 2013–16 | New Girl | Bobby | Guest cast (season 2 & 5) |
| 2014 | Maron | Himself | Episode: "The Joke" |
| Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee | Episode: "Smoking Past the Band" | ||
| Wicked Bites | Episode: "Comics Come Home XX" | ||
| 2014–15 | Kroll Show | Detective Smart | Recurring cast (season 2–3) |
| 2015 | The Jim Gaffigan Show | Himself | Episode: "My Friend the Priest" |
| The Art of... | Episode: "The Art of Comedy" | ||
| 2015–21 | F Is for Family | Frank Murphy (voice) | Main cast; also co-creator |
| 2016 | The Simpsons | Boston Football Fan (voice) | Episode: "The Town" |
| 2018 | Crashing | Himself | Episode: "Bill Burr" |
| Jay Leno's Garage | Episode: "Living the Dream" | ||
| 2019 | The Chef Show | Episode: "Gwyneth Paltrow/Bill Burr" | |
| 2019–20 | The Mandalorian | Migs Mayfeld | Guest cast (season 1–2) |
| 2020 | Jay Leno's Garage | Himself | Episode: "Dare to be Different" |
| Saturday Night Live | Himself/Host | Episode: "Bill Burr/Jack White" | |
| The Comedy Store | Himself | Main cast | |
| 2020–22 | Puppy Dog Pals | Butch (voice) | Guest cast (season 3 & 5) |
| 2021 | Reservation Dogs | Garrett Bobson | Episode: "California Dreamin'" |
| 30 for 30 | Himself | Episode: "Once Upon a Time in Queens, Part 3 & 4" | |
| Immoral Compass | Rick | Main cast | |
| 2022 | George Carlin's American Dream | Himself | Episode: "Part 1" |
| 2023 | Barry | Pastor Nick Saint Angelo (voice) | Episode: "the wizard" |
| 2024 | Saturday Night Live | Himself/Host | Episode: "Bill Burr/Mk.gee" |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Glengarry Glen Ross | Dave Moss | Palace Theatre, Broadway | [104] |
Podcast
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2007–present | Monday Morning Podcast | Himself (host) |
| 2010, 2021 | Your Mom's House | Himself (guest) |
| 2021–present | Anything Better? | Himself (co-host) |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV | Jason Michaels (voice) |
| 2009 | Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned |
Comedy albums and specials
| Year | Title | Notes | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Emotionally Unavailable | CD release | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Comedy Central Presents | Stand-up half hour | New York City, New York | |
| 2005 | One Night Stand | New York City, New York | |
| 2008 | Why Do I Do This? | Image Entertainment | New York City, New York |
| 2010 | Let It Go | Netflix special | San Francisco, California |
| 2012 | You People Are All the Same | Netflix special | Washington, D.C. |
| 2014 | Live At Andrew's House | Limited vinyl release | New York City, New York |
| I'm Sorry You Feel That Way | Netflix special | Atlanta, Georgia | |
| 2017 | Walk Your Way Out | Netflix special | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 2019 | Paper Tiger | Netflix special | London, UK |
| 2021 | Live From Madison Square Garden | Vinyl release | New York City, New York |
| 2022 | Friends Who Kill[51] | Netflix special | Los Angeles, California |
| Live at Red Rocks[51] | Netflix special | Morrison, Colorado | |
| 2025 | Drop Dead Years | Hulu special[105] | Seattle, Washington |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Project | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Grammy Award | Best Comedy Album | Paper Tiger | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Actor in a Short form Series | Immoral Compass | Nominated | |
References
External links
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