Denis Leary

Denis Leary, born 1957 in Worcester, MA, is a multi-talented writer, director, comedian, and actor. Well known for his angsty, off-color humor, his career started on MTV during a comedy sketch where he ripped on REM. Best known as a stand-up comedian, he has released two full-length comedy albums, No Cure for Cancer and Lock'n'Load. Though admittedly not much of a musician, Leary's off-color song "Asshole" became extremely popular in 1994, reciving a great deal of noteriety both inside and outside the United States. However, the song's language kept it off of most major U.S. radio playlists, though it was huge on Australian radio stations.

Though he prefers stand-up, Denis Leary has acted in over 40 movies, even starring in some of them. His credits include The Sandlot, The Ref, Suicide Kings, and Demolition Man. His humor has also come through while voicing the characters of animated characters in Ice Age and A Bug's Life. Leary's career hasn't only been in comedy and acting though; he has produced numerous television shows, television specials, and movies (Including Blow) through his production company, named Apostle.

Though Leary was a long time friend with comedian Bill Hicks, the two had a falling out after Leary's release of No Cure for Cancer. Hicks accused Leary of stealing material, and their friendship ended quickly. Though Leary wanted to patch things up, Bill Hicks passed away in 1994. The issue was addressed in The Bill Hicks Story by Cynthia True, who also believed that Leary stole material from Hicks, though the controversy was never satisfactorily settled.

Denis Leary is also a bit of a philanthropist, founding the Leary Firefighters Foundation after his cousin and childhood friend were killed in a massive warehouse fire in Worchester, MA. The foundation has raised over 2.5 million dollars for fire departments in the area, providing equipment and facilities for the departments.

Though Leary's comedy is often sarcastic and full of angst, his rants rarely come down too hard on any one group. Though racial comedy has always been a hot button, Leary rarely delves into race. As he puts it, "Why hate someone for the color of their skin when there are much better reasons to hate them? Racism isn't born folks, it's taught. I have a two year old son. You know what he hates? Naps!"

Leary plans to continue to be a jack-of-all-trades in the entertainment business, bringing his humor to the stage, the big screen, and the small screen.