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Barry CrimminsAmerican stand-up comedian
Date of Birth: 03.07.1953
Country:  USA |
Content:
Early Life
Barry Crimmins was born in Kingston, New York in a family of Margaret Hu and Philip "Phil" Crimmins, a traveling salesman. At the age of six, he and his family relocated to Skaneateles, New York. After graduating high school in 1971, he pursued stand-up comedy at Under the Stone before moving to Boston, Massachusetts, to further his comedic career.
Comedy Clubs
In 1979, Crimmins co-founded the comedy club Ding Ho in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in a Chinese restaurant near Inman Square. His booking there hosted performances by comedians such as Steven Wright, Paula Poundstone, Bobcat Goldthwait, Kevin Meaney, Jimmy Tingle, and many others. In the 1980s, he co-founded the Stitches comedy club in Boston.
Writing and Comedy
Crimmins' satirical writing and comedy routines focused on the need for political and social change. In the 1990s, he spearheaded a crusade against online child abuse imagery, calling for police investigations into the activities of Internet service providers. He received the "Peace Leadership Award" from Boston Mobilization for Survival, while Community Works honored him with the "Artist for Social Change" Award for his years of activism. Howard Zinn presented him with the "Courage of Conscience Award" from Wellesley College and the School for Lifelong Learning at the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts.
Crimmins was featured on Marc Maron's WTF podcast in 2013, discussing his personal life, career as a political activist, and his role in the Boston comedy scene. During a break in his London performances in 2016, he appeared on Stuart Goldsmith's podcast The Comedian's Comedian.
Film and Television
Crimmins participated in several film and television appearances, including the documentaries When Stand-Up Stood Up (2003), The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1988–1989), and Young Comedians All Star Reunion (1986). He released two albums: Strange Bedfellows on A&M Records and Kill the Messenger on Green Linnet. His articles were regularly published in the Boston Phoenix and other publications.
Crimmins' life and work in comedy and politics were the subject of the documentary film Call Me Lucky (2015), directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. On June 4, 2016, Crimmins filmed a comedy special titled Whatever Threatens You in Lawrence, Kansas, for Louis C.K.'s production company, Pig Newton.
Activism
Crimmins was a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who later became an activist working to combat pedophilia. He began exposing online pedophilia in the 1990s while living in Lakewood, Ohio. He spent hours on AOL chat rooms dedicated to outing predators, posing as a 12-year-old boy named "Sean."
In 1995, after turning over his evidence to the FBI, he testified before the U.S. Congress on internet pedophilia and the need for stronger enforcement of child abuse imagery laws. AOL eventually shut down its pedophilia and child abuse imagery chat rooms.
Crimmins endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President of the United States in 2016 during the Democratic Party primaries. In 2017, following the #MeToo campaign, Crimmins expressed his support for the movement, calling for increased awareness about workplace harassment.
Personal Life
Crimmins married Helen Crimmins (née Lessen), a photographer and font designer, in Chicago in August 2017. They resided in Syracuse, New York. In January 2018, he was diagnosed with cancer, and the prognosis was described as "not great." A few months earlier, Helen had been diagnosed with Stage IV non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Crimmins died of cancer on February 28, 2018, in Syracuse at the age of 64. His wife Helen announced his death from her Twitter account on March 1, stating: "Barry passed away peacefully yesterday with me and Bobcat. He would like everyone to know he cares deeply for humanity and wants you to continue the good fight for peace."
