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Garry ShandlingAmerican comedian, actor, writer and screenwriter
Date of Birth: 29.11.1949
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Garry Shandling
Garry Shandling (born November 29, 1949) was an American comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work on "The Garry Shandling Show" and "The Larry Sanders Show". Shandling began his career as a writer for comedy series such as "Sanford and Son" and "Welcome Back, Kotter".
In 1986, Shandling created his own project, "The Garry Shandling Show", which aired on the Showtime cable channel. The show was nominated for four Emmys, including one nomination for Shandling himself, and aired successfully until 1990. His next project was "The Larry Sanders Show", which aired on HBO from 1992 and was even more successful than his first attempt. Shandling was nominated for eighteen Emmys for this project and won once in 1998 for the final episode, which he co-wrote with Peter Tolan.
Throughout his thirty-year career, Shandling was nominated for nineteen Emmys, twice for the Golden Globe Awards, eleven times for the CableACE Awards, once for the BAFTA Award, twice for the Writers Guild of America Award, and twice for the Satellite Award.
Early Life
Garry Shandling was born into a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Muriel, was a pet store proprietor, and his father, Irvin, owned a printing service. Shandling grew up in Tucson, Arizona and had an older brother, Barry, who passed away from cystic fibrosis before Shandling turned eleven.
After high school, Shandling attended the University of Arizona, where he initially focused on electrical engineering but later switched to marketing. As an additional educational pursuit, he took screenwriting courses. In 1973, Shandling moved to Los Angeles and made connections in the comedy world, including with renowned comedian George Carlin.
Comedy Career
Shandling pursued stand-up comedy after becoming disillusioned with the rules of writing for comedy series. He made his debut performance in 1978 at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. His character was nervous, anxious, and on the verge of a mental breakdown. For several years, he performed across the country until catching the attention of talent scouts for "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. His appearance on the show was a success, and he even guest-hosted in 1981. Shandling and Joan Rivers frequently filled in for Carson until 1985.
In 1984, Shandling released his first special, "Garry Shandling: Alone in Vegas", which aired on Showtime. He followed it up with two more specials in subsequent years. Shandling's career as a writer also flourished during this time. He wrote episodes for various comedy series, including "Sanford and Son" (three episodes), "Welcome Back, Kotter" (one episode), and "The Harvey Korman Show" (one episode).
The Garry Shandling Show
Together with his colleague Alan Zweibel, Shandling created the surrealistic sitcom "It's Garry Shandling's Show". Seventy-two episodes aired on Showtime from 1985 to 1990, and later edited episodes were broadcast on Fox. One of the distinctive features of the show was the characters constantly breaking the fourth wall, addressing the viewers directly, and demonstrating awareness of their own existence within the television show. The concept was first used by Groucho Marx in 1930 and has been used by many comedians since then. However, Shandling built his entire show around this idea.
Shandling wrote scripts for fifteen episodes of the show, which was nominated for four Emmys. In 2009, the complete collection of the series was released on DVD and is still remembered and appreciated by fans.
