Sardonic, deadpan and drier than a desert at noon, this bespectacled satirist became such a popular correspondent on the mock-news series
The Daily Show that he earned his own spin-off. Growing up in South Carolina, Colbert suffered tragedy early on when his father and two of his 10 siblings were killed in a 1974 plane crash. He took solace in acting, and, after graduating from college with a theater degree, he joined Chicago's celebrated Second City, where he met Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello. The trio went on to create and star in two cult Comedy Central series: the critically acclaimed, if short-lived, sketch show
Exit 57, and the after-school-specials spoof
Strangers with Candy, which spawned a film of the same name. During his
Candy run, Colbert pulled double comedic duty on
The Daily Show, fashioning the unsmiling, uninformed conservative persona that became his trademark. In 2005, his Republican alter ego became the darling of the liberal set on
The Colbert Report, a parody of egotistical, Bill O'Reilly-type opinion shows.
Stephen Colbert Fast Facts:
- Youngest of 11 children.
- Deaf in one ear.
- Voiced Ace opposite Steve Carell's Gary on the animated "Ambiguously Gay Duo" sketches on Saturday Night Live.
- Has an extensive collection of The Lord of the Rings merchandise, including a Gandalf for President button.
- Popularized the fictional word "truthiness" after making it the Word of the Day on the debut episode of The Colbert Report; the American Dialect Society named it the Word of the Year in 2005.
- Delivered the 2006 commencement address at Illinois' Knox College, where he received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts.
- His scathing monologue at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner sparked a media frenzy and became a hot Internet download.
- Stephen Colbert Relationships:
- Edward Colbert - Brother
- James Colbert - Brother
- Jay Colbert - Brother
- John Colbert - Son
- Evelyn McGee - Wife
- Louis Colbert - Brother
- Madeline Colbert - Daughter
- Mary - Sister
- Morgan - Sister
- Paul Colbert - Brother
- Peter Colbert - Son
- Peter Colbert - Brother
- Thomas Colbert - Brother
- William Colbert - Brother
- Stephen Colbert Awards:
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program - Nominee
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program - Winner
- 2005 Emmy: Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program - Winner
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program - Winner
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program - Nominee
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program - Nominee
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program - Nominee
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Variety or Musical Series - Nominee
- 2008 Emmy: Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program - Nominee
- 2008 Emmy: Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2008 Emmy: Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program - Winner
- College:
- Attended Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (BA in Theater, 1986)
