Garry Shandling Biography

Fast Facts

• Wrote scripts for Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter in the mid-1970s
• Starred in the innovative sitcom It's Garry Shandling's Show from 1986 to '90, in which, from time to time, he spoke directly to the camera
• Was offered permanent guest-hosting duties on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, but instead used his guest-hosting experiences as material for his portrayal of a talk show host on his HBO sitcom The Larry Sanders Show (1992-98)
• Filed a lawsuit against his former manager Brad Grey in 1998 for $100 million
• A settlement was reached in 1999
• Hosted the Emmy Awards in 2000 and '04
• After a long absence, he returned to the silver screen when Jon Favreau offered him a role in the action flick Iron Man 2 (2010)