10 of the Top Comedic Talents
By: Kenneth
Dinkajay802@aol.com
Comedy is created by true comedians. Anything else would be just a pointless joke. Laugh for laugh, pound for pound, these comedians have delivered infamous and blunt punch lines that have either made you cry in laughter or in bladder! Past comedians have made it possible for the comedians of today to garner a larger fan base through network television. By venturing off the stand-up stage, some made their way to prime time television as the stars of their own highly recognizable sitcoms and blockbuster big budget films. Compiled below is a small list of the past and present’s most famous comedians, based upon the public opinion of how influential and visible they have been to society. Comedy keeps us laughing throughout both tough and great times because of its raw honesty. These comedians were the creators.
TOP 10
1.) Richard Pryor.jpg)
Richard Pryor was one of the first comedians whose comedy conveyed a story. Known as the storyteller of comedy, Pryor was known for his honesty and blunt sense of humor when it came to his comedy. He was largely criticized for the use of offensive racial terms in his shows. Pryor was one of the first comedians who made it possible to portray numerous characters in a movie outside of variety shows.
2.) Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx was known most famously for his false heart attack routine, which would eventually lead to his realistic death. Foxx gained notable recognition for his successful sitcom Sanford & Son. The sitcom depicted the life a junkyard owner and his son. With his sharp and fast comedic timing, Foxx’s sitcom became hugely famous.
3.) Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby, unlike his other famous comedic peers, abstains from the use of offensive or graphic language in his routines. With his recognizably famous sitcom The Cosby Show, Cosby changed the worldview of the family. The show illustrated how cohesive and successful the typical black family could be. Although known as a comedic genius, Cosby is also recognized as a doctor of education.
4.) Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy’s hilarious laughter and blunt stand up routines draw from topics ranging from his personal family members to other comedians (such as Bill Cosby). Murphy has a long resume that includes numerous top box office movies, such as The Nutty Professor (and its sequel) and Dr. Dolittle.
5.) Moms Mabley
Moms
Mabley was mostly recognized for her variety/vaudeville and stand- up comedic
shows in nationwide night clubs and theaters. Her personal struggles and
upbringing would become the material for her standup show. Mabley has reportedly
recorded over 20 comedic variety shows.
6.) Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is largely famous for her dramatic roles as Celie Johnson in The Color Purple, but it was her role in Ghost that earned her an Academy Award. Goldberg is one of few comedic talents who have earned an Oscar Best Supporting Actress. Goldberg is not only the first black American woman to host the Academy Awards, but she is also the only woman of any ethnicity to host the Academy Awards a total of five times solo.
7.) Flip Wilson.jpg)
Flip Wilson, star of The Flip Wilson Show, was one of the first variety shows to bear the name of its African American host. The Flip Wilson Show was groundbreaking for Wilson; it became not only the most popular variety show on television, it also became the second most popular show in the world. His show changed the stereotype of black people and because of that, television shows such as Good Times and The Jeffersons saw the light of day.
8.) Chris Rock
Unlike most other famous comedians, Chris Rock has had the most crossover success. Rock first received his start by committing himself to stand-up jobs and filling semi lead roles in movies. One of his most recognizable was as “Pookie” in New Jack City. Rock has changed the way comedians are viewed by venturing behind the camera as the producer of numerous projects. He was invited to host the Academy Awards in 2004, which earned him great reviews.
9.) Lawanda Page
Lawanda Page, who played the role of Aunt Ester on Sanford & Son, was one of many comedians who could go head to head with Foxx. Page was considered at times to be the female version of Redd Foxx, with the mouth reminiscent of a female sailor.
10.) Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx has crossed over from the comedy stage and roles to starring in more dramatic roles. In fact, Foxx was the first male comedian to win an Oscar for his role in the movie Ray, the biopic of singer Ray Charles. Foxx first got his start by doing stand up, which would eventually lead to a role as a cast member in the variety sketch show In Living Color.
Past comedians have made it possible for the comedians of today to garner a larger fan base…
Academy of Achievement, (2007, November
28). Whoopi Goldberg: The One Woman Show. Retrieved January 07, 2008, from The
Academy of Achievement Web site:
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/gol0bio-1
Gardner, Paula (1992). Wilson, Flip. Retrieved January 07, 2008, from The Museum
Of Broadcast Communication Web site:
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/wilsonflip/wilsonflip.htm
Jackson, Curtis (2001, January 01). Jackie "Moms" Mabely. Retrieved January 07,
2008, Web site:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=655
Image Links
http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/art-73444/Richard-Pryor
http://www.bsu.edu/news/media/11949/021503BillCosby2.jpg
http://fufusnax.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/moms2.JPG
http://www.tvland.com/photogallery/photos/Sanford115b.jpg
Past
comedians have made it possible for the comedians of today to garner a larger
fan base.
