Dom Irrera
Encyclopedia
Domenick Jack Irrera originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, is a stand-up comedian. Much of his material is in the form of stories about his life, especially his childhood years and growing up in an Italian-American family, which contributes to the "natural" feel of his performances.
Nominated six times for an American Comedy Award, Dom Irrera's stand-up material was honed in a multi-generational Italian household in South Philadelphia with his mother, sister, grandmother, uncles and cousins all under one very big roof. A great-grandmother even lived across the street. Together there were three floors and four generations of family.
His first big break was his performance on Rodney Dangerfield
's Nothing Goes Right comedy specials for HBO. In 1989, Irrera's own HBO One Night Stand earned him his first CableACE award for Best Stand-Up Comedy Special. In 1995, he won a second CableACE for the Showtime stand-up series he hosted, Full Frontal Comedy. That same year he received a second CableACE nomination in the writing category for his work on Comedy Central
's animated series, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
. He also starred in a solo stand-up special for HBO in 1992 titled Command Performance.
He has performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
, The Late Show with David Letterman
, Late Night with Conan O'Brien
, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The View, and has made several appearances on "Oprah
". Recent credits include an all-new stand-up
special titled "Comedy Central Presents", which aired on the cable network this past summer. As an avid sports fan, he hosted four seasons of Comedy Central's irreverent football show Offsides, where he conducted hilarious on-the-field interviews with football greats. He also hosted Comedy Central
's Behind the Scenes at the American Comedy Awards specials in 1998 and 1999. Irrera was a series regular on the 1998 FOX comedy Damon starring Damon Wayans
and his guest-star credits include Seinfeld
(he played an annoying prop comic needling Jerry in the memorable episode), Becker
, Everybody Loves Raymond
and King of Queens. In addition, Dom voices the character Ernie, the demolitions expert, on Nickelodeon
's Hey Arnold. His film work includes a featured role in Robert Townsend
's Hollywood Shuffle
, a cameo
in the Coen Brothers
film The Big Lebowski
, The Fourth Tenor, starring old pal Rodney Dangerfield, and he played himself in the Rodney Dangerfield / Dom De Luise film The Godson.
Dom has performed at Montreal
's prestigious "Just For Laughs
Festival" and "The Cat Laughs
Festival" in Kilkenny
, Ireland (he's made more appearances at both festivals than any other American comic), He also has performed at the "Melbourne
Comedy Festival" in Australia and at "Edinburgh Festival's" Assembly Hall
. It was there that he received the "Herald Award" for artistic excellence.
Irrera has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show
, The View, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
, and Late Show with David Letterman
, and has made numerous cameo appearances on TV shows.
Irrera is a regular performer at the Cat Laughs
in Kilkenny
; he has made 15 appearances at the festival – more than any other comic. Irrera made 11 appearances as himself on the animated series Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
, and is the only comic to appear in all six seasons. He was voted one of the hundred funniest comics of all time by Comedy Central
. He is currently the Judge on the Supreme Court of Comedy on the 101 exclusively on directv.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, is a stand-up comedian. Much of his material is in the form of stories about his life, especially his childhood years and growing up in an Italian-American family, which contributes to the "natural" feel of his performances.
Nominated six times for an American Comedy Award, Dom Irrera's stand-up material was honed in a multi-generational Italian household in South Philadelphia with his mother, sister, grandmother, uncles and cousins all under one very big roof. A great-grandmother even lived across the street. Together there were three floors and four generations of family.
His first big break was his performance on Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield , was an American comedian, and actor, known for the catchphrases "I don't get no respect!," "No respect, no respect at all... that's the story of my life" or "I get no respect, I tell ya" and his monologues on that theme...
's Nothing Goes Right comedy specials for HBO. In 1989, Irrera's own HBO One Night Stand earned him his first CableACE award for Best Stand-Up Comedy Special. In 1995, he won a second CableACE for the Showtime stand-up series he hosted, Full Frontal Comedy. That same year he received a second CableACE nomination in the writing category for his work on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's animated series, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist is an American animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999,–with a final set of three shelved episodes airing in 2002–starring Jonathan Katz, Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman...
. He also starred in a solo stand-up special for HBO in 1992 titled Command Performance.
He has performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
, The Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
, Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The View, and has made several appearances on "Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
". Recent credits include an all-new stand-up
special titled "Comedy Central Presents", which aired on the cable network this past summer. As an avid sports fan, he hosted four seasons of Comedy Central's irreverent football show Offsides, where he conducted hilarious on-the-field interviews with football greats. He also hosted Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's Behind the Scenes at the American Comedy Awards specials in 1998 and 1999. Irrera was a series regular on the 1998 FOX comedy Damon starring Damon Wayans
Damon Wayans
Damon Kyle Wayans is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, one of the Wayans brothers.-Early life:Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager...
and his guest-star credits include Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
(he played an annoying prop comic needling Jerry in the memorable episode), Becker
Becker (TV series)
Becker is an American television sitcom that ran from 1998 to 2004 on CBS. Set in the New York City borough of The Bronx, the show starred Ted Danson as John Becker, a misanthropic doctor who operates a small practice and is constantly annoyed by his patients, co-workers, friends, and practically...
, Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
and King of Queens. In addition, Dom voices the character Ernie, the demolitions expert, on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's Hey Arnold. His film work includes a featured role in Robert Townsend
Robert Townsend
Robert Townsend is an American actor, comedian, film director, and writer.-Biography:Townsend was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Shirley and Robert Townsend. Raised by a single mom of four children on welfare, Townsend overcame his adversities to be at the top of the entertainment business...
's Hollywood Shuffle
Hollywood Shuffle
Hollywood Shuffle is a 1987 comedy film that satirizes the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. The film tracks the attempts of Bobby Taylor to become a successful actor and the mental and external roadblocks he encounters, represented through a series of interspersed...
, a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the Coen Brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
film The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeff Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler, who is referred to as "The Dude". After a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is introduced to a millionaire also named...
, The Fourth Tenor, starring old pal Rodney Dangerfield, and he played himself in the Rodney Dangerfield / Dom De Luise film The Godson.
Dom has performed at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
's prestigious "Just For Laughs
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
Festival" and "The Cat Laughs
Cat Laughs
The Cat Laughs Comedy Festival is a comedy festival held over the first weekend in June each year in Kilkenny, Ireland. It was founded in 1994 in response to the burgeoning wealth of Irish comic talent with no clear national outlet for expression...
Festival" in Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
, Ireland (he's made more appearances at both festivals than any other American comic), He also has performed at the "Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Comedy Festival" in Australia and at "Edinburgh Festival's" Assembly Hall
Assembly Hall
An assembly hall is traditionally a building used for the purposes of holding deliberative assemblies. An example is the Assembly Hall where the general assembly of the state of Mississippi was held. Some Christian denominations call their meeting places or places of worship, assembly halls, such...
. It was there that he received the "Herald Award" for artistic excellence.
Irrera has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, The View, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
, and Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
, and has made numerous cameo appearances on TV shows.
Irrera is a regular performer at the Cat Laughs
Cat Laughs
The Cat Laughs Comedy Festival is a comedy festival held over the first weekend in June each year in Kilkenny, Ireland. It was founded in 1994 in response to the burgeoning wealth of Irish comic talent with no clear national outlet for expression...
in Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
; he has made 15 appearances at the festival – more than any other comic. Irrera made 11 appearances as himself on the animated series Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist is an American animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999,–with a final set of three shelved episodes airing in 2002–starring Jonathan Katz, Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman...
, and is the only comic to appear in all six seasons. He was voted one of the hundred funniest comics of all time by Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
. He is currently the Judge on the Supreme Court of Comedy on the 101 exclusively on directv.