Garry Shandling biography

Synopsis

Born on November 29, 1949, in Tuscon, Arizona, actor and comedian Garry Shandling began his career as a comedy writer. After he recovered from a serious car accident, he decided to pursue stand-up comedy. His biggest success was the HBO program The Larry Sanders Show, on which he parodied a late-night talk show host. It ran for six seasons and won several awards.

Profile

Actor, writer, comedian, producer. Born November 29, 1949 in Tuscon, Arizona. Shandling began his career in entertainment as a comedy writer for such sitcoms as Sanford and Son and Welcome Back Kotter. After recovering from an automobile accident that left him in critical condition, he made the decision to forge a career in stand-up comedy.

He landed his first television show, the heavily autobiographical It's Garry Shandling's Show, on Fox in 1985. But it was his top-rated, award-winning The Larry Sanders Show, which ran on HBO 1993 to 1998, for which he is best known. With his trademark jokes about his big hair, Shandling parodied the trials, tribulations and double dealing that goes on behind the scenes of a late-night talk show. Much of the show's material was drawn from Shandling's experiences on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, where he was a popular guest.

In addition to his television show, Shandling played supporting roles in feature films, such as 1994's Love Affair, 1998's Hurly Burly and 2001's Town and Country.

Shandling lived with his sometimes co-star, Linda Doucett, from 1987-1994. After splitting up, she filed a sexual harrassment suit against him in December 1995.