The Second City
Encyclopedia
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Old Town
Old Town, Chicago
Old Town is a neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, bounded by the Ogden Ave. right-of-way on the northwest, Larrabee Street on the west, Clybourn Avenue on the southwest and Division Street on the south and Clark Street on the east and northeast. It spans across eastern parts of the community areas...
neighborhood.
The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The Second City has produced television programs in both the United States and Canada including SCTV
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
, Second City Presents, and Next Comedy Legend
The Second City's Next Comedy Legend
The Second City's Next Comedy Legend was a summer reality show that aired on Canada's CBC in 2007. Contestants improvise and create characters for their chance to win a spot on the Second City Canadian Touring Company....
, as well as being heavily involved in the creation of the satirical 1969 science fiction film "The Monitors". Since its debut, the Second City has consistently been a starting point for comedians, award winning actors, directors, and others in show business
Show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
.
History
The Second City was the first, on-going improvisational theater troupe in the United States. It evolved from the Compass PlayersCompass Players
The Compass Players was a 1950s cabaret revue show started by alumni, dropouts and hangers-on from the University of Chicago. The troupe was active from 1955-1958 in Chicago and St. Louis...
, a 1950s cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
show started by undergraduates at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. The troupe chose the self-mocking name from the title of an article about Chicago by A. J. Liebling
A. J. Liebling
Abbott Joseph Liebling was an American journalist who was closely associated with The New Yorker from 1935 until his death.-Biography:...
that appeared in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
in 1952. In 1959, the first Second City revue show premiered at 1842 North Wells Street, and the company moved a few blocks south, to 1616 North Wells, in 1967. Bernard Sahlins
Bernard Sahlins
Bernard "Bernie" Sahlins is an American writer, director and comedian best known as a founder of The Second City improvisational comedy troupe with Paul Sills and Howard Alk in 1959. Sahlins also opened the Second City Theatre in Toronto in 1973....
, Howard Alk
Howard Alk
-Career:Alk enrolled in the University of Chicago at the age of 14. He was a member of the Compass Players cabaret troupe and one of the founders of The Second City. Alk had previously worked with Sills at the Gate of Horn. According to Sahlins, Alk coined the group's name...
and Paul Sills
Paul Sills
Paul Sills was a director and improvisation teacher, and the original director of Chicago's The Second City.-Biography:...
, son of teacher Viola Spolin
Viola Spolin
Viola Spolin was an important innovator of the American theater in the 20th century. She created directorial techniques to help actors to be focused in the present moment and to find choices improvisationally, as if in real life...
, founded the theater as a place where scenes and story were created improvisationally, using techniques that grew out of the innovative techniques Spolin developed and taught, later known as Theater Games, with Sills as its director. The cabaret theater, comedy style of the Second City tended towards satire and commentary of current social norms and political figures and events.
In 1961, the theater sent a cast to Broadway with the musical revue, From the Second City, directed by Sills and earning a Tony nomination for ensemble member Severn Darden
Severn Darden
Severn Teakle Darden, Jr. was a comedian and actor, and an original member of The Second City Chicago-based comedy troupe as well as its predecessor, the Compass Players...
. Eventually, the theater expanded to include three touring companies and a second resident company, and now fosters a company devoted to outreach & diversity. The style of comedy has changed with time, but the format has remained constant. Second City revues feature a mix of semi-improvised
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
and scripted scenes with new material developed during unscripted improv sessions after the second act, where scenes are created based on audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
suggestions. Another Second City innovation is the inclusion of live, improvised music
Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
during the performance.
A number of well-known performers began careers as part of the historic troupe and later moved to television and film. In 1973, Second City opened a theater in Toronto. By the mid-1970s, both venues became a source of cast members for Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and SCTV
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
, which borrowed many of the writing and performing techniques pioneered by Second City and other improv groups. In 1983, the adjoining e.t.c. theater became the second resident stage in Old Town, Chicago
Old Town, Chicago
Old Town is a neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, bounded by the Ogden Ave. right-of-way on the northwest, Larrabee Street on the west, Clybourn Avenue on the southwest and Division Street on the south and Clark Street on the east and northeast. It spans across eastern parts of the community areas...
location, handling overflow crowds and increasing the number of resident company members. Co-founder Bernard Sahlins
Bernard Sahlins
Bernard "Bernie" Sahlins is an American writer, director and comedian best known as a founder of The Second City improvisational comedy troupe with Paul Sills and Howard Alk in 1959. Sahlins also opened the Second City Theatre in Toronto in 1973....
owned the theater company
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
until 1985, before selling it to Andrew Alexander
Andrew Alexander
Andrew Alexander is a theatre, film, and television producer, known most widely for his leadership and co- ownership of The Second City, and for executive producing the television show SCTV.-Early life:...
and Len Stuart.
Along with its theaters, training centers, and television shows, Second City also produces improv and sketch shows for Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or...
. In the 2000s, Second City began producing "theatrical" shows, bringing their brand of social and political satire to regional theaters around the country in revues that featured sketches written for and about each location, including Phoenix, Boston, Baltimore, and Louisville.
SCTV
Second City Television, or SCTV, was a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from the Toronto troupe of the Second City and ran from 1976 to 1984.The basic premise of SCTV was modeled on a television station in the fictional city of Melonville. Rather than broadcast the usual TV rerun
Rerun
A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz. There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Reruns can also be, as the...
fare, the business, run by the greedy Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty is an American-Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy SCTV, from 1976 to 1984, and as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks...
) sitting in a wheelchair only to gain sympathy and leverage in business and staff negotiations, operates a bizarre and humorously incompetent range of cheap local programming. The range included a soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
called "The Days of the Week"; game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
s such as "Shoot the Stars", in which celebrities literally are shot at in similar fashion to targets in a shooting gallery; and movie spoofs
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
such as "Play it Again, Bob" in which Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
(Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis
Frederick Allan "Rick" Moranis is a Canadian comedian, actor, musician, and a magician. Moranis came to prominence in the late 1970s on the sketch comedy show Second City Television, and later appeared in several Hollywood films including Strange Brew; Ghostbusters; Spaceballs; Little Shop of...
) attempts to entice Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
(Dave Thomas
Dave Thomas (actor)
David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...
) to star in his next film. In-house media melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
also was satirized by John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
's vain, bloated variety star character Johnny La Rue, Thomas' acerbic critic Bill Needle and Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin
Andrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
's flamboyant, leopard-skin clad station manager Mrs. Edith Prickley.
The Second City Training Center
The Second City Training Center was founded in the mid-1980s to facilitate the growing demand for workshops and instruction from the world famous Second City theatre. Training Centers are located in Chicago, Toronto and Los Angeles. The Training Centers have grown substantially since the Second City Conservatory was established in the mid-1980s under the tutelage of longtime Chicago improv instructors and mentors Martin de MaatMartin de Maat
Martin de Maat was a teacher and artistic director at The Second City in Chicago. He also taught at Columbia College and Players Workshop. He studied under Viola Spolin...
and Sheldon Patinkin
Sheldon Patinkin
Sheldon Patinkin is the chair of the Theater Department of Columbia College Chicago, Artistic Director of the Getz Theater of Columbia College, Artistic Consultant of The Second City and of Steppenwolf Theatre and Co-Director of the Steppenwolf Theatre Summer Ensemble Workshops...
. The Chicago Training Center has over 1,800 students in several disciplines, including improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
and comedy writing
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
. Former Training Center students include Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
, Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
, Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
, Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
, Tim Meadows, Bonnie Hunt
Bonnie Hunt
Bonnie Lynne Hunt is an American actress, comedian, writer, director, television producer and daytime television host.- Early life :...
, Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
, Halle Berry
Halle Berry
Halle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
, Sean Hayes
Sean Hayes (actor)
Sean Patrick Hayes is an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Jack McFarland in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which he won an Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, one American Comedy Award, and six Golden Globes nominations.He also portrayed comedian Jerry Lewis in the...
, Amy Sedaris
Amy Sedaris
Amy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
, Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens...
, Hinton Battle
Hinton Battle
Hinton Battle is an American actor, dancer, and dance instructor. He has won three Tony Awards, all in the category of Featured Actor in a Musical...
, Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
, Dave Foley
Dave Foley
David Scott "Dave" Foley is a Canadian comedian, writer, director, and producer best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio, A Bug's Life, and Celebrity Poker Showdown...
and Kevin McDonald
Kevin McDonald
Kevin Hamilton McDonald is a Canadian comedian and actor, known as a member of the Canadian sketch comedy group The Kids in the Hall.-Early life:...
. Classes are taught by working professionals, many of whom are current and former Second City performers.
The Second City Parents School
In the early days of the Second City, several parents and Lincoln Park community members—including Paul and Carol Sills and Dennis and Mona Cunningham—started a progressive school for their children, based on Viola SpolinViola Spolin
Viola Spolin was an important innovator of the American theater in the 20th century. She created directorial techniques to help actors to be focused in the present moment and to find choices improvisationally, as if in real life...
's Theater Games techniques and philosophy with her son Paul Sills
Paul Sills
Paul Sills was a director and improvisation teacher, and the original director of Chicago's The Second City.-Biography:...
' refinements. Theater Games were gaining recognition and are now incorporated in Drama Therapy
Drama therapy
Drama Therapy is the use of theatre techniques to facilitate personal growth and promote mental health. Dramatherapy is used in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, mental health centers, prisons, and businesses...
, Play Therapy
Play therapy
Play therapy is generally employed with children aged 3 through 11 and provides a way for them to express their experiences and feelings through a natural, self-guided, self-healing process...
and are used as an educational tool. Early Second City staff, and Old Town and Lincoln Park community members, were deeply involved in the school, including the Sillses and Cunninghams, Viola Spolin, John Schultz, Mel Spiegel, and Beverly Gold. The progressive curriculum included daily theater games, and many students went on to careers in entertainment. Briefly at the original Old Town theater site at the intersection of Clark, Wells, and Lincoln Avenue, the school had several locations in Lincoln Park until it closed in the mid-1970s.
In 1971 Josephine Forsberg
Josephine Forsberg
Josephine Forsberg , ex-wife of film director Rolf Forsberg was hired by Paul Sills and Viola Spolin to join the original Second City in 1959 as the female understudy and Spolin's teaching assistant...
, The Players Workshop
The Players Workshop
Created in 1971 by Josephine Forsberg, The Players Workshop was Chicago's only official school of Improvisation for over a decade. Although it was never officially a part of The Second City cabaret theater, The Players Workshop was often referred to as Players Workshop Of The Second City, due to...
was Chicago's only official school of Improvisation for over a decade. Although it was never officially a part of The Second City cabaret theater, The Players Workshop was often referred to as Players Workshop Of The Second City, due to the school's close affiliation with the famous sketch comedy stage.
Andrew Alexander
Andrew AlexanderAndrew Alexander
Andrew Alexander is a theatre, film, and television producer, known most widely for his leadership and co- ownership of The Second City, and for executive producing the television show SCTV.-Early life:...
took the reins of Second City Toronto in 1974 and formed a partnership with Len Stuart in 1976, starting The Second City Entertainment Company. Its first television production was SCTV
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
. Alexander co-developed and executive produced over 185 half-hour shows for the award-winning comedy series, and produced over 150 hours of award-winning television comedy. Alexander has had co-production deals with MGM Television
MGM Television
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television is an American television production/distribution launched in 1955 and a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc....
, Imagine Films, Disney Studios and United Artists, and has developed television programming for CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
, HBO, Showtime, and A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
. He has produced movies and television with such notable talents as John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
, Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
, Bonnie Hunt
Bonnie Hunt
Bonnie Lynne Hunt is an American actress, comedian, writer, director, television producer and daytime television host.- Early life :...
, Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
, Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
, Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis
Frederick Allan "Rick" Moranis is a Canadian comedian, actor, musician, and a magician. Moranis came to prominence in the late 1970s on the sketch comedy show Second City Television, and later appeared in several Hollywood films including Strange Brew; Ghostbusters; Spaceballs; Little Shop of...
, Catherine O'Hara
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedienne. She is well known for her comedy work on SCTV, and her roles in the films After Hours, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and also in the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest...
, Martin Short
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
, Harold Ramis
Harold Ramis
Harold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes , both of which he also co-wrote...
, Dave Thomas
Dave Thomas (actor)
David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...
, James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
, George Wendt
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:...
, Edward Asner, Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin
Andrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
, Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
and Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
.
In 1985, Alexander and Stuart became owners of Chicago's Second City. He has produced or executive produced over 200 Second City revues in Canada and the United States. Most recently, Alexander has expanded The Second City TV & Film Division with offices in Los Angeles and Toronto and was executive producer on the recently released feature film Intern Academy
Intern Academy
Intern Academy is a 2004 Canadian comedy film written and directed by Dave Thomas. It has several alternative titles including working titles An Intern's Diary, Whitecoats and Interns. In Canada, its English title is Intern Academy, while its French title is Médecin en herbe. The US DVD title is...
.
He serves on the Columbia College
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
Board of Trustees, is Chair of the Gilda's Club
Gilda's Club
Gilda's Club, named in tribute to the late comic actress Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989, is a community meeting place for people living with cancer, their families and friends. There are 22 open clubhouses and nine in development in North America...
Honorary Board (Toronto), and is also an Honorary Member of the Chicago Gilda's Club Board.
Mr. Alexander has received numerous awards including The Canadian Comedy Awards’ Chairman’s Award, Gilda’s Magic Award from Gilda’s Club, The League of Chicago Theater’s 2009 Artistic Leadership Award and named 2009 Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Tribune.
Awards
The Second City has been awarded several EquityActors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
Joseph Jefferson Awards
Joseph Jefferson Awards
The Joseph Jefferson Awards are given annually by a volunteer non-profit committee to acknowledge excellence in theatre in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are given in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson...
, including for the 1997 ensemble
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
in the "New Work" category for Paradigm Lost. The show featured Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
, Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
, Kevin Dorff
Kevin Dorff
Kevin Dorff is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a writer and sketch performer on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Dorff co-starred as "Mike the Federal Agent" on the first season of the Adult Swim series Delocated with his former Late Night...
, Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratch
Rachel Susan Dratch is an American comic actress best known for her roles as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...
, Jenna Jolovitz, Jim Zulevic
Jim Zulevic
Jim Zulevic was an American actor, improvisational comedian, television writer, and radio host. He died suddenly, possibly due to a heart attack, at age 40.- Early life :...
and was directed by Mick Napier
Mick Napier
Mick Napier is an actor, director, teacher and author living in Chicago. He is the founder and artistic director of the Annoyance Theatre and an award-winning director at The Second City. He has worked with people such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Nia Vardalos, Andy...
. Stephnie Weir
Stephnie Weir
Stephnie Carmel Weir is an American actress and comedian, best known for her membership in the recurring cast on MADtv.-Early life:...
received the "Actress in a Revue" Jeff Award
Joseph Jefferson Awards
The Joseph Jefferson Awards are given annually by a volunteer non-profit committee to acknowledge excellence in theatre in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are given in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson...
for Second City 4.0 in 2000. In 2009, as the company was celebrating its 50th year, the Second City was awarded an honorary Jeff for the milestone, as well as three awards for the e.t.c.' s 33rd revue Studs Terkel's Not Working, recognizing director Matt Hovde and actress Amanda Blake Davis and naming it Best Revue. In 2011, the e.t.c.'s 35th revue Sky's the Limit (Weather Permitting) won the Jeff
Joseph Jefferson Awards
The Joseph Jefferson Awards are given annually by a volunteer non-profit committee to acknowledge excellence in theatre in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are given in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson...
for Best New Work (Musical or Revue), as well Best Revue and Best Actor, for ensemble member Tim Baltz.
Toronto's Second City mainstage troupe has won eight Canadian Comedy Awards
Canadian Comedy Awards
The Canadian Comedy Awards, founded by , are an annual awards ceremony celebrating notable English speaking Canadian comedians for achievements in Live, Radio, Film, Television and Internet media over the previous year...
: "Best Improv Troupe" (2001), "Best Sketch Troupe" (2001), "Best Sketch Troupe" (2006) "Best Sketch Troupe" (2009) and "Best Comedic Play" winners Family Circus Maximus
Family Circus Maximus
Family Circus Maximus is a play produced by The Second City in Toronto. It won the 2002 Canadian Comedy Award for Best Comedic Play....
(2002), Psychedelicatessen (2003), Facebook of Revelations and Barack to the Future (2009).
The Compass Players, Playwright's Theatre Club and The Second City, NY
(1955–58, in alphabetical order) Alan AldaAlan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
, Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
, Howard Alk
Howard Alk
-Career:Alk enrolled in the University of Chicago at the age of 14. He was a member of the Compass Players cabaret troupe and one of the founders of The Second City. Alk had previously worked with Sills at the Gate of Horn. According to Sahlins, Alk coined the group's name...
, Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
, Larry Arrick, Rose Arrick, Ed Asner
Ed Asner
Edward Asner , commonly known as Ed Asner, is an American film, television, stage, and voice actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, primarily known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant...
, Sandy Baron
Sandy Baron
Sandy Baron was an American comedian who performed on stage, in films, and on television.-Biography:Baron was born Sanford Beresofsky in Brooklyn, New York, and changed his name while a student at Brooklyn College, taking his inspiration from the nearby Barron's Bookstore...
, Lloyd Battista, Walter Beakel, Shelley Berman
Shelley Berman
Sheldon "Shelley" Berman is an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, lecturer, and poet.- Early life :Berman was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Irene and Nathan Berman.- Career :...
, Haym Bernson, Roger Bowen
Roger Bowen
Roger Bowen was an American comedic actor and novelist, known for his portrayal of Lt. Col. Henry Blake in the 1970 film MASH. He often portrayed roles as a stuffy defender of the upper class and had regular roles on a number of television series...
, Hildy Brooks, R.Victor Brooks, Jack Burns
Jack Burns
Jack Burns is an American comedian and voice actor.-Biography:In 1959, he began his career as a comedy team with George Carlin when both were working for radio station KXOL in Fort Worth, Texas...
, Mona Burr, Loretta Chiljian, Del Close
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
, Robert Coughlan, Barbara Dana, Severn Darden
Severn Darden
Severn Teakle Darden, Jr. was a comedian and actor, and an original member of The Second City Chicago-based comedy troupe as well as its predecessor, the Compass Players...
, Kornel Michael David, Bob Dishy
Bob Dishy
Bob Dishy is an American actor of stage, film and television. He is married to former actress Judy Graubart .He appeared on Broadway in:...
, MacIntyre Dixon, Paul Dooley
Paul Dooley
-Personal life:Dooley was born Paul Dooley Brown in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the son of Ruth Irene , a homemaker, and Peter James Brown, a factory worker. Dooley was a cartoonist as a youth and drew a strip for a local paper in Parkersburg. He joined the Navy before discovering acting while at...
, Andrew Duncan, Tom Erhart, Theodore J. Flicker
Theodore J. Flicker
Theodore Jonas "Ted" Flicker is an American playwright, theatrical producer, television and film director, actor, screenwriter, author, and sculptor.-Early life:...
, Barbara "Bobbi" Gordon, Mark Gordon, Philip Baker Hall
Philip Baker Hall
-Early life:Hall was born in Toledo, Ohio, the son of a factory worker father who was from Montgomery, Alabama. He attended the University of Toledo. As a younger man, Hall served in the military, started a family, and became a high school English teacher. In 1961, he decided to become an actor...
, Larry Hankin
Larry Hankin
Larry Hankin is an American actor, performer, director and producer.Hankin studied acting at Syracuse University. He is known for his roles in TV shows Friends and Seinfeld; as well as for his major role in the movie Escape from Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood...
, Valerie Harper
Valerie Harper
Valerie Harper is an American actress, known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on the 1970s television show The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and for her starring roles on the sitcoms Rhoda and Valerie.-Early life and career:Harper was born at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, Rockland County,...
, Barbara Harris
Barbara Harris (actress)
Barbara Harris is an American actress who was a Broadway stage star and later became a film actress. She appeared in such films as A Thousand Clowns, Plaza Suite, Nashville, Family Plot, Freaky Friday, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Grosse Pointe Blank...
, Jo Henderson, Mo Hirsch, Kenna Hunt, Henry Jaglom
Henry Jaglom
- Life and career :Born January 26, 1941 in London, England to Simon and Marie Jaglom, Henry Jaglom trained with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York, where he acted, wrote and directed off-Broadway theater and cabaret before settling in Hollywood in the late 1960s...
, Linda Lavin
Linda Lavin
Linda Lavin is an American singer and actress. She is best known for playing the title character in the sitcom Alice and for her Broadway performances.After acting as a child, Lavin joined the Compass Players in the late 1950s...
, Martin Lavut
Martin Lavut
Martin Lavut is a Canadian voice actor who is best known for his contributions to early Nelvana productions, such as The Devil and Daniel Mouse and its spin-off, Rock & Rule. He studied acting at California’s Pasadena Playhouse, and New York’s American Theatre Wing...
, Sid Lazard, Mickey LeGlaire, Richard Libertini
Richard Libertini
Richard Libertini is an American stage, film and television actor known for playing numerous character roles and his ability to speak in numerous accents....
, Ron Liebman, Freya Manston, Allaudin Mathieu, Elaine May
Elaine May
Elaine May is an American film director, screenwriter and actress. She achieved her greatest fame in the 1950s from her improvisational comedy routines in partnership with Mike Nichols...
, Paul Mazursky
Paul Mazursky
Paul Mazursky is an American film director, screenwriter and actor.-Personal life:He was born Irwin Mazursky in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jean , a piano player for dance classes, and David Mazursky, a laborer. Mazursky was born to a Jewish family; his grandfather was an immigrant from...
, Anne Meara
Anne Meara
Anne Meara is an American actress and comedian. She and Jerry Stiller were a prominent 1960s comedy team, appearing as Stiller and Meara, and are the parents of actor/comedian Ben and actress Amy Stiller.- Personal life :...
, Lucy Minnerle, George Morrison
George Morrison (director, acting teacher)
George Morrison is one of the leading teachers of acting in the United States.-Biography:Born in Evanston, Illinois, he attended the public schools there and started acting in the pioneering children’s theater headed by Winifred Ward. By age 13 he was playing Tom Sawyer in an elaborate production...
, Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
, Tom O'Horgan
Tom O'Horgan
Tom O'Horgan was an American theatre and film director, composer, actor and musician. He is best known for his Broadway work as director of the hit musicals Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar...
, Robert Patton, Nancy Ponder, Diana Sands
Diana Sands
Diana Sands was an American dramatic actress, perhaps most famous for her portrayal of Beneatha Younger, the sister of Sidney Poitier's character in the original film version of Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun...
, Reni Santoni
Reni Santoni
Reni Santoni is an American film, television and voice actor.Santoni was born in New York City of French and Spanish descent.He began his career in off-Broadway theatre...
, Linda Segal, Omar Shapli, Suzanne Honey Shepard, David Shepherd
David Shepherd (producer)
David Shepherd is an American producer, director, and actor primarily noted for his work in improvisational theatre-Career:Born in 1924, in the city of New York City to an old money family, Shepherd grew up with left-leaning sensibilities. He studied English at Harvard and received an M.A. in the...
, George Sherman, Yuki Shimoda
Yuki Shimoda
Yuki Shimoda was an American actor best known for his starring role as Ko Wakatsuki in the NBC movie of the week, Farewell to Manzanar in 1976. He also co-starred in a 1960s television series, Johnny Midnight , with Edmond O'Brien. He was a star of the silver screen, early television and the stage...
, Peg Shirley, Paul Sills
Paul Sills
Paul Sills was a director and improvisation teacher, and the original director of Chicago's The Second City.-Biography:...
, Viola Spolin
Viola Spolin
Viola Spolin was an important innovator of the American theater in the 20th century. She created directorial techniques to help actors to be focused in the present moment and to find choices improvisationally, as if in real life...
, Leslie J. Stark, Jerry Stiller
Jerry Stiller
Gerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
, Ron Weynard, Collin Wilcox
Collin Wilcox (actress)
Collin Wilcox was an American actress in film, on stage and television. She was also credited as Collin Wilcox-Horne or Collin Wilcox-Paxton....
, Mary Louise Wilson
Mary Louise Wilson
Mary Louise Wilson is an American stage, film and television actress.-Stage:Broadway* Hot Spot — 1963 as Sue Ann* Flora, The Red Menace — 1965 as Comrade Ada* Lovers and Other Strangers — 1968 as Bernice...
The Second City on Film
- Goldstein (1964) - several members including Severn Darden
- Second to None (2001) - A documentary by Matt Hoffman and Scott Silberstein about the process of writing Paradigm Lost, following the cast and director Napier from the initial rehearsal through opening night. Originally narrated by alum Jim Belushi, the film was reworked, with rehearsal footage added, ten years after its initial release.
- The Second City: First Family of Comedy (2006) - A documentary by Sharon Bartlett and alum Dave ThomasDave Thomas (actor)David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...
in three parts, focusing on the origins of The Second City in Chicago, the life of SCTV, and the success of notable alumni, including Tina FeyTina FeyElizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
, Mike MyersMike Myers (actor)Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
, Ryan StilesRyan StilesRyan Lee Stiles is an American actor, comedian, director, and voice actor whose work is often associated with improvisational comedy. He is best known for his improv and co-production work on the American and British versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the role of Lewis Kiniski on The Drew...
, Patrick McKennaPatrick McKennaPatrick McKenna born May 8, 1960 in Sylvania, Saskatchewan is a Canadian comedic and actor. He is best known for playing Harold Green on the television series The Red Green Show, Marty Stephens on Traders, and the Trudeau miniseries. McKenna is a member of Toronto's The Second City comedy troupe...
, and Martin ShortMartin ShortMartin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
. - I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (2006) - An independent film starring, written, directed and produced by Jeff GarlinJeff GarlinJeffrey "Jeff" Garlin is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, voice artist, director, writer and author, best known for his role as Jeff Greene on the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm...
, himself a former Second City actor, features scenes shot within The Second City's chicago theater, and features several of its alumni, including Mina Kolb, David PasquesiDavid Pasquesi-Career:Some of his screen credits include Groundhog Day, Strangers with Candy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Return to Me, and The Ice Harvest. He starred in the Steve Delahoyde short film that premiered in , and co-starred with Jeff Garlin in Garlin's I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With; In addition, he...
, Amy SedarisAmy SedarisAmy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
, Richard KindRichard KindRichard John Kind is an American actor known for his roles in the sitcoms Mad About You and Spin City .- Early life :...
, Dan CastellanetaDan CastellanetaDaniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
, Tim KazurinskyTim KazurinskyTimothy J. Kazurinsky is an American actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his role as Carl Sweetchuck in the Police Academy films...
, and Bonnie HuntBonnie HuntBonnie Lynne Hunt is an American actress, comedian, writer, director, television producer and daytime television host.- Early life :...
.
Chicago
- 1959 - Howard AlkHoward Alk-Career:Alk enrolled in the University of Chicago at the age of 14. He was a member of the Compass Players cabaret troupe and one of the founders of The Second City. Alk had previously worked with Sills at the Gate of Horn. According to Sahlins, Alk coined the group's name...
, Roger BowenRoger BowenRoger Bowen was an American comedic actor and novelist, known for his portrayal of Lt. Col. Henry Blake in the 1970 film MASH. He often portrayed roles as a stuffy defender of the upper class and had regular roles on a number of television series...
, Severn DardenSevern DardenSevern Teakle Darden, Jr. was a comedian and actor, and an original member of The Second City Chicago-based comedy troupe as well as its predecessor, the Compass Players...
, Andrew DuncanAndrew DuncanSir Andrew Rae Duncan, GBE was a British businessman who was brought into government during the Second World War, serving twice as both President of the Board of Trade and Minister of Supply....
, Barbara HarrisBarbara Harris (actress)Barbara Harris is an American actress who was a Broadway stage star and later became a film actress. She appeared in such films as A Thousand Clowns, Plaza Suite, Nashville, Family Plot, Freaky Friday, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Grosse Pointe Blank...
, Mina Kolb, William Mathieu, Sheldon PatinkinSheldon PatinkinSheldon Patinkin is the chair of the Theater Department of Columbia College Chicago, Artistic Director of the Getz Theater of Columbia College, Artistic Consultant of The Second City and of Steppenwolf Theatre and Co-Director of the Steppenwolf Theatre Summer Ensemble Workshops...
, Bernard SahlinsBernard SahlinsBernard "Bernie" Sahlins is an American writer, director and comedian best known as a founder of The Second City improvisational comedy troupe with Paul Sills and Howard Alk in 1959. Sahlins also opened the Second City Theatre in Toronto in 1973....
, Paul SillsPaul SillsPaul Sills was a director and improvisation teacher, and the original director of Chicago's The Second City.-Biography:...
, Eugene Troobnick - 1960 - Alan ArkinAlan ArkinAlan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
, Paul SandPaul SandPaul Sand is an American comedic actor.-Background:Sand was born Paul Sanchez in Santa Monica, California, the son of Sonia Borodiansky, a writer, and Ernest Rivera Sanchez, an aerospace tool designer. His father was Mexican and his mother of Russian descent.-Career:At the age of 11, he started at...
, Joyce Sloane - 1961 - Bill Alton, John Brent, Hamilton CampHamilton CampHamilton Camp was an English-American singer, songwriter, actor and voice actor.-Early life:Camp was born in London, England, and was evacuated during World War II to the United States as a child with his mother and sister. He became a child actor in films and onstage...
, Del CloseDel CloseDel Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
, Melinda DillonMelinda DillonMelinda Rose Dillon is an American actress, perhaps best known for her roles in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the holiday classic A Christmas Story.-Early life and career:...
, Anthony Holland, Zohra LampertZohra LampertZohra Lampert is an American actress, who has had roles on film, television and stage. She may be best remembered for her role as the title character in the 1971 cult horror film Let's Scare Jessica to Death, as well as starring alongside Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty in the 1961 romance film...
, Alan MyersonAlan Myerson-Career:Myerson began working in theatre in New York City, then directing The Second City in Chicago. He founded The Committee in San Francisco in 1963...
, Irene Riordan, Joan RiversJoan RiversJoan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
, Avery SchreiberAvery SchreiberAvery Lawrence Schreiber was an American comedian and actor. He was a veteran of stage, TV, and film.-Biography:... - 1962 - Mona Burr, Dennis Cunningham, Dick SchaalRichard SchaalRichard Schaal is an American television actor.He was married to actress Valerie Harper from 1964 to 1978. His daughter is actress Wendy Schaal by his first marriage to Lois née Treacy....
- 1963 - Jack BurnsJack BurnsJack Burns is an American comedian and voice actor.-Biography:In 1959, he began his career as a comedy team with George Carlin when both were working for radio station KXOL in Fort Worth, Texas...
, MacIntyre Dixon, Ann ElderAnn ElderAnn Elder is an American Emmy Award-winning screenwriter. She won Emmy awards also for comedy writing, . She also wrote for Mama's Family as well. Elder appeared several times on The Match Game during its run in the 1970s.-External links:...
, Judy Elder, Melissa 'Sally' Hart, Richard LibertiniRichard LibertiniRichard Libertini is an American stage, film and television actor known for playing numerous character roles and his ability to speak in numerous accents....
, Omar Shapli - 1964 - Ian Davidson, Eugene Kadish, Fred Kaz, Harv Robbin, David SteinbergDavid SteinbergDavid Steinberg is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, and author. At the height of his popularity, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was one of the best-known stand-up comics in the United States...
- 1965 - Joan Bassiee, Robert Benedetti, Alex Canaan, Sondra Caron, Josephine ForsbergJosephine ForsbergJosephine Forsberg , ex-wife of film director Rolf Forsberg was hired by Paul Sills and Viola Spolin to join the original Second City in 1959 as the female understudy and Spolin's teaching assistant...
, Judy GraubartJudy GraubartEsther Judith "Judy" Graubart is an American actress and comedienne. She is best remembered for being a regular cast member of The Electric Company, the revolutionary children's show from the 1970s produced by the Children's Television Workshop...
, Robert KleinRobert KleinRobert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor.-Early life:Klein was born in the Bronx, the son of Frieda and Benjamin Klein, and was raised in a "prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish" environment. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine...
, David PaulsenDavid PaulsenDavid Paulsen is an American television screenwriter and producer best known for his work on 1980s prime time soap operas Dallas, Knots Landing, and Dynasty.-External links:...
, Fred WillardFred WillardFred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as... - 1966 - Bob Curry, Sid Grossfeld, Sandy Holt, Jon Shank, David Walsh, Penny White
- 1967 - J.J. Barry, Peter BoylePeter BoylePeter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....
, Martin Harvey Friedberg, Burt Heyman, Lynne LiptonLynne LiptonLynne Lipton is an American film, stage, television and voice actress.She is best remembered for providing most of the voices of the female characters on the popular 1980s animated series ThunderCats. She voiced Luna of the Lunatacs, Willa...
, Ira Miller - 1968 - Murphy DunneMurphy DunneMurphy Dunne is an American actor and musician. He is known for his role as the keyboardist/pianist for the Blues Brothers in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. He reprised his role in the sequel, Blues Brothers 2000...
, Michael Miller, Carol Robinson - 1969 - David Blum, Martin de MaatMartin de MaatMartin de Maat was a teacher and artistic director at The Second City in Chicago. He also taught at Columbia College and Players Workshop. He studied under Viola Spolin...
, Jim Fisher, Joe FlahertyJoe FlahertyJoe Flaherty is an American-Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy SCTV, from 1976 to 1984, and as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks...
, Nate Herman, Pamela Hoffman, Roberta Maguire, Judy Morgan, Brian Doyle-MurrayBrian Doyle-MurrayBrian Doyle-Murray is an American comedian, screenwriter, actor and voice artist. He is the older brother of actor/comedian Bill Murray and has acted together with him in several films, including Caddyshack, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, The Razor's Edge and Groundhog Day...
, Harold RamisHarold RamisHarold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes , both of which he also co-wrote...
, Eric Ross, Cyril Simon, Paul Taylor - 1971 - John BelushiJohn BelushiJohn Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
, Eugene Ross-Leming, Dan Ziskie - 1972 - Dave RascheDavid Rasche-Early life and career:Rasche was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was a minister and farmer. Rasche started in theatre, but also has appeared on numerous movies and television series. He became a member of the Chicago Second City, after John Belushi moved on to Saturday Night Live...
, Ann Ryerson - 1973 - John CandyJohn CandyJohn Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
, Stephanie Cotsirilos, Tino InsanaTino InsanaTino Insana is an American actor, voice actor, writer, and film producer from Chicago, Illinois.Insana's highly-distinguishable voice has been featured in many animated television series, most notably Disney's Darkwing Duck as Dr. Reginald Bushroot and Bobby's World as Bobby's Uncle Ted...
, Bill MurrayBill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
, Jim Staahl, Betty ThomasBetty ThomasBetty Thomas is an American actress and director in television and motion pictures.-Life and career:Born Betty Thomas Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree... - 1974 - Dan AykroydDan AykroydDaniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
, Cassandra Danz, Don DePollo, Michael J. Gellman, Allan Guttman, Deborah HarmonDeborah HarmonDeborah Harmon is an is an American film actress. She is the daughter of actor Frank Harmon.-Filmography:*Imps* .... Mom *Malcolm in the Middle as Parent Volunteer...
, Richard Kurtzman, Eugene LevyEugene LevyEugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
, Raul Moncada, Rosemary RadcliffeRosemary RadcliffeRosemary Radcliffe is a Canadian comic actress, writer, composer and painter. She graduated from Ryerson College in Toronto, then began her television career on Sunday Morning at CBLT Toronto....
, Gilda RadnerGilda RadnerGilda Susan Radner was an American comedian and actress, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1978.-Early life:...
, Mert Rich, Doug Steckler, Paul Zegler - 1975 - Bernadette Birkett, Miriam FlynnMiriam FlynnMiriam Flynn is an American voice actress and character actress. She is best known as Cousin Catherine in the National Lampoon's Vacation franchise. As a voice artist, she has been featured in The Land Before Time series, Taz-Mania as the title character's mother, Jean, Poil in The Spooktacular...
, George WendtGeorge WendtGeorge Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:... - 1976 - Will Aldis, Eric Boardman, Steven KampmannSteven KampmannSteven Kampmann is an American actor, writer, and director. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his role as Kirk Devane on the first two seasons of Newhart....
, Shelley LongShelley LongShelley Lee Long is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers, for which she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress...
, Jim Sherman - 1977 - Cynthia Cavalenes, Larry Coven
- 1978 - James BelushiJames BelushiJames Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
, Tim KazurinskyTim KazurinskyTimothy J. Kazurinsky is an American actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his role as Carl Sweetchuck in the Police Academy films...
, Audrie Neenan, Lawrence J. Perkins, Maria Ricossa - 1979 - Danny Breen, Mary GrossMary GrossMary Gross is an American comedian and actress, perhaps best known for her four-year stint on Saturday Night Live from 1981 to 1985. Her credits also include minor roles on Animaniacs, Boston Legal and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch...
, Bruce JarchowBruce JarchowBruce Jarchow is an American film and television actor, most notable for his role as Lyle Ferguson in the film Ghost.Additional television guest appearances include recurring roles in Seinfeld, Married... With Children, Weird Science, The Norm Show, What About Joan, Desperate Housewives and...
, Nancy McCabe-Kelly - 1980 - Meagen FayMeagen FayMeagen Fay is an American actress.A native of Chicago, in the early 1980s Fay was a featured cast member at The Second City. Her first television role was in the 1987 television series Ohara....
, Lance KinseyLance KinseyLance Kinsey is a Canadian actor and screenwriter, best known for his role as Lt. Proctor in several of the Police Academy film series. He also played the male lead in Club Fed.-External links:...
, Rob RileyRob RileyRobert Riley was an Aboriginal activist advancing Indigenous issues in Australia.Soon after his birth, he was removed from his family and placed in state care at Sister Kate's in Queens Park, Western Australia. He was almost ten years old before he knew his mother was alive and was reunited with... - 1981 - Susan Bugg, John KapelosJohn KapelosJohn Kapelos is a Canadian actor from London, Ontario. He is best known for his portrayals of janitor Carl Reed in The Breakfast Club and Detective Donald Schanke in Forever Knight....
, Rick Thomas - 1982 - Nonie Newton-Breen, Cheryl Sloane, Craig Taylor
- 1983 - Bekka EatonBekka EatonBekka Eaton, the current Director of Theater at Miami University Hamilton in Hamilton, Ohio, got her start as part of the improvisational comedy troup The Second City in Chicago. She went on to be cast as the Female DJ in Sixteen Candles and a larger role as Delta Burke's sister in the TV movie...
, Ed Greenberg, Michael Hagerty, Isabella HofmannIsabella HofmannIsabella Hofmann is an American actress, born in Chicago, Illinois. She is best known for her lead role on Homicide: Life on the Street as Lt. / Capt. / Det...
, Richard KindRichard KindRichard John Kind is an American actor known for his roles in the sitcoms Mad About You and Spin City .- Early life :... - 1985 - Andrew AlexanderAndrew AlexanderAndrew Alexander is a theatre, film, and television producer, known most widely for his leadership and co- ownership of The Second City, and for executive producing the television show SCTV.-Early life:...
, Mindy Bell, Jim Fay, Mona Lyden, Len Stuart - 1986 - Dan CastellanetaDan CastellanetaDaniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
, Rick Hall, Bonnie HuntBonnie HuntBonnie Lynne Hunt is an American actress, comedian, writer, director, television producer and daytime television host.- Early life :...
, Maureen Kelly, Harry Murphy - 1987 - Steve Assad, Kevin Crowley, Aaron FreemanAaron FreemanAaron Freeman is an American journalist, stand up comedian, author, cartoonist and blogger.Freeman has performed with The Second City. As a stand up comedian, he is a member of the quartet the Israeli/Palestinian Comedy Tour...
, Ruby Streak, Barbara Wallace, Ron West - 1988 - Joe Liss, Mike MyersMike Myers (actor)Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
- 1989 - Chris FarleyChris FarleyChristopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
, Tim Meadows, Joel MurrayJoel MurrayJoel Murray is an American actor who has starred in film and on television.-Early life:Murray, one of nine children, was born and raised in Wilmette, Illinois , the son of Lucille , a mail room clerk, and Edward J. Murray II, a lumber salesman. Murray, along with his siblings, grew up in an Irish...
, David PasquesiDavid Pasquesi-Career:Some of his screen credits include Groundhog Day, Strangers with Candy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Return to Me, and The Ice Harvest. He starred in the Steve Delahoyde short film that premiered in , and co-starred with Jeff Garlin in Garlin's I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With; In addition, he...
, Judith ScottJudith ScottJudith Scott was an internationally renowned American fiber artist. She was a fraternal twin to Joyce Scott, and she was born profoundly deaf, mute, and with Down syndrome...
, Holly WortellHolly WortellHolly Wortell is an American comedic actress and longtime friend of Bonnie Hunt. She has been a regular on each of Hunt's sitcoms , all three times playing a vain, promiscuous character named "Holly"... - 1990 - Tom GianasTom GianasTom Gianas is an American comedy writer, director and producer. Gianas is best known for producing Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic and writing/directing on the MTV sketch comedy series Human Giant...
, Bob OdenkirkBob OdenkirkRobert "Bob" Odenkirk is an American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer. He is best known as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO sketch comedy series Mr...
, Tim O'MalleyTim O'Malley (actor)Tim O'Malley is an American actor and playwright, director living in Chicago. He is a Core Faculty Member at The Second City Training Center. He is most recognizable as Patrick, the bartender in Return to Me.-Career:...
, Jill TalleyJill TalleyJill Talley is an American comedic actress, best known as a regular cast member of Mr. Show and for her long-running-role as Karen on SpongeBob SquarePants.-Career:... - 1991 - Fran AdamsFran Adams-Biography:Fran Adams was an ensemble member of the Chicago based improvisational comedy troupe Second City. She is a featured player in the DVD release of The Best of Second City, a compilation of some of the most memorable sketches that helped make Second City one of the United State’s foremost...
, Cynthia Caponera, Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, Michael McCarthy, John Rubano - 1992 - Paul DinelloPaul DinelloPaul Dinello is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and an alumnus of Chicago-based The Second City, Improv Institute, and Annoyance Theatre...
, Kelly Leonard, Ruth Rudnick, Amy SedarisAmy SedarisAmy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris... - 1993 - Stephen ColbertStephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
, David Razowsky - 1994 - Scott AdsitScott AdsitScott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
, Scott Allman, Jackie HoffmanJackie HoffmanJacqueline Laura Hoffman , known as Jackie Hoffman, is an American actress and stand-up comedian known for her facially-contorting expressions, and one-woman shows of Jewish-themed original songs and monologues... - 1995 - Rachel DratchRachel DratchRachel Susan Dratch is an American comic actress best known for her roles as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...
, Jon GlaserJon GlaserJonathan Daniel "Jon" Glaser is an American actor, comedian and television writer based out of New York City. A graduate of the University of Michigan where he performed in the sketch comedy troupes Comedy Company and Just Kidding with Jon Hein, he is a five-time Emmy nominee with the writing...
, Jenna Jolovitz, Adam McKayAdam McKayAdam McKay is an American screenwriter, director, comedian, and actor. He is most famous for his partnership with comedian Will Ferrell, with whom he co-wrote the films Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and The Other Guys.... - 1996 - Kevin DorffKevin DorffKevin Dorff is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a writer and sketch performer on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Dorff co-starred as "Mike the Federal Agent" on the first season of the Adult Swim series Delocated with his former Late Night...
, Tina FeyTina FeyElizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
, Mick NapierMick NapierMick Napier is an actor, director, teacher and author living in Chicago. He is the founder and artistic director of the Annoyance Theatre and an award-winning director at The Second City. He has worked with people such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Nia Vardalos, Andy...
, Lyn Pusztai - 1997 - Jim ZulevicJim ZulevicJim Zulevic was an American actor, improvisational comedian, television writer, and radio host. He died suddenly, possibly due to a heart attack, at age 40.- Early life :...
- 1998 - Rachel Hamilton, T. J. JagodowskiT. J. JagodowskiT. J. Jagodowski is an American comedian, actor, and improvisor living in Chicago. He has been a member of The Second City as well as a performer and teacher at iO, formerly known as Improv Olympic...
, Jane LynchJane LynchJane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
, Susan MessingSusan MessingSusan Messing is a director and actress living in Chicago. She graduated from Northwestern University and was a performer on The Second City mainstage. Messing is an ensemble member of Annoyance Theatre. She has performed in The Real Live Brady Bunch and directed What Every Girl Should Know......
, Jeff RichmondJeff RichmondJeffrey "Jeff" Wayne Richmond is an American composer, actor and television producer. Richmond currently produces and composes the music for 30 Rock, a sitcom created by and starring his wife Tina Fey.-Career:...
, Tami SagherTami SagherTami Sagher is an American television producer and writer and actress. Some of her most notable work includes: 30 Rock, Psych and Madtv. She has recently become a staff writer on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother....
, Rich Talarico, Stephnie WeirStephnie WeirStephnie Carmel Weir is an American actress and comedian, best known for her membership in the recurring cast on MADtv.-Early life:... - 1999 - Ed Furman, Beth Kligerman
- 2000 - Craig Cackowski, Sue Gillan, Angela SheltonAngela V. SheltonAngela V. Shelton is an American comedian and actress. Her television credits include Mr. Show with Bob and David, Grounded for Life, and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. She is also the voice of the bonus villain Calypso in the Spider-Man 3 video game. She is also one half of the duo Frangela, the...
- 2001 - Debra Downing, Nyima Woods FunkNyima FunkNyima Funk is an American actress, comedian and singer. She is best known for her work on MTV's improvisation show Wild 'n Out.-Early life:...
, Martin Garcia, Michael Kennard, David Pompeii - 2002 - Brian Boland, Josh Funk, Robin Hammond, Alison Riley, Al Samuels, Abby Sher
- 2003 - Dan BakkedahlDan BakkedahlDan Bakkedahl is an American improvisational actor, comedian and teacher from Chicago's Second City. Born in Rochester, Minnesota and raised in Stuart, Florida, he attended St...
, Lisa Brooke, Liz CackowskiLiz CackowskiLiz Cackowski is an American comedy writer and actress.-Career:Cackowski began her comedy career at The Second City in Chicago where she was discovered and hired by Saturday Night Live, where she worked as a writer from 2003-2006. Since leaving SNL she appeared in feature films such as Forgetting...
, Antoine McKay, Jean Villepique - 2004 - Brian GallivanBrian GallivanBrian Gallivan is an American actor, writer and comedian who gained significant attention for his Second City Network web series Sassy Gay Friend, based on a character he created in 2004 Second City mainstage revue Red Scare...
, Maribeth MonroeMaribeth MonroeMaribeth Monroe is an American actress, writer and comedian. She is currently featured in the Comedy Central television series Workaholics, playing office manager Alice Murphy.Monroe performed at The Second City, both on the Chicago and Detroit stages...
, Claudia Michelle Wallace - 2005 - Matt Craig, Molly ErdmanMolly ErdmanMolly Erdman is an American actress and improvisational comedian. She is most recognizable for her portrayal of Molly the "snarky wife" in Sonic television commercials. Erdman is a graduate of Tufts University, where she received a degree in Drama minoring in Political Science. She worked with...
- 2006 - Joe Canale, Ithamar Enriquez, Kirk Hanley, Marc Warzecha, Tom Yorton
- 2007 - Matt Hovde, Brad Morris, Amber Ruffin
- 2008 - Lauren AshLauren AshLauren Ash is a Canadian comedic and dramatic actor.Recent television credits include Punched Up, Across the River to Motor City, Sketch with Kevin McDonald the CMT Canada fictionalized reality series The Wilkinsons and the Syfy original series Scare Tactics...
, Jim Carlson, Shelly Gossman, Anthony Leblanc, Michael Patrick O'Brien, Emily Wilson - 2009 - Andy St. Clair
- 2010 - Allison Bills, Timothy Edward Mason, Julie Nichols, Sam Richardson, Tim Robinson
- 2011 - Edgar Blackmon, Billy Bungeroth, Holly Laurent, Katie Rich, Meghan Teal
Toronto
- 1973 - Dan AykroydDan AykroydDaniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
, Andrew AlexanderAndrew AlexanderAndrew Alexander is a theatre, film, and television producer, known most widely for his leadership and co- ownership of The Second City, and for executive producing the television show SCTV.-Early life:...
, Valri BromfieldValri BromfieldValri Bromfield is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, and television producer who started her career as one half of a comedy team with Dan Aykroyd. Together, they joined the first Toronto company of The Second City where she was one of the original players.-Television appearances:Bromfield was a...
, Jayne EastwoodJayne EastwoodJayne Eastwood , also credited as Jane Easton or Jane Eastwood, is a Canadian actress most famous for appearing in the 2002 film Chicago. She was one of the original cast members of the Toronto branch of The Second City, and was a semi-regular on SCTV...
, Gino Empry, Joe FlahertyJoe FlahertyJoe Flaherty is an American-Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy SCTV, from 1976 to 1984, and as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks...
, Fred Kaz, Brian Doyle-MurrayBrian Doyle-MurrayBrian Doyle-Murray is an American comedian, screenwriter, actor and voice artist. He is the older brother of actor/comedian Bill Murray and has acted together with him in several films, including Caddyshack, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, The Razor's Edge and Groundhog Day...
, Gilda RadnerGilda RadnerGilda Susan Radner was an American comedian and actress, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1978.-Early life:...
, Bernard SahlinsBernard SahlinsBernard "Bernie" Sahlins is an American writer, director and comedian best known as a founder of The Second City improvisational comedy troupe with Paul Sills and Howard Alk in 1959. Sahlins also opened the Second City Theatre in Toronto in 1973....
, Gerry Salsberg, Sam Shopsowitz, Joyce Sloane - 1974 - John CandyJohn CandyJohn Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
, Suzette Couture, Todd Jeffrey Ellis, Piers Gilson, Allan Guttman, Eugene LevyEugene LevyEugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
, Catherine O'HaraCatherine O'HaraCatherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedienne. She is well known for her comedy work on SCTV, and her roles in the films After Hours, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and also in the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest...
, Sheldon PatinkinSheldon PatinkinSheldon Patinkin is the chair of the Theater Department of Columbia College Chicago, Artistic Director of the Getz Theater of Columbia College, Artistic Consultant of The Second City and of Steppenwolf Theatre and Co-Director of the Steppenwolf Theatre Summer Ensemble Workshops...
, Jim Patry, Rosemary RadcliffeRosemary RadcliffeRosemary Radcliffe is a Canadian comic actress, writer, composer and painter. She graduated from Ryerson College in Toronto, then began her television career on Sunday Morning at CBLT Toronto....
, Whitney S. Smith - 1975 - Carol Cassis, Ben Gordon, Andrea MartinAndrea MartinAndrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
, John Monteith, Sharon H. Smith, Dave ThomasDave Thomas (actor)David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools... - 1976 - Peter AykroydPeter AykroydPeter Hugh Aykroyd was born to Lorraine and Peter Aykroyd in Canada. He is the younger brother of comedian Dan Aykroyd. Along with his older brother he was in the Second City comedy troupe in Toronto, Ontario. The two were also on the popular NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live. Peter was a cast...
, Brenda Donohue - 1977 - Del CloseDel CloseDel Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
, Robin DukeRobin DukeRobin Duke is a Canadian actress and comedian. Duke is most famous for her work on the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live. In the 2000s, Women Fully Clothed, a sketch comedy troupe which she co-founded, toured Canada...
, Steven KampmannSteven KampmannSteven Kampmann is an American actor, writer, and director. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his role as Kirk Devane on the first two seasons of Newhart....
, Robin McCullouch, Martin ShortMartin ShortMartin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
, Dave Thompson, Peter Torokvei - 1978 - Scott Baker, Sally Cochrane, Cathy Gallant, Len Stuart
- 1979 - Maggie Butterfield, Don DePollo, Don Dickinson, Melissa Ellis, Derek McGrathDerek McGrathDerek McGrath is a Canadian actor.He is known for his roles in Cheers as "Andy-Andy" Schroeder , Dr. Benjamin Jeffcoate in My Secret Identity, Crewman Chell in Star Trek: Voyager, and as Dr. Derek Hebert in Doc...
, Tony RosatoTony RosatoTony Rosato is an Italian-Canadian animated voice actor who has appeared in television and movies in both Canada and the United States....
, Kim Sisson, Mary Charlotte Wilcox - 1980 - Tom Baker, Gabe Cohen, Steve Ehrlick, John Hemphill, Kathleen LaskeyKathleen LaskeyKathleen Laskey, sometimes credited as Kathy Laskey, is a Canadian actress, primarily associated with television roles. Her credits include roles in Check it Out!, Being Erica, Street Legal, George Shrinks, Blue Murder, Yin Yang Yo!, Wayside, Weird Years, At the Hotel and The Eleventh...
, Denise Pidgeon, Wendy Slutsky - 1981 - Ken Innes, Jerrold Karch, Deborah Kimmett
- 1982 - Michael J. Gellman, Don LakeDon LakeDon Lake is a Canadian actor, film and television writer, and television producer. He is frequently cast by director Christopher Guest, and is also a close friend and the collaborative partner of Bonnie Hunt....
- 1983 - Donald Adams, Bob Derkach, June Graham, Bruce Hunter, Ron JamesRon James (comedian)Ron James is a Canadian stand-up comedian.James was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia; his family later moved to Halifax during his youth. He attended Acadia University, studying history and political science with the intention of becoming a history teacher...
, Madelyn Keane, Debra McGrathDebra McGrathDebra McGrath is a Canadian actress and comedienne.-Education:Debra McGrath was born in Toronto in 1954. She studied theatre at Ryerson University.-Career:...
, Lyn Okkerse, Bruce Pirrie, Jane Schoettle, Blaine Slekirk, Adrian TrussAdrian TrussAdrian Truss is a British-born Canadian actor, writer and director whose more recent work is as a voice actor for animated children's TV shows and Movies.Since moving from England to Canada in 1957, he has starred in many movies, plays, and television shows... - 1984 - Sandra Balcovske, Karen Poce
- 1985 - Dana AndersenDana AndersenDana Andersen is an Edmonton-based actor, improvisor, filmmaker, writer and director. He is an alumnus of The Second City, and has worked closely with Mike Myers, Ryan Stiles, and Joe Flaherty, among others. He currently serves as director of the live improvised soap opera Die-Nasty, and has been a...
, Bob BainboroughBob BainboroughBob Bainborough is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing the role of Dalton Humphrey in the Canadian comedy series The Red Green Show, and appearances on History Bites...
, Kevin FrankKevin FrankKevin Frank, born January 13, 1957, is a Canadian writer and actor. He is a popular host of TV shows such as The Next Line, Kidstreet and Pet Project.-Voice roles:* Kevin from Pet Project...
, Linda KashLinda KashLinda Kash is a Canadian actress.An alumna of Second City, she played Trudy Weissman in the 1998 Jean Smart sit-com, Style & Substance...
, Dorothy Tenute - 1986 - David HubandDavid HubandDavid Huband , also known as Dave Huband, is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles on Cinderella Man as Ford Bond and in the films Cube Zero, Dirty Pictures and The Lookout.-Career:...
, Jeff Michalski, Mike MyersMike Myers (actor)Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
, Deborah TheakerDeborah TheakerDeborah Theaker is a Canadian actress.Theaker is best known as Casey Edison on the Lucasfilm science fiction satire Maniac Mansion which ran from 1990 until 1993. In 1985, Theaker graduated from the University of Saskatchewan and later moved to Toronto, where she became a member of The Second...
, Mark Wilson - 1987 - Tamar Malic, Ryan StilesRyan StilesRyan Lee Stiles is an American actor, comedian, director, and voice actor whose work is often associated with improvisational comedy. He is best known for his improv and co-production work on the American and British versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the role of Lewis Kiniski on The Drew...
, Audrey Webb - 1988 - Neil CroneNeil CroneNeil Crone is a Canadian voice actor and comedian who does the voices of Gordon the Big Engine, Splatter and Diesel 10 from the film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. He does Phillip the Concierge in the My Secret Identity episode "Sour Grapes"...
, Wendy Hopkins, Lindsay Leese, Colin MochrieColin MochrieColin Andrew Mochrie is a Scottish Canadian actor and improvisational comedian, most famous for his appearances on the British and US versions of television improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.-Early life:...
, Alana Shields, Tim SimsTim SimsTim Sims was a Canadian actor and comedian.He is known for his roles as Jack the Cave Man on The Red Green Show and as Circle Researcher Rory Tate in a series of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercials in the 1990s. He also performed sketch comedy with The Second City.Sims died at the age of 33 from... - 1989 - Patrick McKennaPatrick McKennaPatrick McKenna born May 8, 1960 in Sylvania, Saskatchewan is a Canadian comedic and actor. He is best known for playing Harold Green on the television series The Red Green Show, Marty Stephens on Traders, and the Trudeau miniseries. McKenna is a member of Toronto's The Second City comedy troupe...
- 1990 - Kathryn Greenwood, Karen HinesKaren HinesKaren Hines is a Canadian actress, writer and director. She is the artistic director and producer of "Keep Frozen: Pochsy Productions."Hines has appeared in several television series, including many of Ken Finkleman's satires such as The Newsroom, Foreign Objects, and Married Life for which she was...
, Gary PearsonGary PearsonGary Pearson is a Canadian comedian, and television writer producer. He grew up in the southwestern Ontario village of Comber. Taking an early interest in politics and art, he began to do editorial cartoons for the nearby weekly newspaper The Tilbury Times.He attended Sheridan College's...
, Ed SahelyEd SahelyEd Sahely is a Canadian actor who is best remembered for his role as Possum Lake business entrepreneur Murray Woolworth on the second season of The Red Green Show.-Career:... - 1991 - Christopher Earle, Nick JohneNick JohneNick Johne is a Canadian actor who is best known for playing Murray Woolworth's assistant Dwayne Dortmund on the second season of The Red Green Show.-Career:...
, Tara Charendoff-Strong, Jenny Parsons, Judith ScottJudith Scott (actress)Judith Scott is an American actress who has been filmed since 1987 mainly in TV series. She was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.She portrayed Dr. Rose Kent on Season 1 of 24. She played a recurring role as Dr. Jenna Williams on the series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She portrayed Esmee...
, Peter Sherk, Brian Smith - 1993 - Andrew Currie, Jackie Harris, Steve Morel, Paul O'Sullivan, Jonathan Wilson
- 1994 - Lori Nasso, Janet van de GraafJanet van de GraafJanet van de Graaf is a Canadian improv artist and television actress.She has worked with Toronto's The Second City and has played various roles in the TV series History Bites on Canada's History Channel.She is married to actor Bob Martin...
- 1995 - Tamara Bick, Kerry Garnier, Albert HowellAlbert HowellAlbert Howell is a Canadian improv comedian and poet. He has appeared in several films and television shows, and has received recognition for his screenwriting as well as for his improv work.-Improv comedy:...
, Nancy Marino, Teresa PavlinekTeresa PavlinekTeresa Pavlinek is a Canadian actress, writer and television producer, best known as the creator and star of The Jane Show.-Career:... - 1996 - Jennifer IrwinJennifer IrwinJennifer Irwin is a Canadian actress best known for her roles as Linda on Still Standing and as Maria Ganitisis in the Molly Shannon comedy Superstar....
, Mollie Jacques, Bob MartinBob Martin (comedian)Bob Martin is a writer, actor, and comedian from Toronto, Ontario, Canada born in England circa 1963. He has both performed in and written many TV shows. He also provides the voice of Cuddles the comfort doll on the Canadian TV show Puppets Who Kill, aired on The Comedy Network.He starred in the...
, Jack Mosshammer - 1997 - James Carroll, Marc Hickox, Melody Johnson, Arnold Pinnock, Angela V. SheltonAngela V. SheltonAngela V. Shelton is an American comedian and actress. Her television credits include Mr. Show with Bob and David, Grounded for Life, and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. She is also the voice of the bonus villain Calypso in the Spider-Man 3 video game. She is also one half of the duo Frangela, the...
- 1998 - Gavin CrawfordGavin CrawfordGavin Crawford is a Canadian comedian and actor, best known for The Gavin Crawford Show and This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Crawford is a graduate of the BFA Acting Program at the University of British Columbia...
, Tracy Dawson, Andrew Dollar, Mary Pat Farrell, Jerry C. MinorJerry MinorJerry C. Minor is an American actor, comedian and writer known for his comedic roles in numerous television programs such as Mr. Show, Saturday Night Live, Delocated, Crossballs, Carpoolers and Lucky Louie....
, Doug MorencyDoug MorencyDoug Morency is a Canadian improviser. A former member of comedy troupe The Second City and The Williamson Playboys with fellow Second City alum Paul Bates...
, Lee Smart, Gina Sorell, Jennifer Whalen - 1999 - Paul BatesPaul BatesPaul Bates is an American actor. He is most known for his minor roles in 8 Mile, True Romance and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.He is also known for playing Oha in the 1988 film Coming to America.-External links:...
, Lisa Brooke, Kevin DorffKevin DorffKevin Dorff is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a writer and sketch performer on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Dorff co-starred as "Mike the Federal Agent" on the first season of the Adult Swim series Delocated with his former Late Night...
, K. McPherson Jones - 2000 - Geri HallGeri HallGeri Hall is a Canadian actress and comedian. She has appeared on the CBC's This Hour has 22 Minutes in October and November 2004, March 2007 and became a permanent cast anchor in October 2007. Other appearances include the Rick Mercer Report and numerous television commercials...
, Carolyn Taylor, Sandy Jobin-BevansSandy Jobin-BevansSandy Jobin-Bevans is a Canadian comedic and dramatic actor. He is a member of the three-time Canadian Comedy Award winning improvisation troupe Slap Happy.... - 2001 - Aurora BrowneAurora BrowneAurora Browne is a Canadian actress and comedian originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, currently based out of Toronto. In 2000, she was nominated for the Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award. Also in that year she was hired by Toronto's The Second City comedy troupe...
, Jennifer Goodhue, Paul Constable, Nathan David Shore - 2002 - Pat KellyPat Kelly (comedian)Pat Kelly is a comedian from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was trained at Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary, and was a host for YTV, a Canadian cable channel featuring children's programming...
, Matt Baram - 2003 - Jamillah Ross, Naomi Sneickus
- 2004 - Derek Flores, Rebecca NorthanRebecca NorthanRebecca Northan is a Canadian actress, improviser, theatre director, and creative artist. She is known for playing the hippie mother Diane Macleod on the CTV & The Comedy Network sitcom Alice, I Think. Rebecca Northan was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta...
- 2005 - Anand RajaramAnand RajaramAnand Rajaram is a Canadian actor, writer and director.Anand Rajaram was born in New Delhi, India, and has a bachelor's degree in drama and theatre arts from the University of Waterloo...
, Lauren AshLauren AshLauren Ash is a Canadian comedic and dramatic actor.Recent television credits include Punched Up, Across the River to Motor City, Sketch with Kevin McDonald the CMT Canada fictionalized reality series The Wilkinsons and the Syfy original series Scare Tactics...
, Steven DelBalso, Mick NapierMick NapierMick Napier is an actor, director, teacher and author living in Chicago. He is the founder and artistic director of the Annoyance Theatre and an award-winning director at The Second City. He has worked with people such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Nia Vardalos, Andy... - 2006 - Jim Annan, Scott Montgomery, Matthew Reid
- 2007 - Marty AdamsMarty AdamsMarty Adams is a Canadian television and film actor/writer and comedian.He began a football program at McMaster University but injured his knee. His sister encouraged him to get involved in a comedy program at Humber College which got him his first major comedy gig in the Facebook of Revelations...
, Darryl Hinds, Karen Parker, Leslie Seiler - 2008 - Ashley Botting, Kerry GriffinKerry GriffinKerry Griffin is a Canadian comedic and dramatic actor.Kerry Griffin is a member of three time Canadian Comedy Award winning improv troupe Slap Happy , host of Inside the Out of Work Actors Studio, former artistic director of The Bad Dog Theatre Company and an instructor at both The Bad Dog Theatre...
, Reid Janisse - 2009 - Rob Baker, Dale Boyer, Adam Cawley, Caitlin Howden
- 2010 - Inessa Frantowski, Kris Siddiqi
- 2011 - Ashley Comeau, Jason DeRosseThe SketchersonsThe Sketchersons are a sketch comedy troupe based in Toronto, Ontario. They are winners of the 2007 Canadian Comedy Award for best Sketch Troupe, an award they had been nominated for each of the 3 years prior...
, Nigel Downer, Alastair Forbes, Carly HeffernanThe SketchersonsThe Sketchersons are a sketch comedy troupe based in Toronto, Ontario. They are winners of the 2007 Canadian Comedy Award for best Sketch Troupe, an award they had been nominated for each of the 3 years prior...
Chicago E.T.C.
- 1983 - Bill ApplebaumBill ApplebaumBill Applebaum is an American actor and writer. He started working on stage in Chicago at The Second City Theater, where he helped start the Second City ETC Theater in 1984. He has worked in hundreds of commercials, tv shows, films and on stage...
, Rob Bronstein, Don DePollo, Jim Fay, Susan Gauthier, Carey Goldenberg, Jeff Michalski, Jane Morris, Bernard SahlinsBernard SahlinsBernard "Bernie" Sahlins is an American writer, director and comedian best known as a founder of The Second City improvisational comedy troupe with Paul Sills and Howard Alk in 1959. Sahlins also opened the Second City Theatre in Toronto in 1973....
, Joyce Sloane, Ruby Streak - 1984 - Steve Assad, Dan CastellanetaDan CastellanetaDaniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
, Isabella HofmannIsabella HofmannIsabella Hofmann is an American actress, born in Chicago, Illinois. She is best known for her lead role on Homicide: Life on the Street as Lt. / Capt. / Det...
, Maureen Kelly, Harry Murphy - 1985 - Andrew AlexanderAndrew AlexanderAndrew Alexander is a theatre, film, and television producer, known most widely for his leadership and co- ownership of The Second City, and for executive producing the television show SCTV.-Early life:...
, Len Stuart - 1986 - Mark Belden, Mindy Bell, Kevin Crowley, Kevin Doyle, Joe Keefe, Barbara Wallace
- 1987 - Chris Barnes, Madeline Belden, Joe Liss, Ron West
- 1988 - Laura Hall, Judith ScottJudith Scott (actress)Judith Scott is an American actress who has been filmed since 1987 mainly in TV series. She was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.She portrayed Dr. Rose Kent on Season 1 of 24. She played a recurring role as Dr. Jenna Williams on the series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She portrayed Esmee...
, Jill TalleyJill TalleyJill Talley is an American comedic actress, best known as a regular cast member of Mr. Show and for her long-running-role as Karen on SpongeBob SquarePants.-Career:...
, Holly WortellHolly WortellHolly Wortell is an American comedic actress and longtime friend of Bonnie Hunt. She has been a regular on each of Hunt's sitcoms , all three times playing a vain, promiscuous character named "Holly"... - 1989 - Mark Beltzman, Dan Gillogly, Nate Herman, Michael McCarthy, Ruth Rudnick
- 1990 - Fran Adams, Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, Tom GianasTom GianasTom Gianas is an American comedy writer, director and producer. Gianas is best known for producing Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic and writing/directing on the MTV sketch comedy series Human Giant...
, John Rubano - 1991 - Rose AbdooRose AbdooRose M. Abdoo is an American actress and comedian, known for her roles as Stars Hollow's local mechanic Gypsy on Gilmore Girls and as Spanish teacher Señorita Rodriguez on That's So Raven.-Life and career:...
, Megan Moore Burns, Peter Burns, Ken Hudson CampbellKen Hudson CampbellKen Hudson Campbell is an American television and voice actor.Campbell played "Animal" on the experimental Fox TV series Herman's Head, as well as Buckman in the movie Down Periscope. He appeared in the Seinfeld episode "The Seven", where he played Ken, the husband of Susan's first cousin, Carrie...
, Dave Razowsky - 1992 - Scott Allman, Stephen ColbertStephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
, Ian GomezIan GomezIan Gomez is an American actor best known for his comedic TV work, the most notable of which are his series-regular stints as Javier on Felicity and Andy on Cougar Town.-Career:...
, Jackie HoffmanJackie HoffmanJacqueline Laura Hoffman , known as Jackie Hoffman, is an American actress and stand-up comedian known for her facially-contorting expressions, and one-woman shows of Jewish-themed original songs and monologues...
, Jenna Jolovitz, Kelly Leonard - 1993 - Scott AdsitScott AdsitScott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
, Michael Broh, Jimmy Doyle, Norm Holly, Nia VardalosNia VardalosAntonia Eugenia "Nia" Vardalos is a Canadian-American actress, screenwriter, director, singer and producer. Her most notable work is the 2002 Academy Award–nominated film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.-Personal life:... - 1994 - John Hildreth
- 1995 - Adam McKayAdam McKayAdam McKay is an American screenwriter, director, comedian, and actor. He is most famous for his partnership with comedian Will Ferrell, with whom he co-wrote the films Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and The Other Guys....
, Jeff RichmondJeff RichmondJeffrey "Jeff" Wayne Richmond is an American composer, actor and television producer. Richmond currently produces and composes the music for 30 Rock, a sitcom created by and starring his wife Tina Fey.-Career:...
, Aaron Rhodes, Dee Ryan, Brian StackBrian StackBrian Stack is an American actor, writer and comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on all three Conan O'Brien late-night talk shows, previously working on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, and currently on O'Brien's newest show, Conan on TBS.-Early...
, Miriam Tolan, Jim ZulevicJim ZulevicJim Zulevic was an American actor, improvisational comedian, television writer, and radio host. He died suddenly, possibly due to a heart attack, at age 40.- Early life :... - 1996 - Neil FlynnNeil FlynnNeil Richard Flynn is an American actor and comedian, known for his role as Janitor in the medical comedy-drama Scrubs. He currently portrays Mike Heck in the ABC sitcom The Middle.-Early life:...
, Laura KrafftLaura KrafftLaura Krafft is a comedic writer and actress. An ImprovOlympic and Second City alum, she is a former staff writer for The Colbert Report.- Writing assignments :*The Colbert Report Bust Magazine Columnist, "News from a Broad",...
, Jerry C. MinorJerry MinorJerry C. Minor is an American actor, comedian and writer known for his comedic roles in numerous television programs such as Mr. Show, Saturday Night Live, Delocated, Crossballs, Carpoolers and Lucky Louie....
, Horatio SanzHoratio SanzHoratio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...
, Peter Zahradnick - 1997 - Aaron Carney, Matt Dwyer, Rachel Hamilton, Mick NapierMick NapierMick Napier is an actor, director, teacher and author living in Chicago. He is the founder and artistic director of the Annoyance Theatre and an award-winning director at The Second City. He has worked with people such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Nia Vardalos, Andy...
, Rebecca Sohn, Rich Talarico - 1998 - Craig Cackowski, Kristin Ford, Noah Gregoropoulos, Tami SagherTami SagherTami Sagher is an American television producer and writer and actress. Some of her most notable work includes: 30 Rock, Psych and Madtv. She has recently become a staff writer on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother....
- 1999 - Ali Farahnakian, Martin Garcia, Sue Gillan, Beth Kligerman, Jack McBrayerJack McBrayerJack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
, David Pompeii, Lyn Pusztai, Klaus Peter Schuller, Angela V. SheltonAngela V. SheltonAngela V. Shelton is an American comedian and actress. Her television credits include Mr. Show with Bob and David, Grounded for Life, and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. She is also the voice of the bonus villain Calypso in the Spider-Man 3 video game. She is also one half of the duo Frangela, the...
, Trey Stone, Michael Thomas - 2000 - Andy Cobb, Debra Downing, Abby Sher
- 2001 - Sam Albert, Joshua Funk, T. J. JagodowskiT. J. JagodowskiT. J. Jagodowski is an American comedian, actor, and improvisor living in Chicago. He has been a member of The Second City as well as a performer and teacher at iO, formerly known as Improv Olympic...
, Keegan-Michael KeyKeegan-Michael KeyKeegan-Michael Key is an American comic actor best known for his roles as a cast member on MADtv for six seasons. He has also had recurring roles on Reno 911! and Gary Unmarried. He used to be the host of The Planet's Funniest Animals... - 2002 - Peter GroszPeter GroszPeter Grosz is an American actor and television writer.Grosz has worked as both an actor and as a producer. He is most recognizable for his "two guys" Sonic commercials. Grosz is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he worked with Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live...
, Nyima FunkNyima FunkNyima Funk is an American actress, comedian and singer. She is best known for her work on MTV's improvisation show Wild 'n Out.-Early life:... - 2003 - Jeremy Wilcox
- 2004 - Lee Brackett, Jen Bills, Rebecca DrysdaleRebecca DrysdaleRebecca Drysdale is an American comedian who was a member of the Second City Chicago E.T.C. cast. She won the 2005 Breakout Performer Award at the 2005 United States Comedy Arts Festival. She performed as part of the multi-arts group performance Synesthesia. She was also a writer for The Big Gay...
, Ithimar Enriquez, Robin Johnson, Frank CaetiFrank CaetiFranklin "Frank" Caeti is an American actor and comedian known for his time as a cast member on the FOX sketch-series MADtv from 2005 to 2007. Caeti is also an alumnus of The Second City and Comedysportz in Chicago.- Education :...
, Matt Craig, Alison Riley - 2005 - Rebecca Sage Allen, Jim Carlson, Alex Fendrich, Robert Janas, Chad Krueger, Niki Lindgren, Nicky Margolis
- 2006 - Amanda Blake Davis, Kirk Hanley, Andy St. Clair
- 2007 - W. Shane Oman, Marc Warzecha
- 2008 - Christina Anthony, Michael Descoteaux, Tom FlaniganTom Flanigan-Biography:Flanigan grew up in Eden, NY, south of Buffalo in western New York state. He attended the University of Iowa where he majored in Biomedical Engineering and was a member, director, and producer of the improvisational comedy troupe IC Improvs. Flanigan graduated with a B.S. in 1996 and...
, Megan Grano, Laura Grey, Matt Hovde, Timothy Edward Mason, Bruce Pirrie, Joseph Ruffner - 2009 - Beth MelewskiCash CabCash Cab is a TV game show devised by Adam Wood that originated in the United Kingdom and has been licensed to television networks in numerous other countries...
- 2010 - Tim Baltz, Billy Bungeroth, Jesse Case, Brendan Jennings, Mary Sohn, Monica Wilson
- 2011 - Kyle Anderson, Aidy Bryant, Jessica Joy, Michael Lehrer
Fiftieth anniversary
In December 2009, the theater celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with a weekend of panels and performance which featured many prominent alumni, including an SCTVSecond City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
reunion show starring Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty is an American-Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy SCTV, from 1976 to 1984, and as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks...
, Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
, Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin
Andrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
, Catherine O'Hara
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedienne. She is well known for her comedy work on SCTV, and her roles in the films After Hours, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and also in the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest...
, Harold Ramis
Harold Ramis
Harold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes , both of which he also co-wrote...
, Martin Short
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
, and Dave Thomas
Dave Thomas (actor)
David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...
. Other notable alumni returning to participate included Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
, Jeff Garlin
Jeff Garlin
Jeffrey "Jeff" Garlin is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, voice artist, director, writer and author, best known for his role as Jeff Greene on the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm...
, Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
, James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
, Dan Castellaneta
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
, Amy Sedaris
Amy Sedaris
Amy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
, Ian Gomez
Ian Gomez
Ian Gomez is an American actor best known for his comedic TV work, the most notable of which are his series-regular stints as Javier on Felicity and Andy on Cougar Town.-Career:...
, Richard Kind
Richard Kind
Richard John Kind is an American actor known for his roles in the sitcoms Mad About You and Spin City .- Early life :...
, Robert Klein
Robert Klein
Robert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor.-Early life:Klein was born in the Bronx, the son of Frieda and Benjamin Klein, and was raised in a "prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish" environment. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine...
, Fred Willard
Fred Willard
Fred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
, David Rasche
David Rasche
-Early life and career:Rasche was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was a minister and farmer. Rasche started in theatre, but also has appeared on numerous movies and television series. He became a member of the Chicago Second City, after John Belushi moved on to Saturday Night Live...
, Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas is an American actress and director in television and motion pictures.-Life and career:Born Betty Thomas Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree...
, and George Wendt
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:...
, as well as original cast member Mina Kolb, Compass Player Shelley Berman
Shelley Berman
Sheldon "Shelley" Berman is an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, lecturer, and poet.- Early life :Berman was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Irene and Nathan Berman.- Career :...
, and founder Bernard Sahlins
Bernard Sahlins
Bernard "Bernie" Sahlins is an American writer, director and comedian best known as a founder of The Second City improvisational comedy troupe with Paul Sills and Howard Alk in 1959. Sahlins also opened the Second City Theatre in Toronto in 1973....
.
See also
- Improvisational theatreImprovisational theatreImprovisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
- Theatre in Chicago
- List of museums and cultural institutions in Chicago
External links
- The Second City
- The Second City Toronto
- Audio interview with Anne Libera, author of The Second City Almanac of Improvisation, on The Sound of Young America
- "StensonsNewDigs" blog review of the "Benefit of Laughter" show and SCTV reunion and after-party
- "Pye in the Face" blog review of the "Benefit of Laughter" show and SCTV reunion and after party