Deadpan
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Deadpan is a form of comedic delivery in which something humorous is said or done by a person, while not exhibiting a change in emotion or facial expression.
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[edit] Origin
The term "deadpan" first emerged as an adjective or adverb in the 1920s, as a compound word combining "dead" and "pan" (a slang term for "the face"). It was first recorded as a noun in Vanity Fair in 1927; a dead pan was thus 'a face or facial expression displaying no emotion, animation, or humor'. Finally, the verb deadpan 'to speak, act, or utter in a deadpan manner; to maintain a dead pan' arose by the early 1940s, apparently as a journalistic coinage rather than a theatrical one. It must be noted that today its use is especially common in humour from the United States, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
[edit] Notable deadpan comedians
[edit] Television
- Weekend Update Anchors, Weekend update, a long-running Saturday Night Live sketch, is famous for its anchors delivering fake news in a deadpan manner. Some of the more notable deadpan Anchors are Norm Macdonald, and Kevin Nealon.
- Jack Benny and Johnny Carson were famous for their "takes," blank stares toward the camera in response (or nonresponse) to something funny that had just happened.
- Geoffrey from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a black English butler who hates his job, and Niles, the butler from The Nanny.
- Rick Mercer is known for using this type of humour in This Hour has 22 Minutes and Talking to Americans (by making outlandish claims about Canada).
- Paul Merton of Have I Got News For You.
- The members of Monty Python were known for their sincere performances of utter lunacy, and ability to stay calm in absurd settings.
- Rowan Atkinson, the English comedian famous for the characters Mr. Bean and Blackadder.
- Pat Paulsen spoke in a blank monotone with heavy eyelids, usually opening with, "Good evening, I'm really excited to be here."
- Bob Newhart is known for his deadpan delivery and his slight stammer, as featured on The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, and in classic standup routines.
- Norman Lovett, the ship's computer, Holly, in Red Dwarf.
- Hugh Laurie, as the protagonist Dr. House, in the television series House.
- David Duchovny, as FBI agent Fox Mulder, in the television series The X-Files.
- The main cast members and nearly every guest stars of Friends make humorous lines with a serious manner (Especially Chandler).
- Brent Butt, as Brent Leroy, in the television series Corner Gas
- Droopy, the low-key animated movie character created by Tex Avery.
- Steve Carell, as Regional Manager Michael Scott, in NBC's "The Office".
- Stephen Colbert, as Stephen Colbert, in Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report".
- Jack Dee, as Rick Spleen in Lead Balloon.
[edit] Film
- Buster Keaton, known as the "Great Stone Face", became famous for never cracking a smile in any of his films. Strictly speaking, his was not a deadpan approach, since his face was actually very expressive. He subtly portrayed bemusement, anger, fear, and other emotions, but never smiled in a single one of his classic silents. In Go West, a cowboy forces him to smile, which he does by using his fingers to pull up the sides of his mouth. The result is a ghastly parody of a smile. Keaton also mugged, cried, laughed, and otherwise carried on in several of his earliest silent two-reelers with Fatty Arbuckle. His first smile in sound movie occurred in San Diego, I Love You (1944).
- Peter Sellers, most famously for his role as the United States President in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove and his portrayal of bumbling French police inspector Jacques Clousseau.
- Bill Murray, most of his work entails him delivering overtly humorous lines with a genuine look of disinterest or indifference on his face, particularly in later works such as Lost in Translation, Broken Flowers and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
- Leslie Nielsen progressed from being a dramatic actor in films such as The Poseidon Adventure to a comedic actor due in large part to his seriousness in delivering nonsensical lines in movies such as Airplane! ("Surely you can't be serious!" "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley.") and The Naked Gun series.
- Ben Stein, who was originally a university professor, found a new career as a comedy actor by exploiting the stereotype of the dull academic, often acting as a straight man.
- Stan Laurel, of the immortal team Laurel and Hardy.
- Christopher Walken, is best known for his deadpan affect and offkey pauses, which is most noteable in films such as Pulp Fiction and Wedding Crashers.
[edit] Stand-up comedians
- Steven Wright is an American stand-up comedian whose act is filled with deadpan.
- Mitch Hedberg was an American stand-up comedian known for his odd subject matter, stylistic elocution, deadpan delivery, and memorable routines that often consisted of a string of one-line non sequiturs.
- Dave Allen, a pessimistic Irish stand-up comedian.
- Jackie Vernon caricatured the typically boring slide-projector presentation of vacation photos.
- Dave Hughes, a well known Australian stand-up comedian.
- Jimmy Carr, an English comedian known for his dry, sarcastic humour
- Jack Dee, British Comedian who is known for his deadpan humour
- Jonathan Katz, an American comedian, actor, and voice actor, is known for his deadpan, dry humor.
- Sarah Silverman, A raunchy comedian known for her deadpan humor.
[edit] Other
- Mark Twain is quoted as saying: "The humorous story is told gravely; the teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects that there is anything funny about it."
- Gordon Strachan, the manager of the Celtic Football Club is known for his deadpan comedy in interviews.
- Humphrey Lyttelton, jazz musician and radio-personality, as chairman of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
- Daniel Chesterfield, a self-proclaimed "illusionist" with tricks that are not really magic.
- Jack Mangan, a Podcaster and writer based in Arizona. He is the producer and host of Jack Mangan's Deadpan, which features his original deadpan comedy segments along with listener contributed elements.
