Frank Caliendo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Frank Caliendo | |
|---|---|
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| Born | January 19, 1974 Chicago, Illinois |
| Medium | Stand-up comedy, television |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | Observational comedy |
| Subject(s) | Impersonations, popular culture |
| Influences | Jonathan Winters, Robin Williams[1] |
| Website | frankcaliendo.com |
Franklin "Frank" Caliendo (born January 19, 1974) is an American comedian known for his impersonations on the FOX Network television series MADtv, and has been the in-house prognosticator for FOX NFL Sunday. Currently, he performs his impersonations on his own show, Frank TV, which airs on TBS. He is particularly well-known for his impressions of United States President George W. Bush and National Football League color commentator John Madden, as well as Charles Barkley and Al Pacino.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life & career
Caliendo was born in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where he attended Waukesha South High School. He is of Italian ancestry.[2] After graduation from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Caliendo began performing stand-up comedy, taking a job as a master of ceremonies at a local comedy club. Within a year he was headlining. He made his network series debut on the 2000-2001 sketch comedy series Hype.
Caliendo has performed stand-up on such series as cable's Premium Blend, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, The View, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. His signature 'John Madden' impression is frequently seen on FOX NFL Sunday, The Best Damn Sports Show Period and Mohr Sports.
Caliendo has also appeared on Comedy Central's Comedy Central Presents, as well as many radio shows, including the The Dan Le Batard Show, The Junkies, The Bob & Tom Show, Mike and Mike in the Morning, Opie and Anthony, The Don and Mike Show, Rise Guys, Bubba the Love Sponge, The John Boy and Billy Big Show, The Howard Stern Show, Mike and the Mad Dog, Elliot in the Morning, The Sports Inferno, The Rick and Bubba Show, The Roe Conn Show, Holmberg's Morning Sickness, Jay Towers and Bill McAllister, and The KQ Morning Show.
[edit] Impressions
Below is a list of impersonations that Frank Caliendo has done while on MADtv, Fox NFL Sunday, Hype, his standup routine, and other media sources.
[edit] Frank TV
Frank currently stars on Frank TV, his own sketch show on the Turner Broadcasting System that began airing in November 2007. Frank is its host and performs in sketches in full makeup as characters he impersonates. Frank joked that he "wanted the show to be called The Chappelle Show [sic], but the lawyers wouldn't allow it," referring to the publicity he would likely receive from naming his show after another popular comedian.
The ratings for the five aired episodes have been beyond the show's expectations.
On February 21, 2008, TBS announced that they ordered eight more episodes to premiere later in 2008.[3]
[edit] MADtv
Caliendo officially joined the cast of MADtv in 2001 as a repertory performer, for the seventh season, and as MADtv's equivalent to Saturday Night Live's Darrell Hammond. In 2002, Caliendo replaced Will Sasso as the impersonator of George W. Bush, but he won audience members over with an offbeat impersonation of former FOX sports announcer John Madden. Both became some of the cast member's most popular impressions on MADtv, and were featured quite prominently during his tenure.
In August 2006, Caliendo announced he would not return to MADtv for its 2006-2007 season.
[edit] FOX NFL Sunday
In 2001 and 2002, Caliendo had a reccurring role on FOX NFL Sunday, as a guest to comedian Jimmy Kimmel. Caliendo frequently appeared impersonating announcer John Madden during some of Kimmel's prognostication skits.
In 2003, Kimmel departed the program, and Caliendo was named his permanent replacement. As the prognosticator for the NFL on FOX, he gives his predictions for the day's NFL games. Typically these come during a skit (usually a one-man skit), where he does one of his famous impersonations. For example, for the first week's FOX NFL Sunday of the 2006 NFL season, he impersonated James Brown, who left the show in the off-season to join The NFL Today on CBS. He also imitates the cast of FOX NFL Sunday on occasion, most frequently Terry Bradshaw.
[edit] The Comebacks
Caliendo appeared in the 2007 film The Comebacks. He plays John Madden and Al Michels in the championship game between the Comebacks and The Gridiron Gang.
[edit] Television and Movie appearances
- Comedy Central Presents (2004)
- Mind of Mencia (2005) as George W. Bush (voice)
- MADtv (2001 - 2006)
- Frank Caliendo - All Over the Place (2007)
- Frank TV (2007 - present)
- The Comebacks (2007) as Chip Imitation
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Caliendo, Frank |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American comedian and impressionist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 19, 1974 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
