Greg Giraldo
Greg Giraldo | |
---|---|
Spouse |
Maryann McAlpin-Giraldo
(m. 1999) |
Children | 3 |
Notable works and roles |
Gregory Carlos Giraldo (December 10, 1965 – September 29, 2010) was an American
Early life and education
Giraldo was born in
Giraldo was an excellent student and was accepted into the private
Giraldo was admitted to Harvard Law School after achieving a near perfect score on his Law School Admission Test (LSAT), scoring in the 99th percentile of students taking the test.[9] He earned a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1990.[10]
Legal career
Giraldo passed the bar and began a career as a lawyer, working for eight months as an associate for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom before changing his occupation.[11]
In 1993, Giraldo provided
When Ross went to court to face the charges, "Greg volunteered to be my attorney as a favor. I remember we slept in his parents' basement in Queens. We drove to court in a Jeep and had dirty blue sport jackets on. It took him two tries, but he got the case dismissed."[12]
Giraldo said that, at the time of the case, he had never litigated in a courtroom before. When the case was upgraded to a weapons charge, he had nearly told Ross to plead guilty, which would have resulted in his friend serving jail time. "The judge called us over... and I had to plead, 'I have no idea what I'm doing here.' We ended up having to get a real lawyer and come back a month later," said Giraldo.[13]
Giraldo found that, although he did well in law school, he did not like the practice of corporate law.[14]
His family was disappointed that Giraldo left law practice, but he said:
I always wanted to do something creative. I've always had real trouble knowing what my actual desires and goals are. I've just been dragged along by fate. I can't even tell you why I thought to go to law school.[15]
Because I went to Harvard Law School it seemed like I had my shit together, but I did only because it’s not hard. Everyone is so self-motivated that they leave you alone. You get study outlines and just cram, but then when you get out into the real world, it gets tricky. Most comedians are people who couldn’t really work in the real world, they’re too disorganized, too lazy, too fucked up, too erratic, too unstable. If you could work in the real world you would have stayed there because it is so many years of misery in comedy before you really start popping.[16]
In August 2000, Giraldo was featured in an After turning to comedy, Giraldo rarely discussed his prior career; the Esquire article was one of the few times that he referred to his time as a lawyer.
Career
Giraldo started doing stand-up comedy in 1992.[19] When asked who his comedic influences were, Giraldo stated: "For me, I wasn't really influenced by the good people. I was influenced by the (crappy) people. I would watch 'Evening at the Improv' and those kind of shows, and I'd think, 'Man, those guys blow so bad. I can do that.' And I went from there."[20]
Giraldo performed regularly at the
Giraldo performed more than a dozen times on
Giraldo acted in two Adam Dubin features, 2002's comedic short American Dummy, in which he played a psychiatrist, and 2008's animated film, What Blows Up Must Come Down!, in which he did the voice of Jihad Jo.[26] He also did the voice of President Theodore Roosevelt in the audiobook version of Sarah Vowell's 2005 book Assassination Vacation.[27]
He appeared on
He had two half-hour specials on
Giraldo said on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on July 7, 2005, that he had quit drinking alcohol. His series Friday Night Stand-Up with Greg Giraldo began on Comedy Central in late 2005 and ran until 2006. His CD
Giraldo appeared in several Comedy Central's annual
He was a regular guest on Comedy Central's television series Lewis Black's Root of All Evil and was one of the advocates lobbying for his side to be considered the "root of all evil." He won Black's decision in two of his nine appearances, but won the audience poll six times. Giraldo served as a judge during season seven of the NBC reality competition show Last Comic Standing.[25]
In 2008, Giraldo appeared in venues across the United States as the headlining act of the Indecision '08 Tour, produced by Comedy Central. Midlife Vices, his only one-hour special for Comedy Central, was released in 2009. In June 2010, Giraldo performed at the
Personal life
Giraldo was married twice. He married first at age 23, and the couple divorced after two years.[4][35]
He married his second wife, Maryann, on January 23, 1999. She was a former waitress at
Giraldo had a tribal design tattoo on his left forearm that contained the number 525. He was reluctant to discuss its meaning. Comedian
Death
On September 25, 2010, Giraldo
After Giraldo failed to appear for a scheduled performance at
Tributes
On September 29, 2010, on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Jon Stewart honored Giraldo during the end-of-show "Your Moment of Zen" segment by playing a clip of his stand-up and renaming the segment for that night "Your Moment of Greg".[46] John Popper, lead singer of Blues Traveler, dedicated the song "The Mountains Win Again" to Giraldo during the band's concert on September 29; he had worked with the comedian on the TV show Z Rock.[47] On September 30, 2010, numerous comedians and celebrities expressed their sorrow for Giraldo's death on Twitter.[48] Comedy Central posted a series of clips from Giraldo's past works, titled "The Best of Greg Giraldo," on their website.[49]
On October 9, 2010, Comedy Central aired a special titled Comics Anonymous: Addictive Stand-Up. Filmed prior to Giraldo's death, it featured several comedians who had been sober for 10 years or more. The show's executive producer, comedian Mike DeStefano, dedicated the special to Giraldo.[50] On October 12, 2010, the series premiere of Nick Swardson's Pretend Time, Swardson dedicated the episode to Giraldo.[51]
On November 2, 2010, Comix comedy club in New York hosted the Jim Florentine roast, at which Giraldo had been scheduled to perform. Throughout the show, many of the comedians paid tribute to Giraldo in roast-style fashion. Host Rich Vos joked: "I wasn’t the first choice to host. Greg Giraldo was asked, but he said he’d rather be dead than host this."[52]
On February 9, 2011, a benefit titled "The Big Time Comedy Show" was held at NYC's
The Columbia University Alumni Association staged two benefit shows on March 28, 2011, at the Gotham Comedy Club in NYC. The comedians who performed sets were Todd Barry, Amy Schumer, John Mulaney, Joe Mande, Morgan Murphy, Godfrey, Rachel Feinstein, Michael Ian Black, and Robert Kelly, and the shows were hosted by Gabe Liedman and Stress Factory owner Vinnie Brand.[55]
On March 18, 2011, Comedy Central aired Give It Up for Greg Giraldo, a two-hour television special honoring his memory in which multiple comedians, including Jon Stewart,
Greg Fitzsimmons dedicated his 2010 book Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons: Tales of Redemption from an Irish Mailbox, to Giraldo and several other comedians.[57] Holly George-Warren's 2012 book Bonnaroo: What, Which, This, That, The Other was also dedicated to Giraldo.[58]
Social worker Joe Schrank, a friend of Giraldo's, has a tattoo that says "Best Wishes, God," a phrase that Giraldo often wrote into hotel room Bibles.[59][60]
A biography by Matt Balaker and Wayne Jones, Greg Giraldo: A Comedian's Story, was published in March 2019. It features interviews with family, friends, fans, and colleagues.[61]
Filmography
Television
Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Common Law | John Alvarez | 10 episodes produced (only 4 aired) |
1997 | Live At Jongleurs | Himself | Stand-up |
1997 | Later | Himself | Guest host |
2000–2004 | Comedy Central Presents | Himself | Stand-up (2 appearances) |
2000–2008 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Himself | Stand-up (5 appearances) |
2001 | Late Friday | Himself | |
2002–2004 | The View
|
Himself | (2 appearances) |
2002–2004 | Last Call with Carson Daly | Himself | Stand-up/Writer |
2002 | Comedy Central Presents: The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Chevy Chase | Himself | Roaster |
2002 | The Greg Giraldo Show | Greg | NBC pilot |
2002 | The Colin Quinn Show
|
Himself/Various | |
2002–2004 | Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn | Himself/Various | Writer |
2004 | Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time | Himself | Panelist |
2004 | Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Himself | Stand-up (2 episodes) |
2004 | Last Laugh '04 | Himself | |
2004–2005 | Late Show with David Letterman | Himself | Stand-up (4 appearances) |
2005 | The Greg Giraldo Show | Himself/host | Writer & executive producer - Comedy Central pilot |
2005 | Comedy Central Roast of Jeff Foxworthy | Himself | Roaster |
2005 | Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson | Himself | Roaster |
2005 | Gone Hollywood | Himself/host | Writer & co-executive producer (Unaired pilot later became The Showbiz Show with David Spade) |
2005–2007 | Friday Night Stand-Up with Greg Giraldo | Himself/host/Various | Writer - In 2006, the title was changed to Stand-Up Nation with Greg Giraldo. |
2005–2010 | Just For Laughs | Himself | Stand-up, writer (3 appearances) |
2005 | Dave Attell's Insomniac Tour | Himself | Stand-up |
2005 | Last Laugh '05 | Himself | |
2006 | Tattoo Fixation | Himself | A&E special
|
2006 | Howard Stern On Demand | Himself | |
2006 | Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner
|
Himself | Roaster |
2006 | Drive/II | Pilot | |
2006 | Last Laugh '06 | Himself | |
2007 | Adult Content with Greg Giraldo | Himself | Writer - Comedy Central pilot |
2007 | Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav
|
Himself | Roaster |
2008 | Caiga Quien Caiga (CQC) | Himself | U.S. pilot of Argentine show
|
2008 | Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget | Himself | Roaster |
2008 | The Gong Show with Dave Attell | Himself | Judge |
2008 | Lewis Black's Root of All Evil | Himself | |
2008 | Cheech & Chong: Roasted | Himself | Roaster |
2008 | Z Rock | Harry Braunstein | IFC show; appeared in 3 episodes
|
2009 | Comedy Central Roast of Larry the Cable Guy | Himself | Roaster |
2009 | Martin Short: Let Freedom Hum | Himself | TBS special
|
2009 | Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers | Himself | Roaster |
2009 | Burned: The Roasts' Most Outrageous Moments | Himself/host | |
2009 | Midlife Vices | Himself | Stand-up |
2010 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Himself | Stand-up |
2010 | The Marriage Ref
|
Himself | |
2010 | Last Comic Standing | Himself | Judge |
2010 | Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff | Himself | Roaster |
2011 | Give It Up For Greg Giraldo | Himself | Archive footage |
Film
Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Game Day | Zippy | |
2000 | Choices | Mike | Directed by Steve Klein |
2000 | Eventual Wife | Jim | Short film |
2002 | American Dummy | Dr. Mabuse | Short film |
2002 | Comedian | Himself | |
2006 | Dave Attell's Insomniac Tour | Himself | |
2008 | What Blows Up Must Come Down! | Jihad Joe | Short film |
2010 | Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work | Himself | |
2010 | I Am Comic | Himself |
Discography
- Underwear Goes Inside the Pants (2004) Universal Music
- Good Day to Cross a River (2006) Comedy Central Records
- Midlife Vices (2009) Comedy Central Records
References
- ^ "Obituaries - Columbia College Today".
- ^ a b Balaker, Matt (2019). Greg Giraldo: A Comedian's Story.
- ^ TheWrap.com staff. "Comedy Central Mainstay Greg Giraldo Dead at 44" TheWrap.com. September 29, 2010.
- ^ a b Gadino, Dylan P. "Greg Giraldo: Comedy game plan in effect" (interview), Punchline, October 29, 2009. WebCitation archive.
- ^ "Greg Giraldo for 1-800-OK-Cable (Spanish 1)". OK Cable. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
- ^ Killian, Chris (September 29, 2010). "RIP Greg Giraldo". Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
- ^ "Regis Alumni News (Fall 2010, Page 47)". Regis Alumni News. 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Obituaries". Columbia College Today. Mar–Apr 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- ^ a b Gosseling, Tim (March 6, 2005). "Common Law' star to bring comedy to SU community". The Daily Orange. Retrieved August 19, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Altman, Michael (October 2, 2010). "Greg Giraldo, Comedian and Former Harvard Law Alumnus, Dies". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- ^ "New York State Bar Directory". iapps.courts.state.ny.us.
- ^ Daily News, September 29, 2010. WebCitation archive.
- ^ "Interview with Giraldo," The Opie and Anthony Show, September 20, 2007, Sirius XM Satellite Radio
- ^ Stand-Up Library: Give It Up for Greg Giraldo. Comedy Central. March 18, 2011. Event occurs at 10:37–10:59. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
It was a ridiculous thought that I could possibly ever work at a regular job. ... I'd taken the LSATs and all that and that went well, and going to law school was fun enough, I guess, but then trying to be a real working lawyer was not an issue, not an [option]. I'm sitting here about to perform in front of a giant audience with my pants [duct]-taped together; so imagine the kind of lawyer I would be.
- ^ Dixit, Jay (May 13, 2009). "Greg Giraldo On Failure". Psychology Today. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ^ Sheehan, Martina (June 19, 2010). "Just For Laughs: Greg Giraldo, host of the Nasty Show". TimeOut Chicago. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
- ^ Kurson, Robert (August 1, 2000). "Who's Killing the Great Lawyers of Harvard?". Esquire. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ Kurson, Robert (September 29, 2010). "Greg Giraldo Before He Was Greg Giraldo". Esquire. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ Downs, Gordon (December 1, 2010). "Interview With Comedian Greg Giraldo". SanDiego.com. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ^ Geltner, Ted (October 7, 2005). "Greg Giraldo sounds off on comedy, college". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (September 28, 1996). "A Sitcom, Upscale and Latin". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- ^ Johnson, Allan (September 24, 1996). "Court of Appeal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
- ^ "Greg Giraldo". Read Junk. February 24, 2005. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
- ^ Grelyak, Alana (February 16, 2007). "Illogical conversations with Greg Giraldo". Lumino Magazine. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
- ^ a b c O'Connor, Anahad. "Greg Giraldo, Insult-Humor Comic, Dies at 44", The New York Times, September 30, 2010
- ^ "Adam Dubin: Short Films". Retrieved August 16, 2012.
- ISBN 9780743550291.
- ^ Madigan, Nick (July 12, 2001). "Greg Giraldo: From courtroom to standup circuit". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ "Greg Giraldo". Ram Entertainment and Special Event Services. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- Penthouse Magazine. Archived from the originalon November 23, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ "Greg Giraldo for 1-800-OK-Cable (Spanish 2)". OK Cable. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
- ^ Hale, Mike (August 22, 2008). "A Brooklyn Kiddie Band's R-Rated Mock Reality". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- ^ "Greg Giraldo at Bonnaroo 2010". YouTube. Retrieved February 27, 2012.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ Brownstein, Bill (July 8, 2010). "Nasty Show host Greg Giraldo sets high smut standard for the others". The Gazette. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
- ^ The Opie and Anthony Show, May 14, 2010, Sirius XM Satellite Radio
- ^ "Tattoo Fixation". Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ^ Gadino, Dylan P. (October 1, 2010). "Greg Giraldo: the never before seen 35-minute video interview". Laughspin. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ISBN 9780061959875.
- ^ Gadino, Dylan P. (December 19, 2005). "Greg Giraldo: Born to Mock". Laughspin. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ Schrank, Joe (September 29, 2010). "Greg Giraldo's Last Laugh". The Fix. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ^ "Thousands Rally In New York City To Support Those In Recovery". New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ^ a b Coyle, Jake. "Stand-up Comedian Greg Giraldo Dies at 44", Associated Press, September 30, 2010. WebCitation archive.
- ^ a b "Greg Giraldo Death -- Family Pulled Life Support". TMZ. 30 September 2010.
- ^ "Comedian Greg Giraldo Is Dead". TMZ. September 29, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ Getlen, Larry (February 2, 2011). "The Midlife Vices of Greg Giraldo". Splitsider. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ^ Tobey, Matt. "The Daily Show Remembers Greg Giraldo". Comedy Central Insider. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ "Blues Traveler "Mountains Win Again" @ Belly Up Tavern". YouTube. September 29, 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
- ^ "The Comedy World Reacts". Comedy Central Insider. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ "The Best of Greg Giraldo". Comedy Central Insider. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ Gray, Megan (October 8, 2010). "Comics Anonymous: Addictive Stand-Up". Comedy Central Insider. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
- ^ "Nick Swardson's Pretend Time". Comedy Central. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
- ^ Gadino, Dylan P. (November 3, 2010). "Comedian friends joke about Greg Giraldo's death at roast". Laughspin. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
- ^ McCarthy, Sean (February 15, 2011). "Quotes, notes and news on The Greg Giraldo Fund and assorted benefit plans". The Comic's Comic. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ Trevisanut, Jillian (July 1, 2011). "Benefit For Greg Giraldo's Wife and Kids". America's Comedy. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ "Greg Giraldo Children's Fund Benefit". Columbia Alumni Arts League. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ Tobey, Matt. "Tonight, Give It Up for Greg Giraldo". Comedy Central Insider. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ISBN 9781439192122.
- ISBN 9781613123317.
- ^ Haber, Matt (April 6, 2011). "Seeking Sobriety in Brooklyn". The New York Times.
- ^ Schrank, Joe (September 29, 2011). "Greg Giraldo's Last Laugh". The Fix. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ^ "A book about comedian Greg Giraldo". Greg Giraldo Book. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- Vice. Via Apple TV. Retrieved February 26, 2023. Cited as "Vice".
- ^ "Vice". Event occurs at 37:38–37:41.
- ^ "Vice". Event occurs at 24:06–24:08.
- ^ "Vice". Event occurs at 30:11–30:49 and 38:08–38:13.
- ^ "Vice". Event occurs at 31:43–31:55.
- ^ "Vice". Event occurs at 41:47–42:24.
External links
- Greg Giraldo at IMDb
- Greg Giraldo, The Comedy Hall of Fame
- Greg Giraldo Official Website [site is no longer active]
- ""The Greg Giraldo Show Pilot Taping" at cringehumor.net, April 7, 2005". Archived from the original on August 27, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- Greg Giraldo at Find a Grave
- "Giraldo's World: Interview". Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2017., The DePaulia, 2007, n.d.
- ""Comedian Discusses Cornell and his Specialty in Candy" (interview), The Cornell Daily Sun, April 25, 2007". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2007.
- ""Court Jester: Greg Giraldo states his case" (interview), Philly City Paper, October 9, 2007". Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
- "Greg Giraldo on Failure", Psychology Today, May 13, 2009
- "Farewell, Maestro", by Ted Alexandro, October 1, 2010
- ""An R.I.P.", by Laurie Kilmartin, December 13, 2010". Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
- "Opie and Anthony: Greg Giraldo Interview with Patrice O'Neal and Jim Norton" on YouTube, May 6, 2009
- "Greg Giraldo Memorial Page", Recovery Comedy website