Comedy
Bill Grundfest has helped shape American comedy for almost 40 years. The son of Jewish European refugees, Bill started as a stand-comic while attending Penn. He founded the legendary Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village (now with a satellite location in Las Vegas), and coached comics like Jon Stewart and Ray Romano. He later moved to Hollywood and became a television writer and producer, for which he won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy three times. He wrote and produced for “Mad About You,” and executive produced “Pryor Offenses” on Showtime with the legendary Richard Pryor. In this interview Bill discusses his origins in comedy, and what he thinks makes for a successful stand-up career. He also discusses his return to stand-up comedy after many years, and working with such comics as Paul Provenza and Dave Attell. He can be contacted at BGrundfest@gmail.com.