Craig Ferguson

Craig Ferguson entered the world of late night comedy following a diverse and eclectic career that encompasses film, television and the stage. Since taking the helm of CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” in 2005, the show has set all-time viewer records in the nine years that it has been on the air. On April 28th, Ferguson announced that he will be stepping down as host of “The Late Late Show” in December 2014. Ferguson was most recently heard on the big screen as he reprised his character ‘Gobber’ in “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” On September 22nd, 2014, the new syndicated game show “Celebrity Name Game” debuted with Ferguson as host, from executive producers Courteney Cox and David Arquette. “Celebrity Name Game” puts celebrities on the spot as they compete to identify famous names based on improvised clues.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Ferguson got his start in the entertainment industry as a drummer for some of the worst punk bands in the U.K., a profession he held for several years. Following his musical stint, he began bartending in a local pub in Glasgow where he was introduced to Michael Boyd, the artistic director of The Tron Theatre in Glasgow, who persuaded Ferguson to give acting a go. After several low paying acting gigs, Ferguson discovered he had a knack for comedy and was soon the star of his own BBC television show, “The Ferguson Theory.” After several stints on the English comedy circuit, Ferguson brought his act to America in 1995 to star with Betty White and Marie Osmond in the short-lived ABC comedy, “Maybe This Time.” After the show ended, ABC decided to add the talented Scotsman to “The Drew Carey Show,” playing Drew Carey’s boss, ‘Nigel Wick,’ from 1996-2003.

Ferguson has also become a huge success on the North American comedy circuit. He has performed to sold out theaters all over the country and sold out Carnegie Hall in October, 2010. In October 2012 Craig performed his highly praised stand-up at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall to a sold out audience. Additionally, Craig has three widely acclaimed stand-up comedy specials, “A Wee Bit O’ Revolution”, which premiered on Comedy Central and was released on Home Video in 2009, and “Does This Need To Be Said,” which premiered on Epix in 2011, aired on Comedy Central and was released on Home Video. In the summer of 2013, Craig released his third comedy album “I’m Here to Help,” garnering him a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album. The stand-up special premiered on Netflix and was later released on DVD.

Ferguson has written the feature films “The Big Tease” and “Saving Grace.” In 2003, he made his directorial debut with “I’ll Be There,” which he also wrote and starred in. “I’ll Be There” went on to receive the Audience Award for Best Film at the Aspen, Dallas, and Valencia film festivals. Craig was also named “best new director” at the Napa Valley Film Festival. Ferguson’s other film credits include, “Niagra Motel,” “Lenny the Wonder Dog,” “Prendimi l’anima,” “Life Without Dick,” “Chain of Fools” and “Born Romantic.” In 2010, Craig lent his voice to the animated feature “How to Train Your Dragon” as the Viking, ‘Gobber.’ In 2011 Craig portrayed ‘Owl’ in the highly anticipated Disney classic “Winnie The Pooh.” In the summer of 2012, Craig was heard as the voice of ‘Lord Macintosh’ in Disney’s animated feature, “Brave.”

In April 2006, Ferguson debuted his first novel entitled Between The Bridge and The River, which made it onto the best seller list. In the novel, two childhood friends from Scotland and two illegitimate half-brothers from the deep South suffer and enjoy all manner of bizarre adventures which, it turns out, are somehow interconnected-and, even more surprisingly, meaningful. The eclectic cast of characters features Socrates, Carl Jung, and Tony Randall; while love, greed, hope, revenge, organized religion, and Hollywood also make special appearances. This past February, Between The Bridge and The River — narrated by Craig himself — was released on audiobook.

Craig came into his own on the “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” winning his first Emmy nomination in 2006, as well as receiving the 2009 Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting for his interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Craig became the topic of conversation within the media and a growing trend of success in 2010. In February 2008 he succeeded in becoming a US Citizen mentioning that this is his home after thirteen years and “my heart is here.” Soon after, Craig had landed himself the biggest date of all; a date with President Bush hosting the White House Correspondence Dinner. Critics raved of his witty and comical deliverance speech to the 3,000 attendees who included political journalists, celebrities, and Washington’s power players. In 2009, Harper Collins published Ferguson’s memoir America On Purpose – a book about why and how late night funnyman, Craig Ferguson became an American. The book was listed on the New York Times bestseller list and continues to sell well to date.

Ferguson also serves on the board of the Lollipop Theater Network. The mission of the Lollipop Theater Network is to bring movies that are currently in theatrical release to hospitalized children facing chronic and life threatening illness nationwide.