Dana Carvey is one of my favorite comedians. And tonight he is hosting Saturday Night Live. Usually, when a former castmember hosts, that means that the episode will be really strong and hilarious tonight. SNL has had a great season so far, and last weeks episode hosted by Jesse Eisenberg proves so.
Dana Carvey is an impersonator, stand-up comedian, and satirist.
He was born in 1955 in Minnesota.
He had small roles in several movies before being on SNL, including This is Spinal Tap. He joined SNL in 1986 and was credited for being one of the castmembers that got it out of its 80s slump.
Dana Carvey stayed on SNL until 1993. He hosted SNL several times in 1994, 1996, and 2000.
He went on to have a rocky movie career, starring as Garth in both Wayne's World movies. His last movie, Master of Disguise was a huge flop, however, he still had a strong performance.
He has had two HBO stand-up specials, one in 1995, and one in 2008. he also had his own show in 1996, the Dana Carvey show, which was in sketch format. Despite being well-responded, it didn't last long. The Dana Carvey show was credited with launching Rob Smigel's Ambiguously Gay Duo, and the careers of Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert.
His career lulled in the late 90s and early 2000s, not because of his quality of movies, but because of two reasons: one, he wanted to be with his kids when they grew up, and two, he suffered from Angina Pectoris, which was troubled even more when doctors operated on the wrong valve!
No that his kids are in their late teens, Dana's been making comeback, starting with his HBO special in 2008, his appearance on the MTV Movie awards that same year when Mike Myers hosted. He and Myers once again played Wayne and Garth in a sketch. Carvey did his infamous George HW Bush impersonation for a funny-or-die video, along with Fred Armisen playing Barack Obama, Will Ferrell playing George W Bush, Chevy Chase playing Gerald Ford, Jim Carey playing Ronald Regan, and Dan Akyroyd playing Jimmy Carter, and Maya Rudolph playing Michelle Obama.
SNL characters and impersonations
Dana Carvey's original characters include the Church Lady, weekend update commentator, the Grumpy Old Man, Garth Algar, from Wayne's World, and Hans from Hans and Franz. Another popular sketch is the "Chopping Brocolli" sketch.
Dana Carvey's infamous for his impersonations: George HW Bush, which won recognition from the real George Sr himself, Paul McCartney (one of my favorites), Johnny Carson, Mickey Rooney, Dan Rather, Jimmy Stewart, and Ross Perot, and many more. Probably the most epic moment showcasing these impersonations was during the 1992 Presidential election, in which Carvey portrayed both George HW Bush, and Ross Perot, during a debate with Clinton, using special effects.
As well, Dana Carvey plays guitar, piano, and drums, and uses them with his characters and his stand-up acts.
So look forward to a great episode tonight, at 11:30 Eastern.
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