Craig Ferguson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Craig Ferguson
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Ferguson speaking at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con
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| Born | 17 May 1962 Springburn, Glasgow, Scotland
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| Education | Cumbernauld High School |
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| Years active | 1980–present |
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| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Lynn Ferguson (sister) |
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Craig Ferguson (born May 17, 1962) is a Scottish-American actor, comedian, writer, and television host. He is famous for hosting the CBS late-night talk show The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson from 2005 to 2014. For his work on the show, he won a Peabody Award in 2009 for an interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
After leaving The Late Late Show, he hosted the game show Celebrity Name Game, winning two Daytime Emmy Awards. He has also hosted other shows like Join or Die with Craig Ferguson and The Hustler.
Ferguson began his career in the United Kingdom in music and comedy. He later moved to the United States and became well-known for playing Nigel Wick on the sitcom The Drew Carey Show. He has also written three books and holds both British and American citizenship.
Many people know him as the voice of Gobber in the How to Train Your Dragon movies. He also voiced Owl in Winnie the Pooh (2011) and Lord Macintosh in Brave (2012).
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Early Life
Craig Ferguson was born on May 17, 1962, in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Robert, worked for the post office, and his mother, Janet, was a primary school teacher. When he was six months old, his family moved to the nearby town of Cumbernauld.
Ferguson grew up with an older brother and two sisters. His younger sister, Lynn Ferguson Tweddle, is also a comedian and actress. She voiced the character Mac in the movie Chicken Run.
When he was 13, he visited the United States for the first time to see his uncle on Long Island, New York. He left high school at age 16 to start an apprenticeship as an electronics technician.
Career Journey
Starting in Britain
Ferguson's entertainment career began when he was a teenager. He was a drummer for several punk rock bands in Glasgow. One of his bands was fronted by Peter Capaldi, who later became a famous actor. Ferguson has said that Capaldi inspired him to try comedy.
He created a funny character who was a parody of patriotic Scottish folk singers. This act became a hit at the 1986 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a famous arts festival.
After his success at the festival, he appeared on several British television shows. He also acted in musical theater, including the London production of The Rocky Horror Show in 1991.
Success in America
In 1994, Ferguson moved to Los Angeles. His big break in the U.S. came when he was cast as Mr. Wick, the boss on The Drew Carey Show. He played this role from 1996 to 2003. He used a fancy English accent for the character as a joke.
While working on the show, Ferguson wrote and starred in three movies: The Big Tease, Saving Grace, and I'll Be There. He also directed I'll Be There, which won several film festival awards.
He has acted in many other films, including Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Ugly Truth. He is also a talented voice actor, known for his roles in animated films like How to Train Your Dragon and Brave.
Hosting The Late Late Show
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In 2005, Ferguson became the host of The Late Late Show on CBS. His show was known for being unique. He didn't have a human sidekick like other talk shows. Instead, he had a robot skeleton sidekick named Geoff Peterson and two people in a pantomime horse costume.
His show was very popular. In 2008, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson beat its competitor, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, in the weekly ratings for the first time.
On April 28, 2014, Ferguson announced he would be leaving the show at the end of the year. His final episode aired on December 19, 2014. CBS entertainment chair Nina Tassler praised him for bringing "tremendous energy, unique comedy, insightful interviews and some of the most heartfelt monologues seen on television."
What He Did After the Show
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After his talk show ended, Ferguson began hosting the game show Celebrity Name Game in 2014. He won two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host for his work on the show.
In 2016, he hosted a show on the History channel called Join or Die with Craig Ferguson. The show featured Ferguson and a panel of guests discussing historical topics in a funny way.
From 2021 to 2022, he hosted another game show called The Hustler on ABC. In 2023, he started a new late-night talk show called Channel Surf with Craig Ferguson.
Personal Life
Ferguson has been married three times and has two sons. He married art dealer Megan Wallace-Cunningham in 2008.
He became an American citizen on February 1, 2008. He even broadcast his citizenship test on an episode of The Late Late Show. He has five tattoos, including one of the "Join, or Die" political cartoon on his forearm to show his American patriotism. Another tattoo is his family crest with the motto Dulcius ex asperis, which is Latin for "Sweeter out of difficulty."
Selected Film and TV Work
Famous Film Roles
- The Big Tease (1999) - Crawford Mackenzie
- Saving Grace (2000) - Matthew Stewart
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) - Person of Indeterminate Gender
- How to Train Your Dragon (2010) - Gobber (voice)
- Winnie the Pooh (2011) - Owl (voice)
- Brave (2012) - Lord Macintosh (voice)
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) - Gobber (voice)
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) - Gobber (voice)
Famous Television Roles
- The Drew Carey Show (1996–2004) - Nigel Wick
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005–2014) - Himself (host)
- SpongeBob SquarePants (2009) - Himself
- Hot in Cleveland (2013–2015) - Simon
- Celebrity Name Game (2014–2017) - Himself (host)
- Join or Die with Craig Ferguson (2016) - Himself (host)
- The Hustler (2021) - Himself (host)
See also
In Spanish: Craig Ferguson para niños
