Dane Cook facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dane Cook
Cook in 2011
Born	Dane Jeffrey Cook (1972-03-18) March 18, 1972 (age 53) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Comedian actor
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Kelsi Taylor ​ (m. 2023)​
Comedy career
Medium	Stand-up, film, television
Genres	Observational comedy
Subject(s)	Human behavior American politics gender differences

Dane Jeffrey Cook (born March 18, 1972) is a well-known American comedian and actor. He is famous for his stand-up comedy, where he often talks about everyday life. He has released many popular comedy albums, including Harmful If Swallowed (2003) and Retaliation (2005).

Dane Cook was one of the first comedians to use the internet, like his own website and Myspace, to connect with fans. This helped him become very popular, especially around 2006. You might also know him from movies like Employee of the Month (2006), Good Luck Chuck (2007), and My Best Friend's Girl (2008). He also voiced Dusty Crophopper in the animated movies Planes (2013) and Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014).

In 2006, his album Retaliation became a huge hit, selling over a million copies. He also made history by being one of only two comedians to sell out the famous Madison Square Garden arena.

Early Life and Education

Dane Cook was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was the second son of Donna Jean and George F. Cook. He grew up in a Catholic family with Irish roots.

As a child, Cook described himself as "pretty quiet" and "shy." However, he became more outgoing in high school. That's when he started acting and trying out stand-up comedy. After high school, he studied graphic design. This was his back-up plan in case comedy didn't work out. Today, he designs all his own merchandise, including his album covers.

Comedy Career

Starting Out in Comedy

Dane Cook began performing stand-up comedy in clubs in 1990. In 1992, he had a tough experience at a concert in Boston Garden. He was scheduled to perform comedy between two popular music bands. The audience was impatient for the next band and started throwing things at the stage. Cook and his comedy group had to leave the stage. This incident made him even more determined to succeed. He promised himself he would one day return to the Boston Garden and perform successfully.

Rise to Fame

In 1994, Cook moved to New York City to continue his comedy career. Two years later, he moved to Los Angeles, where he still lives. His big break came in 1998 when he appeared on Comedy Central's Premium Blend. In 2000, he had his own half-hour special on Comedy Central Presents.

In 2003, Cook released his first CD/DVD, Harmful If Swallowed. This album sold over a million copies. He then released his second CD/DVD in 2005, called Retaliation. This album sold over two million copies. It also made him the first comedian in 27 years to have an album in the top 5 on the Billboard charts.

On April 15, 2005, Cook performed his first HBO special, Vicious Circle. This show was filmed at the TD Garden in Boston. That same year, he went on a college tour called Tourgasm with his friends Robert Kelly, Gary Gulman, and Jay Davis. The tour was filmed and became a 9-episode documentary on HBO.

On December 3, 2005, Cook hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL). He also hosted the season 32 premiere of SNL a year later. In 2006, Cook started his own company, Superfinger Entertainment. This company helps him produce his own albums and videos.

Cook at Comic Con 2007 promoting Good Luck Chuck

On November 12, 2007, Cook became the second comedian ever to sell out Madison Square Garden's large arena. He performed two sold-out shows in one night. This show was filmed and released as his third comedy album, Rough Around The Edges. Cook also won the Big Entertainer Award at the VH1 Big in '06 Awards. Rolling Stone magazine named him their Hot Comic of the Year.

Cook also set a record at the Laugh Factory comedy club. On April 10, 2007, he performed for three hours and 50 minutes. Later, on January 1, 2008, he broke another record by performing for seven hours! In 2008, Cook went to Iraq with Robert Kelly and Al Del Bene to perform for the troops.

He released his fourth album, Isolated Incident, in 2009. This album was part of his deal with Comedy Central Records.

Recent Stand-up

In 2014, Showtime aired Cook's Troublemaker special. In 2016, he performed at the Oddball Comedy Festival. He also toured Canada as part of the "Just for Laughs" comedy festival.

At the end of 2018, Cook announced his "Tell It Like It Is" Tour. This was his first big stand-up tour since 2013. The tour started in February 2019 and ended in November in Los Angeles.

Film Roles

Cook started his film career with small parts in the late 1990s. He appeared in Mystery Men and Simon Sez.

In 2006, Cook had his first main role in the movie Employee of the Month. He played Zack Bradley alongside Jessica Simpson. The movie did well at the box office. In 2007, he played a photographer named Mr. Smith in the dramatic film Mr. Brooks, starring Kevin Costner.

Later in 2007, Cook starred as a dentist named Charlie Logan in Good Luck Chuck. He also appeared in Dan in Real Life with Steve Carell. In 2008, he starred in My Best Friend's Girl with Kate Hudson.

In 2013, Cook voiced Dusty Crophopper in the animated movie Planes. This movie is a spin-off of Pixar's Cars series. He voiced Dusty again in the 2014 sequel, Planes: Fire & Rescue. In 2015, Cook starred in the film 400 Days. He was also an executive producer for this movie.

Stage and TV Appearances

Cook at a USO tour in 2008

In 2010, it was announced that Cook would star in a Broadway play called Fat Pig. However, the show was postponed. In 2012, he performed in the musical The Producers at the Hollywood Bowl.

His first TV role was playing a quarterback named Kyle on the 1995 ABC comedy Maybe This Time. In 2012, Cook was set to star in a new NBC comedy called Next Caller. But the show was canceled before it aired.

Comedic Style

Dane Cook's comedy style often involves "long-form storytelling." This means he tells longer stories and uses phrases in different ways. Cook says his stage personality is a mix of his mom and dad's personalities. He explains that he wants to be able to talk about anything he wants on stage. He can be a storyteller, tell jokes, or be silly to get his point across.

Comedy Similarities

Sometimes, comedians can have similar ideas or jokes. There was some discussion online about three jokes from Cook's 2005 album Retaliation that were similar to jokes by comedian Louis C.K. In 2011, Cook appeared as himself in an episode of Louie, a show written by Louis C.K. They talked about the similarities in the episode. Later, Louis C.K. said he didn't think Cook intentionally copied his jokes.

Tours

Cook at Madison Square Garden in 2008

• Tourgasm 2005
• Dave Attell's Insomniac Tour 2006
• Rough Around The Edges Tour 2007
• Globo Thermo Tour 2008
• Isolated Incident 2009
• Under Oath 2013
• Tell It Like It Is Tour 2019

Personal Life

Dane Cook's half-brother, Darryl McCauley, used to be his business manager. In 2008, Cook found out that Darryl and his wife had taken money from him. They were charged and pleaded guilty. They were ordered to pay the money back to Cook.

In 2017, Cook started dating Kelsi Taylor. They got engaged in 2022 and married on September 23, 2023, in Hawaii.

Discography

Albums

Other Releases

• 2006: Dane Cook's Tourgasm (3DVD)
• 2007: The Lost Pilots (DVD) Sony Pictures Television.

Singles

• "I'll Never Be You" (2006)
• "Forward" (2007)
• "... Girl/Red Car" (2010)

Cook also helped write and perform the song "Ruthie Pigface Draper" for the Dan In Real Life film. He also provided guest vocals on the 2011 song In the Future by Steel Panther.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Dane Cook para niños