Dave Attell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dave Attell
Attell in 2009
Born	(1965-01-18) January 18, 1965 (age 60) New York City, New York, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film

David "Dave" Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He is famous for hosting the Comedy Central show Insomniac with Dave Attell.

Early Life and Education

Dave Attell was born in Queens, a borough of New York City. He grew up in the town of Rockville Centre on Long Island. He went to South Side High School.

After high school, Attell attended New York University. He graduated in 1987 with a degree in communications. After college, he started performing comedy at open-mic nights, where anyone can get on stage and perform.

Comedy and Television Career

First TV Appearances

Attell's first time on television was in 1988 on a show called Stand-Up Spotlight. Many other famous comedians, like Lewis Black and Wanda Sykes, also got their start on that show.

In 1993, he performed on the Late Show with David Letterman. The creator of Saturday Night Live (SNL), Lorne Michaels, saw his performance. Michaels hired Attell to be a writer and sometimes an actor on SNL for the 1993–1994 season.

Working with HBO and Comedy Central

In 1995, Attell was featured in two specials on the HBO channel. He appeared with other rising comedians like Louis C.K. and Dave Chappelle. He also got his own 60-minute special on HBO. In 2007, his first one-hour special, Dave Attell: Captain Miserable, was shown on HBO.

Attell also worked a lot with the channel Comedy Central. In 1999, he had his own episode of Comedy Central Presents. That same year, he joined the news comedy show The Daily Show as a commentator. His part of the show was called "The Ugly American."

Hosting His Own Shows

In 2001, Attell's show Insomniac with Dave Attell started on Comedy Central. In the show, he would explore different cities late at night after his comedy gigs. He would visit interesting places and talk to the people he met.

From 2003, he was a regular on the show Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. In 2008, Attell began hosting The Gong Show with Dave Attell for Comedy Central. It was a modern version of a classic talent show where celebrity judges would rate unique and funny acts.

Recent Work

In 2014, his comedy special Dave Attell: Road Work was shown on Comedy Central. That same year, he hosted another show called Comedy Underground with Dave Attell.

In 2018, he toured with fellow comedian Jeff Ross. They filmed a three-part series for Netflix called Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attell. The show followed them on tour and showed them performing together.

Attell released a new comedy special on Netflix in 2024 called Dave Attell: Hot Cross Buns.

Filmography

Films

Stand-up Releases

Television

Video Games