Denis Leary facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Denis Leary
Leary at the 2015 ATX TV Festival
Birth name	Denis Colin Leary
Born	(1957-08-18) August 18, 1957 (age 67) Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up film television
Alma mater	Emerson College
Genres	Observational comedy black comedy insult comedy musical comedy
Spouse	Ann Lembeck ​ (m. 1989)​
Children	2
Relative(s)	Conan O'Brien (third cousin)

Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is famous for his fast-paced comedy style and for starring in the TV show Rescue Me. He is also known for his voice work, especially as the saber-toothed tiger Diego in the Ice Age movies.

Leary first became well-known as a comedian on MTV. He also had popular comedy specials like No Cure for Cancer (1993) and Lock 'n Load (1997). In the 1990s, he began acting in movies such as Operation Dumbo Drop (1995) and Wag the Dog (1997).

In the 2000s, he co-created and starred in Rescue Me, a show about New York City firefighters. His work on the show earned him three Primetime Emmy nominations. Leary has also played important movie roles, like Captain George Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man. From 2015 to 2016, he wrote and starred in the comedy series ... & ... & Rock & Roll.

Early Life and Education

Denis Colin Leary was born on August 18, 1957. His birthplace was Worcester, Massachusetts. His parents were Catholic immigrants from County Kerry, Ireland. His mother, Nora, worked as a maid. His father, John Leary, was an auto mechanic. Denis Leary is a citizen of both the United States and Ireland. He is also a third cousin of talk show host Conan O'Brien.

Leary went to Saint Peter's High School in Worcester. He later graduated from Emerson College in Boston. At Emerson, he met fellow comedian Mario Cantone. Leary considers Cantone his closest friend. While a student, Leary started the Emerson Comedy Workshop. This comedy group is still active on campus today. After graduating in 1981, Leary taught comedy-writing classes at Emerson for five years. In 2005, he received an honorary doctorate from his old college.

Career

Stand-Up Comedy

Leary started his comedy career in Boston clubs. He got his first big break on the TV show The Rascals Comedy Hour in 1990. He also appeared in sketches on the MTV game show Remote Control.

He became famous on MTV in the early 1990s for his high-speed rants about different topics, which fit in with the growing alternative rock scene. He released two comedy albums, No Cure for Cancer (1993) and Lock 'n Load (1997).

In 1993, his song "..." became very popular. The song was a hit in Australia and was even used in TV commercials in the United Kingdom.

Acting in Film and Television

Leary behind Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes at a U2 concert in Madison Square Garden, October 2005

Leary has acted in many movies. Some of his well-known films include The Sandlot, The Ref, Demolition Man, and The Thomas Crown Affair.

He has also voiced characters in animated movies. He was the voice of Francis, a tough ladybug in A Bug's Life, and Diego, a saber-toothed tiger in the Ice Age movies.

Leary has had a successful television career. He starred in the series The Job from 2001 to 2002. From 2004 to 2011, he co-created and starred in Rescue Me. In the show, he played Tommy Gavin, a New York City firefighter dealing with the challenges of his job after the September 11th events. For his role, he was nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor.

In 2012, he played Captain George Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man. He later created and starred in the FX series ... & ... & Rock & Roll from 2015 to 2016. In 2022, he had a recurring role as an NYPD officer in Law & Order: Organized Crime.

Other Work

Leary is a big fan of Boston sports teams, especially the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Bruins. He narrated the official film for the 2004 World Series when the Red Sox won. He also hosts an annual comedy benefit show called Comics Come Home, which was started by Bruins legend Cam Neely to raise money for his cancer charity.

He has appeared in TV commercials and has produced several TV shows and movies through his company, Apostle.

Personal Life

Leary and his wife Ann Lembeck at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival

Leary married author Ann Lembeck Leary in 1989. They met at Emerson College where he was her teacher in an English class. They have two children, a son named Jack and a daughter named Devin. Ann Leary is a successful writer and has published several novels.

Leary is a big ice hockey fan and even has an ice rink in his backyard in Roxbury, Connecticut. He is a fan of the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, and the Green Bay Packers.

Politically, Leary has described himself as a "Jack Kennedy Democrat" who also agrees with some conservative ideas, like supporting the military. He is also the godfather of Damian Hurley, the son of actress Elizabeth Hurley.

Leary Firefighters Foundation

On December 3, 1999, a tragic fire in a warehouse in Leary's hometown of Worcester killed six firefighters. One of the firefighters was Leary's cousin, and another was a close childhood friend.

In response, Leary started the Leary Firefighters Foundation in 2000. The foundation has raised millions of dollars to help fire departments in Worcester, Boston, and New York City. The money is used to buy new equipment, vehicles, and training materials.

After the September 11 attacks, a special fund from his foundation gave over $2 million to the families of the 343 firefighters who died. The foundation also helped rebuild firehouses in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Filmography

Comedy specials

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Long Walk to Forever	Newt	Short film
1991	Strictly Business	Jake	Cameo
1993	Sandlot, TheThe Sandlot	Bill
	Who's the Man?	Sergeant Cooper
	Demolition Man	Edgar Friendly
	Loaded Weapon 1	Mike McCracken	Cameo; performing "You Really Got Me"
	Judgment Night	Fallon
1994	Ref, TheThe Ref	Gus
	Gunmen	Armor O'Malley
	Natural Born Killers	Prison Inmate	Director's cut; cameo
1995	Operation Dumbo Drop	CW3 David Poole
	Neon Bible, TheThe Neon Bible	Frank
1996	Underworld	Johnny Crown/Johnny Alt
	Two If by Sea	Francis "Frank" O'Brien	Also writer
1997	Love Walked In	Jack Hanaway	Also producer
	Wag the Dog	Fad King
	... Kings	Lono Veccio
	Real Blonde, TheThe Real Blonde	Doug
	Matchmaker, TheThe Matchmaker	Nick
1998	Monument Ave.	Bobby O'Grady	a.k.a. Snitch; Also uncredited writer
	Wide Awake	Mr. Beal
	Small Soldiers	Gil Mars
	A Bug's Life	Francis (voice)
1999	True Crime	Bob Findley
	Jesus' Son	Wayne
	Do Not Disturb	Simon
	Thomas Crown Affair, TheThe Thomas Crown Affair	Det. Michael McCann
2000	Sand	Teddy
	Lakeboat	The Fireman
	Company Man	Officer Fry
2001	Double Whammy	Det. Raymond Pluto	Also uncredited producer
	Final	Bill	performing "Little Sister"
	Blow	N/A	Producer only
2002	Dawg	Douglas "Dawg" Munford	a.k.a. Bad Boy
	Ice Age	Diego (voice)
	Secret Lives of Dentists, TheThe Secret Lives of Dentists	Slater
2003	When Stand Up Stood Out	Himself	Documentary
	Curse of the Bambino, TheThe Curse of the Bambino
	Reverse of the Curse of the Bambino		Documentary (sequel)
2006	Ice Age: The Meltdown	Diego (voice)
2009	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
2012	Amazing Spider-Man, TheThe Amazing Spider-Man	George Stacy
	Ice Age: Continental Drift	Diego (voice)
2014	Draft Day	Coach Penn
	The Amazing Spider-Man 2	George Stacy
2015	Freaks of Nature	Rick Wilson
2016	Ice Age: Collision Course	Diego (voice)
2023	Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse	George Stacy	Archival footage from The Amazing Spider-Man
2025	Oh. What. Fun.	TBA	Post-production
2026	Ice Age 6	Diego (voice)	In development

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Video games

Discography

Albums

• No Cure for Cancer (1993)
• Lock 'n Load (1997)
• Merry F... Christmas (2004)

Singles

• "At the Rehab" (2009)
• "..." (2011)
• "Kiss My ..." (2012)

Awards

Images for kids

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  Denis Leary at the BookExpo America in 2017