Actors - Bill Maher

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	Actors - Bill Maher

William "Bill" Maher, Jr., (born January 20, 1956; last name pronounced //) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He hosted the late-night television talk show Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central and ABC, and is currently the host of the weekly Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. He is known for his political satire, most of which comes from a left-wing perspective mixed in with some libertarian notions. He skewers the right-wing with particular ferocity, but also occasionally challenges leftist orthodoxy and the notion of political correctness.

Early life and career

Maher was born in New York City and grew up in River Vale, New Jersey. He graduated from Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, New Jersey. Maher is the product of a "mixed" marriage (Jewish mother, Roman Catholic father), and in his early stand-up routine, he said that he would bring a lawyer to confession: "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned... I think you know Mr. Cohen..." He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from Cornell University in 1978.

Maher has a substantial career as a stand-up comedian and still occasionally tours. He was host of the New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star in 1979. Thanks to Steve Allen, he began appearing on Johnny Carson and David Letterman's shows in 1982.

He has appeared in several films, usually in a comical role. His feature film debut was in D.C. Cab
(1983), and he has also appeared in Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death
(1988) and Pizza Man (1991). He has also appeared in a number of guest roles on television shows, including Newhart, Murder, She Wrote, Roseanne (as a boudoir photographer), and Married... with Children.

Media

Talk show host

Maher is most notable as the former host of Politically Incorrect, which aired on the Comedy Central television network and later ABC. Maher is also currently the host of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO.

ABC decided not to renew Maher's contract for Politically Incorrect in 2002 after he made a controversial on-air remark, in which he, along with guest political commentator Dinesh D'Souza, objected to president George W. Bush and others calling the September 11 terrorists cowardly:

During the era of the Vietnam War, the alleged cowardice of American "carpet bombing" from high above a target was a common theme among anti-war protestors. However, in the context of the sensitive aftermath of the attacks, such a remark was deemed too controversial for some financial supporters. Although some pundits, including conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, Maher, pointing out the distinction between physical and moral cowardice, companies including FedEx and Sears Roebuck pulled their advertisements from the show, costing the show more than it returned. The show was subsequently cancelled on June 16, 2002. On June 22, 2002, six days after the cancellation of Politically Incorrect, Maher received the President's Award (for "championing free speech") from the Los Angeles Press Club.

Another controversial reaction to Maher's comment came from Ari Fleischer, who was the Press Secretary of the George W. Bush administration at the time. Fleischer to a reporter's question about Maher's comments by saying that people "need to watch what they say." Many people believed Fleischer was implying that freedom of speech might have to be limited in America in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Maher's comment about the cowardice of terrorists followed another controversial comment he made on Politically Incorrect earlier that year where he compared dogs to mentally handicapped children:

ABC was likely still dealing with the fallout from this statement when it decided not to renew Maher's contract.

In 2003, Maher became the host of Real Time with Bill Maher on the HBO cable television network, a debate show somewhat similar to Politically Incorrect, but with a narrower selection of guests. Maher told Terry Gross (on NPR's Fresh Air) in 2004 that he enjoys having more serious and well-informed guests on his current program, as opposed to the random celebrities that fleshed out his roundtable discussions on Politically Incorrect.

Since May 2005 he's been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post.

On January 13, 2006 Maher hosted Larry King Live on CNN.

Press coverage

In 1997, during filming of an episode of the game show Pictionary, Erik Estrada accidentally punched Maher in the face in a moment of exuberance, knocking him out cold briefly.

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