The Most Famous

COMEDIANS from United States

This page contains a list of the greatest American Comedians. The pantheon dataset contains 98 Comedians, 80 of which were born in United States. This makes United States the birth place of the most number of Comedians.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary American Comedians of all time. This list of famous American Comedians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of American Comedians.

1. Robin Williams (1951 - 2014)

With an HPI of 81.66, Robin Williams is the most famous American Comedian. His biography has been translated into 133 different languages on wikipedia.

Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created spontaneously and portrayed in drama and comedy films. Williams is regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, five Grammy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Williams was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2005. Born in Chicago, Williams began performing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles during the mid-1970s, and released several comedy albums including Reality ... What a Concept in 1980. He rose to fame playing the alien Mork in the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy (1978–1982). Williams received his first leading film role in Popeye (1980). Williams won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting (1997). His other Oscar-nominated roles were for Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991). Williams starred in the critically acclaimed dramas The World According to Garp (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Awakenings (1990), Insomnia (2002), One Hour Photo (2002), and World's Greatest Dad (2009). He also starred in Toys (1992), The Birdcage (1996), and Patch Adams (1998), as well as family films, such as Hook (1991), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), Jack (1996), Flubber (1997), RV (2006), and the Night at the Museum trilogy (2006–2014). Williams lent his voice to the animated films Aladdin (1992), Robots (2005), Happy Feet (2006), and its 2011 sequel. During his final years, Williams struggled with severe depression before his death from suicide in 2014 at his Paradise Cay, California, home at age 63. According to his widow, Williams had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and had been experiencing depression, anxiety, and increasing paranoia. His autopsy found "diffuse Lewy body disease", and Lewy body dementia professionals said that his symptoms were consistent with dementia with Lewy bodies. In the weeks following his suicide, Williams was celebrated in a wave of tributes.

2. Whoopi Goldberg (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 72.24, Whoopi Goldberg is the 2nd most famous American Comedian. Her biography has been translated into 92 different languages.

Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is one of few people to receive an Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Academy Award, and Tony Award, collectively known as the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). In 2001, she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Goldberg began her career on stage in 1983 with her one-woman show, Spook Show, which transferred to Broadway under the title Whoopi Goldberg, running from 1984 to 1985. She won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for the recording of the show. Her film breakthrough came in 1985 with her role as Celie, a mistreated woman in the Deep South, in Steven Spielberg's period drama film The Color Purple, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. For her role as an eccentric psychic in the romantic fantasy film Ghost (1990), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a second Golden Globe Award. She starred in the comedy Sister Act (1992) and its sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), becoming the highest-paid actress at the time. She also acted in Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), Clara's Heart (1988), Soapdish (1991), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), and Till (2022). She also voiced roles in The Lion King (1994) and Toy Story 3 (2010). On stage, Goldberg has starred in the Broadway revivals of Stephen Sondheim's musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and August Wilson's play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. She won a Tony Award as a producer of the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. In 2011 she received her third Tony Award nomination for the stage adaptation of Sister Act (2011). On television, Goldberg portrayed Guinan in the science fiction series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1988–1993), and Star Trek: Picard (2022). Since 2007, she has co-hosted and moderated the daytime talk show The View, for which she won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. She has hosted the Academy Awards ceremony four times.

3. Eddie Murphy (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 71.90, Eddie Murphy is the 3rd most famous American Comedian. His biography has been translated into 98 different languages.

Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He has received several accolades including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, and an Emmy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023. Murphy shot to fame on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984 and broke out as a movie star in the 1980s films 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop. He then established himself as a leading man with starring roles in: The Golden Child (1986), Coming to America (1988), Harlem Nights (which he also directed) (1989), Boomerang (1992), The Nutty Professor (1996), Dr. Dolittle (1997), Bowfinger (1999), Daddy Day Care (2003), and Norbit (2007). Murphy both won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Dreamgirls (2006). Murphy has worked as a voice actor, including Mushu in Disney's Mulan (1998), Thurgood Stubbs in the sitcom The PJs (1999–2001), and Donkey in the Shrek franchise (2001–present), the latter of which earned him a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination. Murphy often takes on multiple roles in a single film, such as in Coming to America, Vampire in Brooklyn, the Nutty Professor films, Bowfinger, The Adventures of Pluto Nash and Norbit. This is intended as Murphy's tribute to one of his idols, Peter Sellers. Following a string of poorly received films, he had a career resurgence with leading roles in films such as Dolemite Is My Name (2019), Coming 2 America (2021), You People, Candy Cane Lane (both 2023) and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024). In 2020, he won his first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for hosting Saturday Night Live. Murphy's films have grossed over $3.8 billion ($6.5 billion adjusted for inflation) in the United States and Canada box office, and over $6.7 billion worldwide. In 2015, his films made him the sixth-highest grossing actor in the United States. As a singer, Murphy has released three studio albums, including How Could It Be (1985), So Happy (1989), and Love's Alright (1993). He is also known for his 1985 single "Party All the Time", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

4. Dick Van Dyke (b. 1925)

With an HPI of 70.74, Dick Van Dyke is the 4th most famous American Comedian. His biography has been translated into 48 different languages.

Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His work spans screen and stage, and his awards include six Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award and a Tony Award. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993, and has been honored with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2020, and was recognized as a Disney Legend in 1998. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio, television and in nightclubs. He made his Broadway debut in the musical revue The Girls Against the Boys (1959). The following year he starred as Albert F. Peterson in the original production of Bye Bye Birdie (1960), a role which earned him the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He returned to Broadway playing Harold Hill in a revival of The Music Man (1980). On television, Van Dyke became a household name in the United States and Canada portraying Rob Petrie in the CBS sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966), which also earned him three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He guest-starred on shows such as Columbo (1974) and The Carol Burnett Show (1977), and starred in The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–1974), Diagnosis: Murder (1993–2001), and Murder 101 (2006–2008). Van Dyke is also known for his role as Bert, the cockney chimney sweep in the Disney movie musical Mary Poppins (1964), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. He starred in the movie musicals Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), as well as the comedy-drama The Comic (1969). In his later years, Van Dyke has taken supporting roles in films such as Dick Tracy (1990), Curious George (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), its 2014 sequel, and Mary Poppins Returns (2018).

5. Bill Cosby (b. 1937)

With an HPI of 70.07, Bill Cosby is the 5th most famous American Comedian. His biography has been translated into 63 different languages.

William Henry Cosby Jr. ( KOZ-bee; born July 12, 1937) is an American comedian, actor, and media personality. Often deemed a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy star, with his longest-running live-action role being that of Cliff Huxtable in the sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992). He also released several stand-up comedy albums and was a popular spokesperson in advertising for decades. Cosby was well known in the United States for his fatherly image and gained a reputation as "America's Dad". However, starting in 2014, dozens of allegations of sexual assault have been made against him, which ended his career and sharply diminished his status as a pop culture icon. Cosby began his career as a stand-up comic at the Hungry I nightclub in San Francisco in 1961, and primarily performed observational comedy in a conversational style. He released numerous standup specials starting with Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right! (1963) and starred in the comedy film Bill Cosby: Himself (1983). Cosby still holds the record for winning the most Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album, with seven wins. His acting career began with a starring role in the NBC secret-agent show I Spy (1965–1968), which broke new ground for African Americans when he made history by winning three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the first black actor to do so. Cosby made his film debut starring in Man and Boy (1971) followed by Hickey & Boggs (1972), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Let's Do It Again (1975), A Piece of the Action (1977), Leonard Part 6 (1987), and Ghost Dad (1990). He produced and starred in a series of television sitcoms such as The Bill Cosby Show (1969–1971), Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1985) and The Cosby Show (1984–1992) as well as its spin-off A Different World (1987–1993), The Cosby Mysteries (1994–1995), and Cosby (1996–2000). He hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things (1998–2000). During his prolific career he advertised numerous products including the Jell-O ice pop treats Pudding Pop. Over 60 women have accused Cosby of various offenses, including rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, child sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Those allegations gained traction in 2014 after fellow comedian Hannibal Buress mentioned the allegations in a comedy set that went viral. Cosby has maintained his innocence. Although he had received numerous awards and honorary degrees, several of them were revoked following the allegations. Reruns of The Cosby Show and other programs featuring Cosby were pulled from syndication. In 2018, Cosby was convicted of aggravated sexual assault against Andrea Constand. He was imprisoned until the conviction was vacated in June 2021 by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania on the grounds that Cosby's 5th Amendment and 14th Amendment due process rights had been violated. In 2022, Cosby was found liable for having sexually assaulted Judy Huth when she was 16 years of age.

6. Adam Sandler (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 69.43, Adam Sandler is the 6th most famous American Comedian. His biography has been translated into 82 different languages.

Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include an Independent Spirit Award, alongside nominations for three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2023, Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Sandler was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995. He returned to Saturday Night Live as a host in 2019 earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He has starred in Hollywood comedy films that have cumulatively grossed over $2 billion worldwide. Sandler had an estimated net worth of $420 million in 2020, and signed a new four-movie deal with Netflix worth over $250 million. Sandler's comedic roles include Billy Madison (1995), Happy Gilmore (1996), The Waterboy (1998), The Wedding Singer (1998), Big Daddy (1999), Mr. Deeds (2002), 50 First Dates (2004), The Longest Yard (2005), Click (2006), Grown Ups (2010), Just Go with It (2011), Grown Ups 2 (2013), Blended (2014), Murder Mystery (2019) and Hubie Halloween (2020). He also received praise for his dramatic roles in Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Reign Over Me (2007), The Meyerowitz Stories (2017), Uncut Gems (2019), and Hustle (2022). He also voiced Dracula in the first three films of the Hotel Transylvania franchise (2012–2018).

7. Tina Fey (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 69.22, Tina Fey is the 7th most famous American Comedian. Her biography has been translated into 73 different languages.

Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey ( ; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for her comedic roles in sketch comedy, television and film, Fey has received numerous accolades, including nine Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for a Grammy Award and a Tony Award. She appeared on the Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world in both 2007 and 2009 and was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2010. Fey broke into comedy as a featured player in the Chicago-based improvisational comedy group The Second City. She appeared on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1997 to 2006 where she served as a head writer, a performer, and co-anchor of Weekend Update. She later returned to the show portraying a satirical version of 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin in subsequent guest appearances. She gained acclaim for creating and starring as Liz Lemon in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock (2006–2013) which earned her several accolades including the Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. She later created several shows including the Netflix sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2020), the NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor (2021–2022), and the Netflix comedy-drama series The Four Seasons (2025), and executive produced the Peacock series Girls5eva (2021–2024). Fey and Amy Poehler co-hosted the Golden Globe Awards four times in the years 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2021, as well as SNL in 2015, the latter of which earned them a Primetime Emmy Award. On film, Fey has acted in Mean Girls (2004), Baby Mama (2008), Date Night (2010), Megamind (2010), Admission (2013), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), Sisters (2015), Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016), Wine Country (2019), and Soul (2020). Fey released her memoir, Bossypants (2011), which topped The New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks and garnered her a Grammy Award nomination. Fey also created the musical adaptation Mean Girls, which premiered on Broadway in 2018, and earned her a Tony Award nomination. She later adapted the stage production into a 2024 musical film of the same name.

8. Steve Martin (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 68.54, Steve Martin is the 8th most famous American Comedian. His biography has been translated into 56 different languages.

Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for his work in comedy films, television, and recording, he has received many accolades, including five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for eight Golden Globe Awards and two Tony Awards. Martin received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2005, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007, the Honorary Academy Award in 2013 and an AFI Life Achievement Award in 2015. In 2004, Comedy Central ranked Martin at sixth place in a list of the 100 greatest stand-up comics. Martin first came to public notice as a writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1969, and later as a frequent host on Saturday Night Live. He became one of the most popular American stand-up comedians during the 1970s, performing his brand of offbeat, absurdist comedy routines before sold-out theaters on national tours. He then starred in films such as The Jerk (1979), Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), The Man with Two Brains (1983), All of Me (1984), ¡Three Amigos! (1986), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), L.A. Story (1991), Bowfinger (1999) and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). He played family patriarchs in Parenthood (1989), the Father of the Bride films (1991–1995), Bringing Down the House (2003), and the Cheaper by the Dozen films (2003–2005). Since 2015, Martin has embarked on several national comedy tours with fellow comedian Martin Short. In 2018, they released their Netflix special An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life which received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 2021, he co-created and starred in his first television show, the Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building, alongside Short and Selena Gomez, for which he earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, a Golden Globe Award nomination, and a 2021 Peabody Award nomination. In 2022, Martin and Short co-hosted Saturday Night Live together with Gomez making an appearance. Martin is also known for writing the books to the musical Bright Star (2016) and to the comedy Meteor Shower (2017), both of which premiered on Broadway; he co-wrote the music to the former. Martin has played banjo since an early age and has included music in his comedy routines from the beginning of his professional career. He has released several music albums and has performed with various bluegrass acts. He has won three Grammy Awards for his music and two for his comedy albums Let's Get Small (1977) and A Wild and Crazy Guy (1978).

9. Kevin Hart (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 68.16, Kevin Hart is the 9th most famous American Comedian. His biography has been translated into 55 different languages.

Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. The accolades he has received include the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and nominations for two Grammy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. After winning several stand-up comedy competitions, Hart had his first breakthrough when Judd Apatow cast him in a recurring role on the TV series Undeclared (2001). Hart's comedic reputation continued to grow with the release of his first stand-up album I'm a Grown Little Man (2009). He has since released four more comedy albums: Seriously Funny (2010), Laugh at My Pain (2011), Let Me Explain (2013), and What Now? (2016). He has since had roles in films such as Paper Soldiers (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Soul Plane (2004), In the Mix (2005), Little Fockers (2010), Think Like a Man (2012), Grudge Match (2013), Ride Along (2014) About Last Night (2014), Get Hard (2015), Central Intelligence (2016), The Secret Life of Pets film franchise (2016–2019), Ride Along 2 (2016), Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), the Jumanji film franchise (2017–present), and Night School (2018). He also created and starred as a fictionalized version of himself in Real Husbands of Hollywood (2013–2016). In 2015, Time magazine named him on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2017, he launched the Laugh Out Loud Network, a subscription video streaming service in partnership with Lionsgate.

10. George Carlin (1937 - 2008)

With an HPI of 66.65, George Carlin is the 10th most famous American Comedian. His biography has been translated into 78 different languages.

George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time, Carlin was dubbed "the dean of counterculture comedians". He was known for his dark comedy and reflections on politics, the English language, psychology, religion and taboo subject matter. Carlin was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era and hosted the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. The first of Carlin's 14 stand-up comedy specials for HBO was filmed in 1977, broadcast as George Carlin at USC. From the late 1980s onward, his routines focused on sociocultural criticism of U.S. society. He often commented on political issues and satirized American culture. His "seven dirty words" routine was central to the 1978 United States Supreme Court case FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a 5–4 decision affirmed the government's power to censor indecent material on public airwaves. Carlin released his first solo album, Take-Offs and Put-Ons, in 1966. He won five Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album, for FM & AM (1972), Jammin' in New York (1992), Brain Droppings (2001), Napalm & Silly Putty (2002), and It's Bad for Ya (2008). The latter was his final comedy special, filmed less than four months before his death from cardiac failure. Carlin co-created and starred in the Fox sitcom The George Carlin Show (1994–1995). He is also known for his film performances in Car Wash (1976), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), The Prince of Tides (1991), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Scary Movie 3 (2003), and Jersey Girl (2004). He had voice roles as Zugor in Tarzan II, Fillmore in Cars (2006), and as Mr. Conductor on Shining Time Station, and narrated the American dubs of Thomas & Friends. Carlin was posthumously awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2008. He placed second on Comedy Central's list of top 10 American comedians in 2004, while Rolling Stone magazine ranked him second on its list of the 50 best stand-up comedians of all time in 2017, in both cases behind Richard Pryor and ahead of Lenny Bruce.

People

Pantheon has 80 people classified as American comedians born between 1911 and 1990. Of these 80, 58 (72.50%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living American comedians include Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, and Dick Van Dyke. The most famous deceased American comedians include Robin Williams, George Carlin, and Bob Newhart. As of April 2024, 80 new American comedians have been added to Pantheon including Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and Eddie Murphy.