Denis Leary

Denis Leary - Quick Facts

Profile Overview of Denis Leary

Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song "Asshole") and through the stand-up specials No Cure for Cancer (1993) and Lock 'n Load (1997). Leary began taking roles in film and television starting in the 1990s, including substantial roles in the films Judgment Night (1993), Demolition Man (1993), The Ref (1994), Two If By Sea (1996), Suicide Kings (1997), Wag the Dog (1997), Monument Ave. (1998) and The Thomas Crown Affair (1999).

This profile of Denis Leary covers Early Life and Family Background, Career and Rise to Fame, Personal Life, Leary Firefighters Foundation and Plagiarism.

In the 2000s, Leary developed and starred in the television show The Job (2001–2002) and was the star and co-creator of Rescue Me (2004–2011), for which he received three Primetime Emmy nominations, one for writing and two for acting. He received another Emmy nomination for his portrayal as Michael Whouley in the political drama television film Recount (2008). Leary has continued to take starring roles in films, including Captain George Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man and Cleveland Browns head coach Vince Penn in Draft Day. He has done voice work, including Francis in A Bug's Life and Diego in the Ice Age franchise.

From 2015 to 2016, Leary wrote and starred in the comedy series Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll on FX.

Early Life and Family Background of Denis Leary

Denis Colin Leary was born on August 18, 1957, in Worcester, Massachusetts, the son of Catholic immigrant parents from Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. His mother, Nora (née Sullivan; 1927–2025), was a maid, and his father, John Leary (1924–1985), was an auto mechanic. He is a citizen of both the United States and Ireland. He is a third cousin once removed of talk show host and fellow comedian Conan O'Brien.

Leary attended Saint Peter-Marian High School in Worcester and graduated from Emerson College in Boston. At Emerson, he befriended fellow comic Mario Cantone. While a student, Leary founded the Emerson Comedy Workshop, a troupe that continues on the campus today.

After graduating from Emerson in 1981, Leary taught comedy-writing classes at the school for five years. In May 2005, he received an honorary doctorate and spoke at his alma mater's undergraduate commencement ceremony; and is credited as Dr. Denis Leary on the cover of his 2009 book Why We Suck.

Career and Rise to Fame of Denis Leary

Leary began working as a comedian at the Boston underground club Play It Again Sam's. His first real gig was at the Rascals Comedy Club as part of the TV show The Rascals Comedy Hour, on October 18, 1990. Leary wrote and appeared on a local comedy series, Lenny Clarke's Late Show, hosted by his friend Lenny Clarke and written by Martin Olson. Leary and Clarke both spoke about their early affiliations and influences in the Boston comedy scene in the documentary film When Standup Stood Out (2006). During Leary's time as a Boston-area stand-up comic, he developed his stage persona.

Leary appeared in sketches on the MTV game show Remote Control, playing characters such as Keith Richards, co-host Colin Quinn's brother, and artist Andy Warhol. He earned fame when he ranted about R.E.M. In an early 1990s MTV sketch. Several other commercials for MTV quickly followed, in which Leary would rant at high speeds about a variety of topics, playing off the then-popular and growing alternative scene. One of these rants served as an introduction to the video for "Shamrocks and Shenanigans (Boom Shalock Lock Boom)" by House of Pain. Leary released two records of his comedy: No Cure for Cancer (1993) and Lock 'n Load (1997). In late 2004, he released the EP Merry F %$in' Christmas, which included a mix of new music, previously unreleased recordings and some tracks from Lock 'n Load.

In 1993, Leary's sardonic song "Asshole", about the stereotypical American male, achieved much notoriety. The song was voted No. 1 on the Triple J Hottest 100 poll of 1993. And was used in Holsten Pils ads in the UK, with Leary's participation, and with adapted lyrics criticizing a drunk driver. The single was a minor hit there, peaking at No. 58 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1996.

In 1995, Leary was asked by Boston Bruins legend Cam Neely to help orchestrate a Boston-based comedy benefit show for Neely's cancer charity; this became Comics Come Home, which Leary has hosted annually ever since.

Leary has appeared in many films, including The Sandlot (1993) (as Scott's stepfather Bill), Demolition Man (1993) (as an Emmanuel Goldstein-esque revolutionary to Nigel Hawthorne's Big Brother), Judgment Night (1993), The Ref (1994), Gunmen (1994), Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), Wag the Dog (1997), Suicide Kings (1997), The Matchmaker (1997), Monument Ave. (1998), The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) Dawg (2002), and Draft Day (2014). He had a role in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994) that was eventually cut. He held the lead role in two television series, The Job and Rescue Me. He co-created the latter, in which he played Tommy Gavin, a New York City firefighter dealing with alcoholism, family dysfunction and other issues in post-9/11 New York City.

Leary received Emmy Award nominations in 2006 and 2007 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Rescue Me, and in 2008 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for the HBO movie Recount. Leary was offered the role of Dignam in The Departed (2006) but turned it down because of scheduling conflicts with Rescue Me. He provided voices for characters in animated films, such as a fire-breathing dragon named Flame in the series The Agents, a pugnacious ladybug named Francis in A Bug's Life (1998) and a prehistoric saber-toothed tiger named Diego in the Ice Age film series. He has produced numerous movies, television shows, and specials through his production company, Apostle; these include Comedy Central's Shorties Watchin' Shorties, the stand-up special Denis Leary's Merry F#$%in' Christmas and the movie Blow (2001).

As a Boston Red Sox fan, Leary narrated the official 2004 World Series film. In 2006, Leary and Lenny Clarke appeared on television during a Red Sox telecast and, upon realizing that Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis is Jewish, delivered a criticism of Mel Gibson's antisemitic comments. As an ice hockey fan, Leary hosted the National Hockey League video NHL's Greatest Goals. In 2003, he was the subject of the Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary.

Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Leary), text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.