Steven Wright
Stand-up comedian from United States 🇺🇸
About Steven Wright
Steven Wright, born Steven Alexander Wright (born December 6, 1955), is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and film producer. He is known for his distinctive lethargic voice and slow, deadpan delivery of ironic, philosophical and sometimes nonsensical jokes, paraprosdokians, non sequiturs, anti-humor, and one-liners with contrived situations. Wright was ranked as the 15th Greatest Comedian by Rolling Stone in its 2017 list of the 50 Greatest Stand-up Comics.
Wright was born at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts, one of four children. He was raised Catholic, and his father worked as an electronics technician who tested equipment for NASA during the Apollo space program. Wright attended Middlesex Community College in Bedford for two years to earn his associate degree, then continued at Emerson College, graduating in 1978. He began performing stand-up comedy in 1979 at the Comedy Connection in Boston, citing George Carlin and Woody Allen as comedic influences.
In 1982, Peter Lassally, executive producer of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, saw Wright performing at the Ding Ho comedy club in Cambridge and booked him on the show, where he so impressed Johnny Carson that he was invited back within a week. His 1985 comedy album I Have a Pony, released on Warner Bros. Records, received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, leading to the HBO special A Steven Wright Special. In 1989, Wright and producer Dean Parisot won an Academy Award for the 30-minute short film The Appointments of Dennis Jennings, which Wright co-wrote and starred in with Rowan Atkinson. He also supplied the voice of the radio DJ in Quentin Tarantino's film Reservoir Dogs (1992).
Videos (15)
Videos 1 to 15 of 15.
12:40Steven Wright on Craig Ferguson - 11/12/2014
211.4K views
4:45Steven Wright - Comic Relief (1987)
124.8K views
13:23Steven Wright on Craig Ferguson - 9/29/2010
118.3K views
2:04Steven Wright - Little Baby Prostitute
23.7K views
10:35Steven Wright on Craig Ferguson - 10/11/2011
23.1K views
5:08Steven Wright - Early 80s Standup
19K views
4:59Steven Wright: The Tonight Show (6th August 1982)
15K views
5:27Steven Wright - You Are Gone
9.1K views
1:22Inside Comedy: Steven Wright
6.2K views
0:44Steven Wright: When The Leaves Blow Away (intro and segway to One Soldier)
5.7K views
4:24A Steven Wright Special (1985) Intro
4.8K views
0:55Steven Wright introduces Duran Duran on Craig Ferguson
4.6K views
4:54Steven Wright - Run To You (So Goes)
2.6K views
15:30Steven Wright Talk Show (1/2)
1.3K views
14:31Steven Wright Talk Show (2/2)
999 viewsGuest appearances (27)
Videos on other comedians' channels featuring Steven Wright.
Guest appearances 1 to 24 of 27.
8:23Steven Wright Delivers In This Fantastic First Appearance - Carson Tonight Show - 08/06/1982
Johnny Carson
3.8M views
8:40Classic Steven Wright Has Everyone Rolling | Carson Tonight Show
Johnny Carson
2.8M views
7:35How Steven Wright Writes Jokes | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
Conan O'Brien
508.4K views
4:40Steven Wright Is A Confessed Butterfly Killer | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
378.1K views
7:04Steven Wright – Master of the One Liners | Carson Tonight Show
Johnny Carson
345.4K views
8:25Steven Wright Was Invited On Johnny Carson’s Show Twice In One Week | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
Conan O'Brien
301.6K views
10:02Comedian Steven Wright | Funniest Collection
Gilbert Gottfried
289.3K views
9:12Steven Wright Isn’t As Laid-Back As People Think | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
Conan O'Brien
223.9K views
3:36Steven Wright's Face Isn't Connected To His Mind | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
194.2K views
9:33Steven Wright & Conan On How Boston Has Changed | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
Conan O'Brien
135.8K views
0:14Steven Wright’s Perfect Excuse for Speeding | Full Appearance Linked Above
Johnny Carson
111.8K views
1:06Steven Wright Is Writing A Novel On Twitter | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
97K views
10:51How Twitter Inspired Steven Wright’s Novel | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
Conan O'Brien
81.4K views
1:17:34Steven Wright | You Made It Weird!
Pete Holmes
63.2K views
1:15:11Legendary Comedian Steven Wright Makes Rare Appearance | Discuss Art, Music & His Sweater Collection
Howie Mandel
54.7K views
1:00Why Steven Wright Was Speechless With Johnny Carson | Howie Mandel Does Stuff
Howie Mandel
41.3K views
9:11Carol Leifer on Seinfeld, Letterman & Steven Wright
Neal Brennan
19.6K views
0:26Steven Wright’s Art Reminds Him Of Himself | Howie Mandel Does Stuff
Howie Mandel
12.5K views
3:04WTF - Steven Wright talks sex changes
Marc Maron
10K views
0:32Steven Wright’s Mind Is Blown By His Own Website | Howie Mandel Does Stuff
Howie Mandel
7.5K views
1:07:56Steven Wright (Fitzdog Radio ) | Greg Fitzsimmons
Gregory Sebastian Fitzsimmons
6.4K views
0:53Steven Wright’s Brilliant Joke About The Speed of Light | Howie Mandel Does Stuff
Howie Mandel
6.2K views
0:39Steven Wright Loves the Dirty Origin of Howie Mandel’s Daughter’s Name | Howie Mandel Does Stuff
Howie Mandel
6.1K views
0:54Steven Wright Doesn’t Know His Art | Howie Mandel Does Stuff
Howie Mandel
5.5K viewsChannels on this page: Johnny Carson, Conan O'Brien, Gilbert Gottfried, Pete Holmes, Howie Mandel, Neal Brennan, Marc Maron, Gregory Sebastian Fitzsimmons
Frequently asked questions
What is Steven Wright known for?
He is an American stand-up comedian known for his distinctive lethargic voice and slow, deadpan delivery of ironic, philosophical and nonsensical jokes, non sequiturs and one-liners.
Did Steven Wright win an Academy Award?
Yes, in 1989 he and producer Dean Parisot won an Academy Award for the 30-minute short film The Appointments of Dennis Jennings, which Wright co-wrote and starred in with Rowan Atkinson.
How did Steven Wright get his break on The Tonight Show?
In 1982 Peter Lassally, executive producer of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, saw him at the Ding Ho comedy club in Cambridge and booked him, and Carson invited him back within a week.
What is the album I Have a Pony?
It is Wright's 1985 comedy album, released on Warner Bros. Records, which received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
Did Steven Wright appear in a Quentin Tarantino film?
Yes, he supplied the voice of the radio DJ in writer-director Quentin Tarantino's film Reservoir Dogs (1992).
Comedians similar to Steven Wright
Same comedic style, across countries
