Who are the Top 15 American Stand-up Comedians? It has always been a question. As, every comedian has got a different tone of skills, genre, life experiences, and their own style of pitching their jokes.
So, this list will be comprising of the best 15 American stand-up comedians with only a female making the list as the best female top comedian . Also, they are ridiculously funny and crazy both at the same time. As they can literally make you laugh so, hard that you will be holding your stomach and begging them to stop.
Also, many of the comedians on the list have hosted their own shows. These are the people who have taken comedy to new heights. Also, made it possible for the newcomers to grab an opportunity at doing comedy.
So here comes the list of the 15 best American stand-up comedians of All-Time
Top 15 American Stand-up Comedians
1. Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedies alike, he is regarded as one of best stand up comedian of all time.
Born: 21 July 1951, St. Luke’s Hospital
Died: 11 August 2014, Paradise Cay, California, United States
Spouse: Susan Schneider (m. 2011–2014), Marsha Garces Williams (m. 1989–2010) and Valerie Velardi (m. 1978–1988)
Children: Zelda Williams, Zachary Pym Williams and Cody Alan Williams
Also read: Top 10 Stand-up Comedians in the World
2. Eddie Murphy
The second on the list is of course no other person than the Popular Eddie Murphy whose full name is.
Edward Regan Murphy is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984.
Born: 3 April 1961 (age 60 years), Brooklyn, New York, United States
Height: 1.75 m
Spouse: Nicole Mitchell Murphy (m. 1993–2006)
Partner: Paige Butcher (2012–)
Also read: 10 Best American Musicians
3. Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford, better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub acts during the civil rights movement. Known as the “King of the Party Records”,
Born: 9 December 1922, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Died: 11 October 1991, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Emergency Room, Los Angeles, California, United States
Full name: John Elroy Sanford
Spouse: Ka Ho Cho (m. 1991–1991), Yun Chi Chung (m. 1976–1981), Betty Jean Harris (m. 1956–1975) and more…
4. Jim Carrey
James Eugene Carrey is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a recurring role in the American sketch comedy television series In Living Color (1990–1994). He broke out as star in motion pictures with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber (all 1994).
Born: 17 January 1962 (age 59 years), Newmarket, Canada
Height: 1.88 m
Spouse: Lauren Holly (m. 1996–1997) and Melissa Womer (m. 1987–1995)
Children: Jane Erin Carrey
5. Bernie Mac
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008[1]), better known by his stage name Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L. Hughley in the film The Original Kings of Comedy.
Born: 5 October 1957, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: 9 August 2008, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Height: 1.89 m
Spouse: Rhonda McCullough (m. 1977–2008)
6. Joan Rivers
Joan Alexandra Molinsky, known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and television host. She was noted for her often controversial comedic persona—heavily self-deprecating and acerbic, especially towards celebrities and politicians. She is considered a pioneer of women in comedy by many critics.
Born: 8 June 1933, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: 4 September 2014, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, United States
Spouse: Edgar Rosenberg (m. 1965–1987) and James Sanger (m. 1955–1955)
Children: Melissa Rivers
7. Dave Chappelle
David Khari Webber Chappelle is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He has received numerous accolades, including five Emmy Awards and three Grammy Awards as well as the Mark Twain Prize. He is known for his satirical comedy sketch series Chappelle’s Show (2003–2006). The series, co-written with Neal Brennan, ran until Chappelle quit the show in the middle of production of the third season.
Born: 24 August 1973 (age 48 years), Washington, D.C., United States
Height: 1.83 m
Spouse: Elaine Chappelle (m. 2001)
Children: Ibrahim Chappelle, Sanaa Chappelle and Sulayman Chappelle
8. Bill Hicks
William Melvin Hicks was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material—encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy—was controversial and often steeped in dark comedy.
Born: 16 December 1961, Valdosta, Georgia, United States
Died: 26 February 1994, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
Parents: Mary Hicks and Jim Hicks
Siblings: Steve Hicks and Lynn Hicks
9. Don Rickles
Donald Jay Rickles was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and author. He became known especially for his insult comedy. His film roles include Run Silent, Run Deep with Clark Gable, Carl Reiner’s Enter Laughing, Clint Eastwood’s Kelly’s Heroes (1970), and Martin Scorsese’s Casino (1995) with Robert De Niro. From 1976 to 1978, Rickles had a two-season starring role in the NBC television sitcom C.P.O. Sharkey, having previously starred in the eponymous sitcom The Don Rickles Show (1972).
Born: 8 May 1926, Queens, New York, United States
Died: 6 April 2017, Beverly Hills, California, United States
Height: 1.68 m
Spouse: Barbara Rickles (m. 1965–2017)
10. Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential and stand up comedian of all time.
Born: 1 December 1940, Peoria, Illinois, United States
Died: 10 December 2005, Encino, Los Angeles, California, United States
Spouse: Jennifer Lee (m. 2001–2005), Flynn Belaine (m. 1990–1991), Flynn Belaine (m. 1986–1987) and more
Children: Richard Pryor Jr., Rain Pryor, Stephen Michael Pryor and more
11. Kelvin Hart
Kevin Darnell Hart is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hart began his career by winning several amateur comedy competitions at clubs throughout New England, culminating in his first real break in 2001 when he was cast by Judd Apatow for a recurring role on the TV series Undeclared. The series lasted only one season, but he soon landed other roles in films such as Paper Soldiers (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Soul Plane (2004), In the Mix (2005), and Little Fockers (2010).
Born: 6 July 1979 (age 42 years), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Spouse: Eniko Hart (m. 2016) and Torrei Hart (m. 2003–2011)
Children: Heaven Hart, Kaori Mai Hart, Hendrix Hart and more
Siblings: Robert Eddie Murphy “Top 15 Amercian Stand-up Comedians”
12. Steven Wright
Steven Alexander Wright is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and film producer. He is known for his distinctly lethargic voice and slow, deadpan delivery of ironic, philosophical and sometimes nonsensical jokes, paraprosdokians, non sequiturs, anti-humor, and one-liners with contrived situations.
Born: 6 December 1955 (age 65 years), Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Parents: Alexander K. Wright and Lucille Lomano
13. Lewis Black
Lewis Niles Black is an American actor and stand-up comedian. His comedy routines often escalate into angry rants about history, politics, religion, or any other cultural trends.
Born: 30 August 1948 (age 73 years), Silver Spring, Maryland
Education: Springbrook High School
Alma mater: University of Maryland, College Park; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BA); Yale School of Drama (MFA)
Subject(s): American culture; American politics; current events; pop culture
14. Jim Gaffigan
James Christopher Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and producer who was raised in Chesterton, Indiana. His material is often about fatherhood, observations, laziness and food. He is also regarded as a “clean” comic, using little profanity in his routines. He has had several successful comedy specials, including Mr. Universe, Obsessed, Cinco and Quality Time, all of which have received Grammy nominations.
Born: 7 July 1966 (age 55 years), Elgin, Illinois, United States
Spouse: Jeannie Gaffigan (m. 2003)
Education: La Lumiere School
Alma mater: Georgetown University
15. Chris Rock
Christopher Julius Rock is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer and director.
After working as a stand-up comedian and appearing in supporting film roles, Rock came to wider prominence as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s. He went on to more prominent film appearances, with starring roles in Down to Earth (2001), Head of State (2003), The Longest Yard (2005), the Madagascar film series (2005–2012), Grown Ups (2010), its sequel Grown Ups 2 (2013), Top Five (2014), and a series of acclaimed stand-up specials for HBO. He developed, wrote, and narrated the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris (2005–2009), which was based on his early life.
Born: 7 February 1965 (age 56 years), Andrews, South Carolina, United States
Height: 1.78 m
Spouse: Malaak Compton Rock (m. 1996–2016)
Siblings: Tony Rock, Andi Rock, Andre Rock and more.