Bill Maher

Bill Maher
Maher in 2010
Birth nameWilliam Maher[1]
Born (1956-01-20) January 20, 1956 (age 68)
New York City, U.S.
Medium
EducationCornell University (BA)
Years active1979–present
Genres
Subject(s)
Websitebillmaher.com

William Maher (/mɑːr/; born January 20, 1956)[2] is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is popularly known for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher (2003–present) and the similar late-night show called Politically Incorrect (1993–2002), originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC. In 2022, Maher started the podcast Club Random.[3]

Maher is best known for his political satire[4] and sociopolitical commentary. He targets many topics including religion, political correctness, and the mass media.[5] His critical views of religion were the basis for his 2008 documentary film Religulous. He is a supporter of animal rights, having served on the board of PETA since 1997,[6] and is an advisory board member of Project Reason.[7][8] Maher supports the legalization of cannabis, serving on the advisory board of NORML.[9]

In 2005, Maher ranked at No. 38 on Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time.[10] He received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2010.[11] Maher has earned 41 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a win for his work as executive producer for Vice in 2014.[12] He has also received nominations for two Grammy Awards and a Tony Award.

  1. ^ Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 12, 2016, PBS; on a series that lists "Jr." and "Sr." distinctions, Bill Maher's birth name was listed simply as William Maher, while his father was William Aloysius Maher Jr., and his paternal grandfather was William Aloysius Maher Sr.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference filmref was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ True, Cynthia (2002). American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story. HarperCollins. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-38080-377-4.
  5. ^ "Political Satirist Bill Maher's 'New Rules'". NPR. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "Bill Maher: 25 Things You Don't Know About Me". US Weekly. January 23, 2015.
  7. ^ "Interview with Larry King, 9-28-03". CNN. Larry, I'm a PETA board member.
  8. ^ The Reason Project; Project Reason.org; 2011
  9. ^ "Advisory Board". norml.org.
  10. ^ "Comedy Central's Top 100". Archived from the original on April 4, 2005. Retrieved April 4, 2005.
  11. ^ "Bill Maher gets Hollywood Walk of Fame star". USA Today. September 14, 2010.
  12. ^ "Bill Maher - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins". Retrieved July 26, 2020.

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