Billy Gardell
| Billy Gardell | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Gardell |
| Born |
August 20, 1969 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Patty Knight (2001–present) |
| Children | William |
William "Billy" Gardell (born August 20, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, game show host and voice artist. Gardell played Chicago police officer Mike Biggs on Mike & Molly. He also made an appearance in a dozen episodes of My Name Is Earl as a police officer. Gardell voiced Santa in Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas, as well as starring on Sullivan & Son in the recurring role of Lyle Winkler.
Born in Swissvale, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, Gardell attended Winter Park High School in Orange County, Florida during 1985. As a child, he moved to Florida with his mother and younger brother and sister after his parents divorced. After that, he only visited Pennsylvania in the summers. He has said living in Florida was a positive experience. At the age of 15, he started working at a department store warehouse in the receiving area where he would unload trucks and stack pallets. In 1987, he started cleaning bathrooms, seating people, and answering phones at a local comedy club, Bonkerz. On December 28, he started performing at the comedy club's open-mic nights after he made a dare with some co-workers. "If I didn't do an open mic night, I couldn't cover the bet. I was running my mouth that I would do it. They bet me I wouldn't," he explained. He eventually started opening for Dennis Miller and George Carlin.
Gardell was a member of International Thespian Society Troupe 850 whose other notable alumni include Amanda Bearse, also a graduate of Winter Park High School, and Ben Rock of The Blair Witch Project.
Gardell is known for his comedic roles and is influenced by Jackie Gleason. He has also listed Richard Pryor, George Carlin, John Candy, and John Belushi as his influences. Although Bonkerz helped launch his comedy career, he has credited the support from his grandmother, saying "She told me when I was 8 years old that I could be a comic". Before Mike & Molly, Gardell revealed that he was actually considering a career in radio after being on the road for his comedy act was affecting his family time. He has performed in several feature films, including Bad Santa (with Billy Bob Thornton) You, Me, and Dupree (with Owen Wilson) and Avenging Angelo (with Sylvester Stallone and Anthony Quinn) as well as appearing numerous times in recurring roles in several U.S. television series, including NBC's Heist, The Practice, Yes, Dear, Desperate Housewives, Lucky, Bones, My Name Is Earl, Monk, and The King of Queens. Gardell appeared as himself on the Comedy Central series Make Me Laugh. Subsequently, he appeared on Miller’s television program Dennis Miller, telecast on the U.S. financial news network CNBC (conducting “man-on-the-street” interviews). Notably, he created and staged a SNL-style charity performance of a piece called Winter Park Live, the proceeds from which were donated to Comic Relief.
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