Greer Barnes (born 1967) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is known for clever wordplay, observational humor, sketch comedy, mimicry, and energetic physical comedy. He has performed at comedy clubs, in comedy festivals, in commercials, on television and in films. He regularly appears at The Comedy Cellar in New York City’s West Village.
Barnes was born in the South Bronx and grew up on Manhattan's West Side. He has a Jewish stepfather and was Bar Mitzvahed at thirteen. He was a star athlete in high school, especially in baseball. At 19, he was invited to try out with the San Francisco Giants, but his major league career was nipped in the bud because of an injury when he was eighteen. He went into stand-up comedy and was soon well known in the New York scene. His comic idols were Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy. He has appeared at Catch a Rising Star, Comic Strip Live, The Comedy Cellar, and Carolines on Broadway.
In 2014 he released his debut comedy album See What I’m Saying.
He has performed at the Aspen, Montreal, Melbourne, and Edinburgh Comedy Festivals. Friend and fellow comedian, Dave Chappelle has taken Barnes along as his opening act on international tours.
Barnes has appeared frequently on TV. He appeared on Late Night with David Letterman in July 1995 and on Late Night with Stephen Colbert in 2017. He has been seen on MTV, BET, HBO, and most other major networks. In February 2009, he wrote and starred in a half-hour special on Comedy Central Presents.