Paul Gilmartin
| Paul Gilmartin | |
|---|---|
Gilmartin in Los, Angeles, in 2011
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|
| Born |
January 9, 1963 South Holland, Illinois, US |
| Occupation | Comedian, comedy writer, podcast personality, television personality, actor, carpenter |
| Known for | Dinner and a Movie (television), The Mental Illness Happy Hour (podcast) |
| Television | Dinner and a Movie, Comedy Central Presents, Politically Incorrect, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson |
| Spouse(s) | Carla Filisha |
| Website |
MentalPod |
Paul R. Gilmartin (born January 9, 1963) is an American stand up comedian, podcast host and television personality best known as the longtime host of TBS's Dinner and a Movie. Since 2011, he has been the host and executive producer of the podcast The Mental Illness Happy Hour.
Paul Gilmartin was born in South Holland, Illinois, and attended St. Joseph's school in Homewood. He is an alumnus of Indiana University at Bloomington. While there, he majored in theater and was a member of the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa. He also studied at Chicago's famed Second City. Before his foray into stand-up comedy in 1987, Gilmartin regularly appeared in several plays around Chicago.
In 1995, Gilmartin assumed hosting responsibilities for TBS cooking and entertainment show, Dinner and a Movie, a position he held for more than 16 years from the show's premiere to its eventual finale in 2011. While at the helm, Gilmartin was best known for his sardonic wit and self-effacing humor. Throughout its run, the show relied heavily on Gilmartin's improvisational abilities and the easy-going rapport he established with his string of female co-hosts. Dinner and a Movie was a hit from the onset, helping significantly improve ratings for TBS. One critic dubbed it, "the first television show to combine well-worn theatrical movies, improvisational comedy and culinary education."
In 2011 Gilmartin launched and is currently the host of a weekly podcast, The Mental Illness Happy Hour. The long-format interview style show examines lives affected by mental health issues, including depression, addiction, fear, anxiety, abuse, and gender identity. Of his hosting abilities, The New York Times described Gilmartin as having created, "a perversely safe place in which he and his guests talk about their fears, addictions and traumatic childhoods." Gilmartin's guests on the podcast have included comedians like Adam Carolla, Paul F. Tompkins and Doug Benson. In its first year of production, the show received over 1 million downloads. It currently ranks as one of the most popular self-help podcasts on iTunes.
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