Brad Garrett

Unmistakable, with his hulking physique and booming voice, actor-comedian Brad Garrett used his intimidating size as a source of comedic inspiration, although his natural talent eclipsed the novelty of his stature. After dropping out of college in his first year, Garrett took a gamble on a career as a stand-up comic. The risk paid off big time when he became the first $100,000 grand champion on the talent competition "Star Search" (syndicated, 1983-1995). Frequent appearances on talk shows, game shows and as the opening act for such notables as Frank Sinatra followed. Acting efforts like his leading role in the short-lived sitcom "First Impressions" (CBS, 1988), came and went, but did little to increase his visibility. That was, until Garrett landed the role of fellow comedian Ray Romano's long-suffering older brother on "Everybody Loves Raymond" (CBS, 1996-2005), a hit series that brought him three Emmy awards. After the beloved sitcom came to an end, he wasted no time segueing into a starring role on a project of his own, "'Til Death" (Fox, 2006-2010), in addition to voicing numerous characters for animated films such as "Ratatouille" (2007) and "Tangled" (2010). As an accomplished stand-up comic, actor and vocal performer, Garrett's triple-threat status ensured his place as one of Hollywood's "go-to" funnymen for years to come.