Todd Barry

Todd Barry was a successful American standup comedian who branched out to film and TV roles in the '90s. Born in New York City and raised in South Florida, Barry's path to comedy stardom was less than typical. Although he always maintained an interested in performing, he decided to study English at the University of Florida. After graduation, however, Barry decided not to enter the work force or continue his education with a post-graduate degree. Instead, he started drumming for the indie rock band The Chant, who had a local following in Georgia in the mid-'80s. In the late '80s, however, Barry left the band to pursue his love of standup comedy in earnest. He moved to New York and began doing sets at dingy comedy clubs by night, as he worked a series of odd jobs during the day to support himself. By the mid-'90s, however, Barry started landing roles on television, including small parts on "The Larry Sanders Show" (HBO, 1992-98) and "Sex and the City" (HBO, 1998), as well as a recurring role on the animated series, "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist" (Comedy Central, 1995-2002). Barry continued acting mostly on TV throughout the 2000s, while building a loyal following as a standup comic. One of his first big breaks came in 2008 when he landed a small part as a doctor in the Oscar-nominated drama, "The Wrestler." Then in 2010 he started playing a version of his self on friend and colleague Louis C.K.'s hit sitcom, "Louie" (FX, 2010-15). In 2014 Barry's star proved to be further on the rise when he was profiled on Jerry Seinfeld's hit webseries, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" (Crackle, 2012- ). The series was one of the most widely streamed shows on the Internet, which only cemented the fact that Todd Barry was an up-and-coming standup on the verge of breaking out.