Vocation : Entertainment : Comedy

Matt_Mira

Matthew Paul Mira (born August 5, 1983) is an American podcast host, stand-up comedian and television writer based in Los Angeles. He was a co-host of The Nerdist Podcast from 2010 to 2018.

Léon_Xanrof

Léon Alfred Fourneau (9 December 1867, in Paris – 17 May 1953, in Paris) was a French humourist, music-hall artist, playwright and songwriter. Originally trained as a lawyer he invented the stage- and pen name Xanrof by inversion of the Latin fornax of his French surname fourneau ("furnace"), before finally legally changing his name to Léon Xanrof. Yvette Guilbert experienced early success singing Xanrof's songs at Rodolphe Salis' cabaret Le Chat Noir.
Born in an bourgeois upper middle class environment, with his father a wealthy physician,young Leon Fourneau was inclined to a literary and poetry career, but his family insisted on him graduating (Baccalauréat) and taking up further éducation (he obediently undertook successful law studies and registered at the paris bar, aged 23), but he still felt inclined to song and opérette writing.
The Xanrof alias was a measure of appeasement towards his family and the bar auhorities as léon Fourneau kept writing and publishing songs for cabaret singers.
A bizarre incident then occurred: As he was crossing the bustling rue Lepic (Lower Montmartre)he was almost run down by a closed winter Fiacre (French Hansom cab with a closed body). The reason for the cab driver being neglectful was both salacious and funny: As Leon Fourneau was dusting himself he saw one of the cab's blinds briefly lifted and got a glimpse of a half-naked couple gazing at him . The cab-ride was what was termed a "course d'alcôve" (lovebed-ride),a not unfrequent instance in "Belle époque"Paris where illegitimate couples enjoyed "comprehensive flirtation" in the intimacy of a cab (At least two short humoristic tales by Alphonse Allais harp on this particular theme).
Leon Fourneau quickly wrote a witty and somewhat racy song called ''Le Fiacre, he was paid 50 gold francs for it and the song was inserted in a comic intermede in an operette called "Les Mohicans de Paris"adapted from a novel By Alexandre Dumas about Paris underworld.
In this song a cuckolded old man walking in a Parisian street hears kisses, moans, and his wife's voice coming from inside a suspiciously rolling and pitching cab. He rushes forward, trips on the slippery wooden paved road ad is squashed to death by the cab. The lady then opens the door and rejoices, telling her lover that they do not need hiding any more. She then urges her lover to pay the princely tip of cent sous (Five gold francs) to the cab driver.
The song then rocketed to French and international success when it was sung by the then-beginner Yvette Guilbert.
Yvette Guilbert's career as a singer was definitely launched and most of her best-remembered songs where written by Léon Fourneau who undertook official action to have his pen name duly registered as his official surname. In time he would resign from the bar, taking up full time operette and song writing work and being elected at the SACEM board (SACEM stands for Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs de Musique and is the mutual organisation in charge of music author's rights).

Gigi_e_Andrea

Gigi Sammarchi (Bologna, 2 November 1949) and Andrea Roncato (San Lazzaro di Savena, 7 March 1947) are an Italian former comedy duo who worked on stage, films and television as Gigi e Andrea.

Lex_McLean

Lex McLean (born Alexander McLean Cameron, 30 April 1907 — 23 March 1975) was a Scottish comedian.
Described as "almost certainly the last of Scotland's great music hall comedians", he played to capacity houses all over Scotland from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, when he had to semi-retire on the grounds of ill health.
Known as "Sexy Lex" for his risque but never obscene humour, McLean's act was even passed by the Lord Chamberlain.At the peak of his popularity in the 1960s, he appeared in the BBC Scotland comedy series Lex and Lex Again. A fan of Rangers, he had Ibrox legend George Young appear as a guest on his television show.
McLean was a Freemason, and member of Lodge Dramatic No 571 in Glasgow, where he was a participant in the Lodge's festivities.

Gene_Gnocchi

Eugenio Ghiozzi (born 1 March 1955), best known by his stage name Gene Gnocchi, is an Italian television presenter, comedian and former footballer.
Gnocchi was born in Fidenza into a working-class family. He was an aspiring vocalist in a rock band when he was younger, and also has a degree as a lawyer; however he was largely unsuccessful in both roles.
He took advice from the general public and attempted to become a comedian. He started to appear on the then unknown stage of Milan's Zelig in the 1980s, and also as an emerging comedian on the Maurizio Costanzo Show.
Gnocchi started enjoying success in the 1990s and now is mostly known for his role in Quelli che il calcio, a Raidue football-related TV show with Simona Ventura, usually aired on Sundays.