Bill Maher

Bill Maher is one of the most politically astute comedians in America today. His unflinching honesty and commitment to never pulling a punch have garnered him the respect and admiration of millions of fans. In 2003, Maher launched a new show, Real Time with Bill Maher, on HBO, a network that’s a perfect fit for his irreverent style.

Real Time with Bill Maher has received multiple Emmy nominations as well as nominations from the Writers’ Guild of America and Producers’ Guild of America. Some of the outstanding guests who have appeared on the show include George Clooney, Howard Dean, Michael Moore, Robin Williams, Drew Barrymore, Dan Rather, John Legend, Bradley Whitford, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Gen. Wesley Clark, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner, Gary Hart, Pat Buchanan, Ben Affleck, John Edwards and George Carlin. Each week, Bill’s hilarious opening monologue, incisive interviews and stimulating panel discussion, as well as his extremely popular “New Rules” segment, serve to wrap up the week’s most important events in a way that makes you think, as well as laugh.

The “New Rules” segment proved so popular that Bill adapted it into a book, New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer. The book spent nearly three months on The New York Times Best Sellers List and was released in paperback. Some of the best “New Rules” have been put together and are currently available on DVD. The audio book of New Rules received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album.

Currently, Bill is in production with critically acclaimed director Larry Charles (“Borat”) on “Religulous,” a documentary that examines religion. Scheduled for a June 2008 release, teasers of the film shown at the Cannes and Toronto film festivals were met with critical praise (and hysterical laughter). The documentary will take a deep look at the presence of religion in some of the major news stories in recent years, and religion’s effect on society as a whole.

Bill recently hosted Amazon Fishbowl with Bill Maher, a 30-minute program featuring live performances by renowned musicians and thought-provoking interviews with authors, directors and actors that was shown on the Amazon.com homepage.

In 1993, Maher created Politically Incorrect. On Comedy Central, Maher brought together some of the most interesting politicians, entertainers, and journalists to participate in some of the most controversial, topical and comical discussions.

Winners of four CableACE Awards combined, Maher and his program grew in popularity year to year, eventually catching the attention in 1997 of ABC and capturing the post-Nightline time slot. Politically Incorrect survived for five years on ABC and concluded its final run in July 2002, having received a total of 18 Emmy nominations since 1995.

Maher, inspired by the show’s success, assembled some of PI’s most memorable highlights in his book, Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits.

Maher’s book, When you ride ALONE you ride with bin Laden, was released in 2002. The book is a useful and hilarious guide for the many Americans who want to help the war effort, but are at a loss as to how. A combination of 33 new posters, as well as several classics from our government’s archives, and text by Maher, help Americans make the connections between what we do and how it can help our troops and ourselves. In conjunction with the book’s release, Maher went on a nationwide stand-up tour and drew standing ovations for his hilarious routine which utilized the posters from the book to illustrate his commentary.

Maher’s credits include numerous HBO specials, including the critically acclaimed Bill Maher: Be More Cynical and most recently, the Emmy nominated I’m Swiss. Maher’s newest HBO special, Bill Maher: The Decider aired in July ‘07. Maher has participated in sold-out comedy tours throughout the United States. He received a Tony nomination for the three-week run of his one-man Broadway Show, Victory Begins at Home.

An English major graduate from Cornell University, Maher began his career honing his act during the ’80s on the New York club scene. He reflects upon this time in True Story, a novelization of his club life and a funny, revealing depiction of the comic.