Character comedy

Character comedy is a method or genre in which a comedian performs as though he were a character created by himself or herself. A good deal of comedians have enjoyed fame from character comedy.

Famous comedians who use character comedy

• Paul Reubens - Plays the manic man-child, Pee-wee Herman.
• Jim Carrey – In many of his films he portrays a hyper-animated maniac.
• Andy Kaufman – Various characters.
• George Carlin – Played the character of Al Sleet the "hippy-dippy weatherman" in his stand-up routine.
• Rowan Atkinson – Plays Mr. Bean.
• María Elena Velasco – Played La India María
• Tim Allen – Plays a "handyman" in Home Improvement and his stand up routines.
• Sacha Baron Cohen - Plays Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, and Brüno in Da Ali G Show and the subsequent film follow-ups: Ali G Indahouse, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, and Brüno. He tends to avoid making public appearances or doing interviews out of character.
• Andrew Dice Clay - Has played the 'Diceman' character for most of his stand-up career.
• Stephen Colbert - performed a fictional version of himself when he was a correspondent on The Daily Show and when he hosted The Colbert Report
• Steve Coogan famously created several characters in his act spinning one of them, Alan Partridge into TV shows
• Sam Lloyd - Various Characters
• Sarah Silverman - Early stand-up performances showcase a dim-witted, naïve persona who treads insensitively through controversial topics.
• Jane Turner and Gina Riley - various characters including Kath Day-Knight and Kim Craig from Kath & Kim. They rarely make public appearances out of character.^[1]
• Maria Bamford
• Dom Irrera
• Leigh Francis - Most famous for the portrayal of Keith Lemon
• Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson perform live stand-up as the characters on their Comedy Central series Broad City.

References

1. "How long can it go on?". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 October 2007.