Who is Garry Emmanuel Shandling?

Shandling was born and raised in Chicago. His father ran a print shop while his mother worked at a pet store; unfortunately his older brother died due to cystic fibrosis when still young.

He first achieved fame through the mock backstage talk show sitcom The Larry Sanders Show, for which he wrote 38 episodes and donned director’s caps thrice during its final season. These efforts garnered him several awards.

Early Life and Education

Garry Emmanuel Shandling was born November 29th 1949 in Chicago to Irving and Muriel Shandling who ran respective pet store and art/print shops as parents. As a child his family relocated to Tucson so his older brother Barry could receive cystic fibrosis treatment; unfortunately he succumbed at age 10. When Garry turned 10 they returned home; Garry moved with them after having seen his older brother die of cystic fibrosis at only 10.

Shandling started performing stand-up comedy in Los Angeles at the Comedy Store in 1978 due to frustration with situation comedy’s formulaic writing style and thus began his transition.

Garry Shandling created and starred in It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, airing from 1985-1990 on Showtime. Over its six-season run, the series received 18 Emmy nominations (five acting, seven writing), winning one award (Flip).

Professional Career

Shandling began his professional career as a writer for sitcoms like Sanford and Son and Welcome Back Kotter during the 1970s. Following an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, he became its regular host and quickly rose through the ranks to become a well-known face in prime-time television.

In 1992 he debuted The Larry Sanders Show as a mock behind-the-scenes talk show that ran until 1998 and earned 19 Emmy nominations. Critical acclaim surrounded its use of meta humor – breaking fourth wall to address audience directly and including elements from its studio into storylines directly addressed directly by Sanders himself.

Filmography. In films, he appeared in offbeat comedies like Hurlyburly (co-written with Alan Zweibel in 1998) and Town and Country (2001), as well as serious roles like Senator Stern in Iron Man 2 and Verne in Over the Hedge.

Achievement and Honors

Shandling began his career by writing for television sitcoms such as Sanford and Son and Welcome Back Kotter. Following a memorable stand-up performance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, he became a frequent guest host and was even considered a leading candidate to replace Carson himself as host.

Shandling then followed up his success with It’s Garry Shandling’s Show by creating another critically and commercially successful series called The Larry Sanders Show that ran on HBO from 1992 until 1998. This mock behind-the-scenes talk show sitcom earned 56 Emmy Award nominations and three wins; Shandling wrote 38 episodes himself while wearing director cap three times during series finale season.

Outside of his television work, he also made appearances in several films such as Town & Country and Dr. Dolittle and voiced an animated character for DreamWorks Animation’s Over the Hedge series. Additionally he appeared in some Marvel movies such as Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Personal Life

In 1977, Shandling experienced a life-altering accident, shattering his spleen. Following this experience he started writing jokes and scripts which quickly began selling well enough that story meetings for sitcoms such as Sanford and Son, Welcome Back Kotter and Three’s Company were being held.

In 1992, Shandling wrote and produced The Larry Sanders Show which ran for 89 episodes between 1992 and 1998 on HBO. The series depicted talk show hosts’ lives sardonically while earning Shandling critical acclaim; Shandling himself wrote 38 episodes while acting as director in three of its final season episodes.

This comedy series centers around his family life and in particular Barry, his older brother who passed away due to cystic fibrosis at only 10 years old.

Net Worth

Garry Emmanuel Shandling was born in Chicago on 29 November 1949 to parents Irving and Muriel Shandling. Soon thereafter his family relocated to Tucson so his older brother Barry could receive cystic fibrosis treatment, but unfortunately died at 10 from it. Garry attended Palo Verde High School before graduating with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona.

He first launched his professional writing career by contributing to popular sitcoms such as Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter. Additionally, in 1981 he made his stand-up comedy debut and was considered to replace Johnny Carson on stand-up shows. Soon thereafter in 1986 he created It’s Garry Shandling’s Show – a critically acclaimed behind-the-scenes talk show comedy which ran for 89 episodes and earned numerous accolades and awards.