Bill Maher

William Maher (/mɑːr/; born January 20, 1956)[2] is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher (2003–present) and the similar late-night show called Politically Incorrect (1993–2002), originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC. In 2022, Maher started the podcast Club Random.[3]

Maher is known for his political satire[4] and sociopolitical commentary. He targets many topics including religion, political correctness, and the mass media.[5] His critical views of religion were the basis for his 2008 documentary film Religulous. He is a supporter of animal rights, having served on the board of PETA since 1997,[6] and is an advisory board member of Project Reason.[7][8] Maher supports the legalization of cannabis, serving on the advisory board of NORML.[9]

In 2005, Maher ranked at number 38 on Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time.[10] He received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2010.[11] Maher has earned 41 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a win for his work as executive producer for Vice in 2014.[12] He has also received nominations for two Grammy Awards and a Tony Award.

Early life and education

Maher was born in New York City. His father, William Aloysius Maher Jr.,[1] was a network news editor and radio announcer, and his mother, Julie Maher (née Berman), was a nurse.[2] He was raised in his Irish-American father's Roman Catholic religion. Until his early teens, he was unaware that his mother, whose family was from Hungary, was Jewish.[13][14][15][16] Owing to his disagreement with the Catholic Church's doctrine about birth control, Maher's father stopped taking Maher and his sister to Catholic church services when Maher was thirteen.[17]

Maher was raised in River Vale, New Jersey, and graduated from Pascack Hills High School in Montvale in 1974.[2][18] He then attended Cornell University, where he double-majored in English and history, and graduated in 1978.[19] Maher has said, "Selling pot allowed me to get through college and make enough money to start off in comedy."[18]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Maher