Jimmy Tingle
Stand-up Comedian and Outspoken Social Commentator
Jimmy Tingle was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The social, political and economic diversity of that city laid the groundwork for his development as a performer and satirist. He started performing in 1980 during the early stand-up comedy scene in Boston and quickly rose through the ranks from open-mike performer to paid engagements, headlining at comedy clubs, theaters and colleges nationwide. He is now regarded as one of the top social commentators and humorists in the country.
Tingle was the American correspondent for Sir David Frost's show for PBS and the BBC, The Strategic Humor Initiative. He appeared for two seasons on 60 Minutes II on CBS as the humorist/commentator in the Andy Rooney spot. He worked as a contributor and satirist for MSNBC and has appeared on The Tonight Show, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, Larry King Weekend, The Late Show with Conan O'Brien, The American Comedy Awards, as well as his own HBO comedy special.
Tingle appeared as a television talk show host in Chris Rock's film, Head of State. Other film credits include the role of the neighborhood bartender in Next Stop Wonderland, a priest in Boondock Saints and a restaurant owner in By the Sea. He also starred in the Emmy Award-winning documentary on art censorship, Damned in the USA, produced by Channel Four in England in partnership with Channel Thirteen in New York. He co-starred in the PBS Travels series special America with the Top Down and appeared in But Seriously, a Showtime documentary featuring prominent social satirists from Lenny Bruce to the present.
In 2002, he founded Jimmy Tingle's Off Broadway Theater, where he served as owner, CEO, artistic director and executive producer. The theater closed in 2007 after being voted Best of Boston in Alternative Theater category by Boston Magazine. Jimmy was twice voted Best of Boston is the stand-up comedy category, becoming one of the few people to win the prestigious Best of Boston award as both a performer and entrepreneur.
Tingle's theatrical credits include writing and starring in his own one-man show Jimmy Tingle's Uncommon Sense, The Education of an American Comic. Directed by Larry Arrick, the play received stellar reviews during a nine-week engagement at the American Place Theater in New York City and continued at the Hasty Pudding Theater in Cambridge, MA, becoming the longest running one-person show in that theater's history. Jimmy Tingle's Uncommon Sense made its Los Angeles debut at the Coast Playhouse and was nominated by The L.A. Weekly for best male solo performance for their 20th Annual Theater Awards. His next play, Jimmy Tingle's American Dream ran for six-months in Boston. His produced and starred in the one-man show is Jimmy Tingle for President: The Funniest Caign in History. He also wrote and produced Jimmy Tingle's American Dream, documentary that takes a humorous look at the fact and fiction of the American Dream.
Always known for his intellectual curiosity, Tingle he recently earned a Master's degree in public administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He was the graduate school's commencement speaker at the 2010 graduation ceremonies at Harvard yard sharing the stage and invoking laughter from both retired Supreme Court Chief Justice David Souter and renowned actress Meryl Streep. He lives in Boston with his wife, Catherine, and son, Seamus.
Jimmy Tingle for President: The Funniest Caign in History
With the upcoming 2012 Presidential election nationally known comedian, filmmaker, and commentator for 60 Minutes II, Jimmy Tingle has constructed another hilarious, thought provoking and politically charged presentation based on his 2012 run for the presidency. As the founder of the "Humor for Humanity" party, Jimmy Tingle is running on his comedic record. The caign underlines his passion and creative thinking on every issue the next president must grapple with from alternative energy to immigration to jobs and the national debt. Despite the seriousness of the issues confronting America and the world, Jimmy Tingle for President is The Funniest Caign in History.
Uncommon Sense
Jimmy Tingle is a brilliant humorist who targets the things in contemporary life that just don't make sense. Whether it's politics, parking tickets, automated telephone menus, our frustrations with technology or smoking - Tingle's eye for the absurd makes his wit a hit with audiences everywhere.