The thing that makes any entertainer successful is the ability to connect with an audience. It's the quality of sharing the humor in everyday situations that has made Bill Engvall one of the top comedians today and among the busiest.
Bill most recently starred in the Comedy Central stand-up special 15° Off Cool, the movie Delta Farce, and is now starring in The Bill Engvall Show on TBS.
Before that, he was featured on "Blue Collar TV," a sketch comedy show on the WB network. The ensemble cast includes Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy. 5.4 million people tuned in to see the premiere of Blue Collar TV, making it the second-most watched show in that time slot.
That show came about due to the success of "Blue Collar Comedy Tour, The Movie," which premiered on Comedy Central and was the most watched movie in the channel's history and has sold more than 2 million DVD/VHS units. The sequel "Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Rides Again" will premiere on Comedy Central later this year The highly successful concert tour of the same name grossed more than 15 million dollars.
Bill released his first DVD special "Here's Your Sign, Live," which was filmed at the Grove in Anaheim. It aired on Comedy Central on August 1, 2004 and premiered to 3.6 million total viewers. Bill also released his sixth album, "Here's Your Sign: Reloaded" which is now available on Warner Bros Records and features never before released material.. He will also be releasing a Greatest Hits collection in the fourth quarter of 2004.
Bill's fifth comedy album, "Cheap Drunk: An Autobiography," debuted at #1 on the Billboard Comedy Charts and features his singing and songwriting debut. His first album, "HERE'S YOUR SIGN" (Warner Bros. May '96), has been certified Platinum, selling more than one million copies and held the #1 position on the Billboard Comedy Chart for 15 straight weeks. It went on to peak at #5 on Billboard's Current Country Album Chart and reached the Top 50 on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart.
Collaborating with musician Travis Tritt on a video also entitled, "Here's Your Sign," Bill became a fixture on the play lists of CMT and TNN. The single of the same name became the most requested single on country radio. It was ranked #1 on Billboard's Country Singles Sales Chart for ten weeks and reached the Top 30 on the Billboard's Singles Sales Chart, which covers all genres of music. The "Here's Your Sign" single also achieved Gold status, not a common occurrence in the comedy market. In 1997, Engvall won the "Best Selling Comedy album" award at the annual NARM convention, outselling albums by Chris Rock and Adam Sandler.
Bill's second CD, "Dorkfish," which has been certified Gold, has sold more than 500,000 copies and had the honor of being ranked #1 on Billboard's Comedy Chart, surpassing Jerry Seinfeld's album. In December of 1999, Warner Bros. released "Here's Your Christmas Album," Bill's third album which was filled with songs destined to become Christmas classics: "Rudolph Got A DUI," "I Am Being Sued By Santa Claus," and Bill's all time favorite, "Fruitcake Makes Me Puke."
His fourth comedy album entitled "Now That's Awesome!" Billboard's Comedy Charts at # 1 and was highlighted in "USA TODAY." No matter how many records he sells Bill says he would never give up performing live, "When you're doing stand-up, you achieve an intimacy with the audience you can't get on TV. There's not a better feeling in the entire world then when you look out and see the audience is identifying with you."
A native of Galveston, Texas, Bill moved to Dallas and was working as a disc jockey with plans of becoming of a teacher. While in a nightclub one evening, Bill decided to try his hand at stand-up comedy and quickly found that making people laugh was truly his forte. Soon after, he decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue television opportunities.
First there was a Showtime special, "A Pair of Joker's" with Rosie O'Donnell, followed by Bill hosting A&E's "Evening at the Improv" and several appearances on both "The Tonight Show" and the "Late Show with David Letterman." In 1992, Bill won the American Comedy Award for "Best Male Stand-up Comedian." After appearing in episodes of "Designing Women," Bill went on to portray Buck Overton on the ABC sitcom, "Delta", starring Delta Burke, thus solidifying his status as a sought-after comic. Bill also starred in the NBC series, "The Jeff Foxworthy Show", where he played Jeff's best friend. Engvall also hosted the television show, "Sofa Cinema," for TNN. Bill's humor has also extended into the world of books with the publication of, "You Don't Have To Be Dumb To Be Stupid."
Bill resides in Southern California with his wife and two children.