Comprehensive information and links about Dennis Miller

Dennis Miller born November 3, 1953 in Pittsburgh is an American entertainer, stand-up comedian, political and social commentator and television personality.

Miller has been labeled by some critics as being somewhat obnoxious and blunt, with an observational and brooding sense of humor. His monologues and stand-up routines often feature elaborate metaphors and erudite references to historical and political events. Though Miller's opinions were perceived as left-leaning, he was never a mouth-piece for either party or ideology--a tendency still evident in his stand-up routines. However, this would change in the last years, post-911 and during the 2004 presidential election campaign. Miller has said that one of the defining moments, in addition to 911, for his move from the Democratic to the Republican Party was watching a primary debate between the nine Democrats then contending for their party's nomination.

Miller studied journalism and graduated from Pittsburgh's Point Park College. In the early 1980s he would host , a Saturday-afternoon newsmagazine for teenagers, on Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV; he also produced humorous essays for the syndicated television program. Miller then began performing stand-up in New York comedy clubs such as Catch A Rising Star and The Comic Strip and in Los Angeles at The Comedy Store.

He then became a fixture on where he served as a "Weekend Update" anchor from 1985 to 1991, where his closing catchphrase was "That's the news, and I am outta here!" In In 1990, he also released a stand-up comedy CD, , as well as showing glimpses of the political based humor that would influence his later work. A well-received HBO special, , would air shortly after the release of the CD.

In 1992, following his departure from Saturday Night Live, Miller launched a late night talk show, "Dennis Miller Live" on ABC. Airing opposite the late-night king, NBC's , the show was swiftly cancelled after less than a year due to low ratings. (Miller's sidekick on the show, Nick Bakay, would go onto later fame voicing the cat Salem on TV's Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, as well as occasional appearances as a commentator for cable network ESPN).

Beginning in 1994, he hosted , a half-hour talk show on HBO characterized by its simplicity. The show had no set, band, or even much lighting. It mainly consisted of Miller speaking to the largely unseen studio audience on a darkened stage. There would be one guest per show, either live in the studio or occasionally on air via satellite, whom Miller would quiz on the topic of the day. The show would also have a call-in segment (the number to call into the show was 1-800-LACTOSE, however call-ins were phased out entirely in the last years of the show). Miller and his writing staff won five Emmy Awards while hosting the show, which aired 215 episodes during its nine-year run. The show was cancelled by HBO in 2002.

The highlight of the show were Miller's self-described "rants" on various political issues. These monologues always began with the catch phrase "Now I don't want to get off on a rant here..." and ended with the phrase "Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong." Miller also used these monologues as a basis for a series of audiobooks and hardcover books released during the run of the show, starting with 1996's . In 1995, he served as host of the MTV Video Music Awards. He also was the host of HBO's 1996 series of election specials, "Not Necessarily the Election."

He is also well known for offensive comments frequently made toward people of countries who do not share his own views regarding the 2003 Invasion of Iraq such as Russia, France and Germany. Declaring during an appearance on The Tonight Show that, “I would call the French people scumbags, but that would be an insult to bags of scum.”

In 2000, Miller became a commentator on . He brought a thorough knowledge of the game and its personalities to the show. After two seasons, however, he and former San Diego Chargers' quarterback Dan Fouts were replaced by former Oakland Raiders coach, and long time football commentator, John Madden.

Miller's new-found conservatism puzzled some of his former fans, as it seemed to be a complete 180-degree turn from his earlier positions on a number of issues. Miller's changed views were not limited to foreign policy, as he began criticizing Left-Liberals in his television appearances.

However, the perceived change did not surprise former colleague Al Franken: "People have said to me, 'What happened to Dennis?' Nothing happened to Dennis. He's the same Dennis. He's always had a conservative streak on certain issues." He regularly performs at the MGM Grand restort in Las Vegas, Nevada, the "Strip's" premiere hotel casino. Thus despite the cancellation of his CNBC show, Dennis Miller remains a very popular live draw. The cancellation of his CNBC program was largely the result of the network's overall dismal ratings, and repeated failures to do anything to improve its ratings. The show itself was very balanced in its discussion segments in which Miller went out of his way to have guests with a wide-range of view-points and political ideologies.

In 2003, Miller provided short-lived regular commentary for the FOX News show . The hour long show contained a daily news segment called "The Daily Rorschach", which was reminiscent of his "Weekend Update" segments. The show also featured a panel discussion on current topics dubbed "The Varsity", which offered a wide variety of political viewpoints. The panel often included Gloria Allred, Lawrence O'Donnell, Willie Brown, Harry Shearer, Mickey Kaus, and David Horowitz.

He is one of the few mainstream comedians to support the GOP. Like many Left-Liberal celebrities who supported the Clinton Administration's policies, Mr. Miller has flown on Air Force One because of his support of some of President George W. Bush's policies; he is alleged to have a "top spot" on the GOP's "celebrity" A-list. He also visits wounded soldiers to show his support for their service. In 2002, some in the GOP called for him to run for U.S. Senator from California.

He married Ali Epsley in 1988. The pair have two children.