Billy Gardell works hard.
He has no choice. He's from
Pittsburgh. Hard work is the honor code in
Pittsburgh, and Gardell lives by it.
And now all this hard work is paying off for Billy, he is
the star of the new CBS hit comedy MIKE & MOLLY (Mondays at 9:30PM) where
he plays Officer Mike Biggs. And on
February 5, 2011, he stars in his own one hour stand-up Comedy Central special
- BILLY GARDELL: HALFTIME. A DVD of the
special will be released on February 8th.
Billy isn't your average Hollywood success story. No GQ genetics, no family in the business, no
coattails to ride. He took the long road
to get here, stopping at every small town honky-tonk, military base, and comedy
club along the way. Anywhere he could
find a live audience.
Billy started early in stand up and got good fast;
headlining some clubs before he was legal at the door. But that didn't stop him from being as big a
hit at the bar as he was on stage. After
all, the kid was living his dream and following in the footsteps of his idol,
Jackie Gleason.
As every comic quickly learns when they arrive in L.A.,
all those years of toiling in the clubs to become a great comic don't mean a
thing in Hollywood. You start working
your way up all over again. But before
long, Billy have built quite impressive acting resume for himself with regular
guest appearances on My Name is Earl, The Practice, Yes Dear, Monk, Judging
Amy, Desperate Housewives as well as a co-starring role in the critically
acclaimed FX series Lucky. On the big
screen, Billy made his film debut alongside Anthony Quinn and Sylvester
Stallone in Avenging Angelo and afterwards scored a rather memorable scene with
Billy Bob Thornton in the Cohen Brother's Bad Santa.
Billy's dedication to acting, along with continuing to
tour as a stand up, have allowed him to grow consistently stronger in both
arenas. His stand up show is a
powerhouse. His grounded, down-to-earth
point of view hits a strong chord with American audiences. Stories about his rough childhood, wild
adolescence, and new family life are executed with the skill of a master
craftsman.
In his spare time, Billy enjoys spending time with his
son and following the Pittsburgh Steelers.