The Funniest Stand Up Comedians in Entertainment By reggiecollins [1 more lists]

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Rank Name

1

Richard Pryor

The undisputed king, in my book. We all have a right to our opinions, but any list of all time favorite stand-ups that does not have Richard Pryor at or near near the top of it--let alone, one on which he's M.I.A.--is a list that I do not trust. Profane and profound, story-telling or observational, hilarious or serious, Richard could do it all. Calling him a stand-up comic is like calling The Beatles a rock group. Yes, both labels are true, but are also the epitome of understatement. His 1979 film ""Richard Pryor Live In Concert"" is the most flawless extended onstage comedic performance I've ever witnessed. A true thing of beauty and, most importantly, truth. Oh, yeah...and funny as hell, even after hundreds of repeated viewings. R.I.P.
2

George Carlin

One of the few comedians on this list whose style owes nothing to Richard Pryor. Perhaps that was, in part, because he was Pryor's peer, not his follower--though he was certainly a huge admirer of Richard's. Carlin carved out his own unique territory, and was the king of razor sharp observational humor and genius-level wordplay with the English language. Untouchable. R.I.P.
3

Chris Rock

Some would hesitate to rank Chris this high because he hasn't been around long enough. However, his stand-up work bears the mark of all of the truly greats--a phenomenal level of insight. His comedy not only tickles your ribs, but sticks to them. For me, he's the most quotable stand-up this side of Pryor and Carlin. And, unlike Eddie Murphy, he truly takes his stand-up craft seriously.
4

Lenny Bruce

To be honest, Lenny's not one of my personal favorites. He makes my list, however, because he's so hugely important and influential. Most of the people on this list wouldn't have been possible without him. As for my personal taste, the jury is still out where he's concerned. It would be more accurate for me to say that Lenny's on my list of ""indisputably great artists who are worthy of further investigation and discovery."" R.I.P.
5

Bill Cosby

I know that I'm in the minority, but I've never been knocked out by Mr. Cosby's stand-up work. I've definitely found quite a lot of entertaining, and I can't knock the guy's amazing story-telling skills. It's just that very little of it has made me laugh from my gut. Having said that, I have IMMENSE respect for his body of work as well as for the man himself. Actually, my personal favorite Cosby is not the buttoned-down dude sitting on a stool spinning heartwarming tales about his wife and kids or his childhood. It's the Afro'd/bearded Cos of the '70s films ""Uptown Saturday Night"" and ""Let's Do It Again."" Much edgier than most of his stand-up and funny as hell. Kudos, Mr. Cosby.
6

Bill Maher

I hesitate to put Bill Maher on any "all time" list because he's still a work in progress. All I can say is that there is no one out there right now who can do political humor better than he.
7

Dave Chappelle

For me, Chappelle is a "like," not a "love" as a stand-up. However, his best material from Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show" is the stuff of genius. One of the most brilliant comedic minds working today. And, like Pryor, Carlin & Rock, he's equally fascinating when he's being serious.
8

Eddie Murphy

There is no question that Eddie is immensely talented, despite a looooong list of lame movies on his resume. Exhibit A is his untouchable work on "Saturday Night Live" and his unforgettable performances in the films "48 Hrs.," "Trading Places," "Coming To America," and even "The Nutty Professor" (especially when he appears as almost every character in the Klump family). In my opinion, however, he didn't stick with stand-up long enough to hone his craft and truly become a consistently great live performer. He certainly had his moments, and possesses considerable comedic chops (which is why he's on my list at all), but even the best of his stand-up work never really dug deep. Too bad because he COULD have been great in this realm if he so desired.
9

Woody Allen

Woody would rank MUCH higher with me if this were a list of my all-time favorite funny people. His immense comic gifts are on best display in his films. But he was definitely a force to be reckoned with as a stand-up.
10

Steve Martin

No pretense of being deep...just flat-out "class clown" level funny.
11

Dick Gregory

Like Chappelle, Dick Gregory would rank much higher on my list as a comedic mind. But he's just as much of a social commentator as he is a comedian, perhaps even more so. When he gets going, you don't know whether to laugh or cry. Gets lots of extra points for being a truth teller, even though some may be put off by his (in my mind, justifiable) anger.
12

Moms Mabley

Can't find a proper clip of Moms doing stand-up, but here are two written samples of her comedic style. (I'm quoting these from memory, so the wording may not be exact, but it's damn close.) "A young girl once asked me, 'Moms, how old were you when you lost interest in sex?' I told her, 'You better ask somebody else, honey, 'cuz I ain't reached that age yet.'" "Two old ladies were walkin' down the street. One of 'em said to the other, 'I smell hair burnin'. The other one said, 'Well, maybe we're walkin' too fast.'" Old school chitlin' circuit humor at its finest. R.I.P.

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