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 Biography: TV's Craig Ferguson (born May 17, 1962) is a Scottish comedian and actor who has done work both in front of and behind the camera. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Born in Glasgow, Scotland and raised in Cumbernauld, Ferguson became a highly regarded comic in the UK, appearing in the alternative comedy circuit under the clearly offensive stage-name Bing Hitler. After enjoying success at the Edinburgh Festival, Ferguson moved to Los Angeles in 1994. He is best known in the U.S. for his role on The Drew Carey Show, where he played Nigel Wick, Drew Carey's boss. Of his over-the-top English accent on the series, Ferguson noted that plenty of English actors had used bad Scottish accents in the past, so it was time for a Scottish actor to use a bad English accent. In December 2004, it was announced that Ferguson would be the successor to Craig Kilborn on CBS's The Late Late Show. Ferguson's first show aired on January 4, 2005, with reasonably successful results since then. Originally, Ferguson stuck to the tried and true formula of a scripted monologue and jokes when opening the show, however, as the show progressed, Ferguson began scrapping the pre-prepared jokes for an almost completely impromptu opening segment. This change was picked up by critics and lauded as innovative and daring. Recently, his show has gained a 9% increase in Nielsen ratings. Ferguson hosted the 32nd annual People's Choice Awards which aired on CBS on January 10, 2006. On January 30, 2006, Craig showed his compassionate side by turning his opening monologue into a eulogy for his father who died the day before. His sister Lynn is a sucessful comedian/presenter/actress who has done programmes about Millport and presented The Fringe Show with Rich Hall. His brother Scott worked for STV and married actress Terri Lalley (Restless Natives/Take the High Road). Ferguson has written the feature films "The Big Tease" and "Saving Grace." In 2003, Ferguson made his directorial debut with "I'll Be There," which he also wrote and starred in. "I'll Be There" went on to receive the Audience Award for Best Film at the Aspen, Dallas, and Valencia film festivals. Craig was also named "Best New Director" at the Napa Valley Film Festival. Ferguson has also written his first novel, Between the Bridge and the River, which is set to be released this spring. In the book, two childhood friends from Scotland and two illegitimate half-brothers from the deep South suffer and enjoy all manner of bizarre adventures which, it turns out, are somehow interconnected, and even more surprisingly, meaningful. The eclectic cast of characters features Socrates, Carl Jung and Tony Randall, while love, greed, hope, revenge, organized religion and Hollywood also make special appearances. * In partnership with Agency for the Performing Arts |
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