Who

Lewis Black is a lefty comic and Comedy Central staple whose angry political rants have become more resonant (and popular) under the reign of George W. Bush.

Backstory

The product of a politically active family—his father quit his military job to protest the Vietnam War—Black was raised outside Washington, D.C. and earned an MFA from Yale in 1977 before beginning a career as a playwright. He penned nearly 40 plays over the course of two decades; when his theater career began to peter out in the late '80s, Black turned to stand-up comedy, performing in New York and around the country. Over the years he had a number of small roles in movies and TV, including the Woody Allen flick Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986 and TV shows like Law & Order and Mad About You in the '90s.

His comedy career didn't take off until the late '90s when he landed a regular gig, "Back in Black," on The Daily Show. The gig led to several Comedy Central and HBO specials and film roles in 2006's Man of the Year and Unaccompanied Minors. These days, Black hosts his own Comedy Central show, The Root of All Evil, and still occasionally appears on The Daily Show. But he spends much of his time touring the country, delivering the cartoonishly explosive tirades against corporate greed, the war in Iraq, and President Bush that his fans just eat up. He also does a number of corporate events, reportedly earning up to $50,000 for an hour for a speech. In 2005, he published his first book, a memoir of his younger years, entitled Nothing's Sacred.

Personal

Black, who's single, was once married for, as he says, "about six minutes." He bought a new apartment in 2008, but doesn't spend much time there as he travels up to 250 days a year.

No joke

Black has a criminal record. In 2000, he and fellow comedian Jim Norton were arrested for their involvement in "The Naked Teen Voyeur Bus" prank, which involved a bus full of girls that drove along the same route as a visiting President Clinton.

Extra

A clip of Black's home answering machine can be found here.