Bill Burr

Comedian Bill Burr parlayed his abrasive, occasionally controversial stand-up act into a string of popular comedy specials for television as well as steady work as a guest player in films and on television, including "Breaking Bad" (AMC, 2008-2013), "Date Night" (2010) and "The Heat" (2013). The Boston native and Emerson College graduate began performing stand-up in the early 1990s and developed a following for his raw observations on racial and social issues, which led to guest roles on television. Burr rose to widespread fame with appearances on "Chappelle's Show" (Comedy Central, 2003-2006) and regular appearances on shock DJs Opie and Anthony's XM Radio programs.

By the late 2000s, he had several stand-up TV showcases to his name, as well as a growing second career as a character actor, most notably as a hired gun with a knack for playing characters on "Breaking Bad." Burr's success as both a comic and actor signaled a rapid rise to mainstream stardom.

Born William Burr in Canton, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, on June 10, 1968, Bill Burr gained some of his earliest experiences before a live audience as a morning DJ at Emerson College, where he majored in radio. He soon began performing stand-up comedy, first in New York and then Los Angeles, where he also began appearing on television as a series regular on the short-lived sitcom "Townies" (ABC, 1996) with Molly Ringwald and Lauren Graham. He released his first comedy album, Emotionally Unavailable, in 2003, shortly before receiving his first breakout showcase on "Chappelle's Show" in 2004.

Burr's star rose exponentially in the years that followed, beginning with a 2005 installment of the popular "One Night Stand" (HBO, 1989-1992, 2005- ) stand-up comedy series. His status as a regular guest on the popular "Opie and Anthony Show" (WAAF/WNEW/WXRF/XM Satellite Radio, 1995-2002, 2006-2009, 2009- ) earned him his own series, "Uninformed with Bill Burr & Joe DeRosa" (XM Satellite Radio, 2006- ) and an expanded reissue of Emotionally Unavailable on What Are Records? In 2007.

Like many comics, Burr soon launched his own podcast, "Bill Burr's Monday Morning Podcast" (2007- ) which featured his take on current events and comedy with input from his girlfriend, actress Nia Renee Hill. Burr's popularity on the stand-up circuit and radio naturally led to increased opportunities in film and on television. In 2008, he shot a pilot for a proposed series on Comedy Central, but found greater success as a character actor, playing flinty types in "Date Night" and the Emmy-winning "Breaking Bad" (AMC, 2008-2013), which cast him in the recurring role of Kuby.

Between these and other acting roles, including the comedy caper "Stand Up Guys" (2012) and as Melissa McCarthy's brother in "The Heat" (2013), Burr filmed two additional stand-up specials for Comedy Central: "Let It Go" (2010) and "You People Are All the Same" (2012).