Jim Jefferies

Historically, Australian comedians have struggled to find success with American audiences, but stand-up performer Jim Jefferies bucked the trend with a popular HBO special and his own comedy series, "Legit" (FXX 2013-14). The comic's predilection for hot-button topics - his own avowed atheism and stories about various forms of chemical-induced misbehavior - made him a favorite on the college and festival circuits in the United Kingdom and America.

A 2009 HBO comedy special solidified his rising popularity in the States, which was soon followed by his first television series, "Legit." The show, which followed a fictionalized version of Jefferies as he navigated the more eccentric corners of Los Angeles, offered plenty of raw drug- and sex-related gags, but surprised many with its unvarnished portrayal of characters with disabilities, many played by real-life actors with various physical and mental issues. The success of the show and Jefferies' continued rise on the international comedy scene indicated that his star had yet to reach its highest point in the entertainment industry.

Born Geoff James Nugent on February 14, 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, he initially trained as an opera singer before moving into stand-up comedy. Billing himself as Jim Jeffries and then "Jefferies" to avoid confusion with another performer by the same name, he began performing in clubs before working his way up to the festival circuit. There, his caustic brand of humor, which touched on issues of religion, sex and drugs, won him a following in the United Kingdom, where he appeared on various comedy-driven television shows.

In 2007, he made international news when a fan assaulted him on stage after taking umbrage at a comment Jefferies made to an intrusive heckler. The exposure from the event appeared to give a boost Jefferies' profile, and he soon completed a sold-out, week-long run at the 2007 Just for Laugh festival in Montreal, Canada before appearing with Denis Leary at the New York Comedy Festival that same year. Paramount Television offered him a pilot series in 2008, but he found greater success with his first HBO special, "I Swear To God" (2009).

A comedy album, "Alcoholocaust," followed in 2010, as did a popular podcast, "Jim and Eddie Talking Sh*t" with fellow comic Eddie Ifft. Jefferies departed the podcast in 2012 to focus on his first American television series, "Legit." Jefferies served as producer of the series as well as its star, playing a broad version of himself as a shiftless Australian comedian in America. The series drew praise from critics for its unsentimental portrayal of individuals with disabilities, from series co-star DJ Qualls as a man with muscular dystrophy, to actors with Down Syndrome and dwarfism.