Upfront Inc presents Emmy-winning Craig Ferguson’s: The New Deal Live Tour on Thursday, October 22, at The Paramount Theater. Tickets are on sale this Friday, July 24th for the general public and may be purchased online or through The Paramount Box Office.
Ferguson entered the world of late night comedy following a diverse and eclectic career of film, television and the stage. As the host of CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson”, the show set an all-time viewer record in the nine years it was on the air.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Ferguson got his start in the entertainment industry as a drummer for punk bands in the U.K.. Following his musical stint, he began bar tending in a local pub in Glasgow where he was introduced to Michael Boyd, the artistic director of The Tron Theatre in Glasgow, who persuaded Ferguson to give acting a go. After several acting gigs, Ferguson discovered he had a knack for comedy and was soon the star of his own BBC television show, “The Ferguson Theory.” After several stints on the English comedy circuit, Ferguson brought his act to America in 1995 to star with Betty White and Marie Osmond in the short-lived ABC comedy, “Maybe This Time.” After the show ended, ABC decided added the talented Scotsman to “The Drew Carey Show,” playing Drew Carey’s boss, ‘Nigel Wick,’ from 1996-2003.
Ferguson has become a success on the North American comedy circuit. He has performed to sold out theaters all over the country, including Carnegie Hall in October 2010. In October 2012 Craig performed his highly praised stand-up at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall to a sold out audience. Additionally, Craig has three widely acclaimed stand-up comedy specials, “A Wee Bit O’ Revolution”, which premiered on Comedy Central and was released on Home Video in 2009, and “Does This Need To Be Said,” which premiered on Epix in 2011, aired on Comedy Central and was released on Home Video. In the summer of 2013, Craig released his third comedy album “I’m Here to Help,” garnering him a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album. The stand-up special premiered on Netflix and was later released on DVD.
Ferguson has written the feature films “The Big Tease” and “Saving Grace.” In 2003, he 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’s other film credits include, “Niagra Motel,” “Lenny the Wonder Dog,” “Prendimi l’anima,” “Life Without Dick,” “Chain of Fools” and “Born Romantic.” In 2010, Craig lent his voice to the animated feature “How to Train Your Dragon” as the Viking, ‘Gobber.’ In 2011 Craig portrayed ‘Owl’ in the highly anticipated Disney classic “Winnie The Pooh.” In the summer of 2012, Craig was heard as the voice of ‘Lord Macintosh’ in Disney’s animated feature, “Brave.”
In April 2006, Ferguson debuted his first novel entitled Between The Bridge and The River, which made it onto the bestseller list. This past February, Between The Bridge and The River — narrated by Craig himself — was released on audio book.
Ferguson came into his own on the “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” winning his first Emmy nomination in 2006, as well as receiving the 2009 Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting for his interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In February 2008 he succeeded in becoming a US Citizen mentioning that this is his home after thirteen years and “my heart is here.” Soon after, Craig landed himself the biggest date of all; a date with President Bush hosting the White House Correspondence Dinner. Critics raved of his witty and comical deliverance speech to the 3,000 attendees who included political journalists, celebrities, and Washington’s power players. In 2009, Harper Collins published Ferguson’s memoir America On Purpose – a book about why and how late night funnyman, Craig Ferguson became an American. The book was listed on the New York Times bestseller.
Ferguson serves on the board of the Lollipop Theater Network. The mission of the Lollipop Theater Network is to bring movies that are currently in theatrical release to hospitalized children facing chronic and life threatening illness nationwide.
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