It’s the quality of sharing the humor in everyday situations that has made Bill Engvall one of the top comedians today and among the busiest. Engvall has starred in and executive produced his own self-titled sitcom for TBS, which ran for three seasons. He was also the host of one of the top rated shows on CMT, “Country Fried Home Videos.” In 2009, he shot a one-hour special for Comedy Central at the Vic Theater in Chicago, “Aged and Confused.”
In 2008, Engvall released “Bait Shop” which co-starred Billy Ray Cyrus. Additionally, Engvall starred in the movie “Delta Farce” with Larry the Cable Guy and D.J. Qualls, a hilarious comedy about three blue collar heroes on the military’s front line.
Prior to his big screen debut, Engvall was one of the stars of the sketch comedy show “Blue Collar TV” on the WB network. The ensemble cast included Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy. He also shot a special for the WB network called “Mobile Home Disasters.” The show was a blue-collar version of “Extreme Home Makeover” and the episode took a deserving family and completely transformed their mobile home.
Engvall later starred in “Blue Collar Comedy Tour, The Movie,” which premiered on Comedy Central and at that time was the most watched movie in the channel’s history. The sequel, “Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again,” also premiered on Comedy Central and was the third most watched telecast ever for the network. In March of 2006, the Blue Collar boys reunited to shoot “Blue Collar Comedy Tour-One For The Road” in Washington, DC at the Warner Theater. The soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy® Award.
Along with his Blue Collar movies, Engvall also has several solo specials which aired on Comedy Central, including “15° Off Cool” and “Here’s Your Sign, Live.” Engvall is also a platinum recording artist. His first album, “Here’s Your Sign,” has been certified platinum and held the #1 position on the Billboard Comedy Chart for 15 straight weeks when it was released by Warner Bros. in 1996.
In 1997, Engvall won the Best Selling Comedy Album award at the annual NARM convention, outselling albums by Chris Rock and Adam Sandler. Engvall’s second album, “Dorkfish,” was certified gold. Engvall has also written several books, including his autobiography Bill Engvall: Just A Guy, published by St. Martin’s Press in 2007.
A native of Galveston, Texas, Engvall moved to Dallas and was working as a disc jockey with plans of becoming a teacher. While in a nightclub one evening, Engvall decided to try his hand at stand-up comedy and quickly found that making people laugh was truly his forte. Soon after, he decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue television opportunities.
First there was a Showtime special, “A Pair of Jokers,” with Rosie O’Donnell, followed by hosting A&E’s “Evening at the Improv” and several appearances on both “The Tonight Show” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.” In 1992, Engvall won the American Comedy Award for “Best Male Stand-up Comedian.” After appearing in episodes of “Designing Women,” Engvall went on to portray Buck Overton on the ABC sitcom, “Delta” starring Delta Burke, thus solidifying his status as a sought-after comic. Engvall also starred in the NBC series, “The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” where he played Foxworthy’s best friend.
Engvall resides in Southern California with his wife and two children.
