Wayne Cotter is a favorite of the talk shows, having appeared dozens of
times with both David Letterman and Jay Leno. With Leno, he also appears in a
recurring role as a roving reporter for The Tonight Show. A top nationally
touring comedian, Wayne hosted the Fox Television Network series "Comic Strip
Live" for many years, and was seen in the feature film "Spy Hard." He has also
been nominated as "Best Standup Comedian" in the American Comedy Awards, and
has appeared in numerous cable television specials. He also served as host of
the long-running Discovery series "Amazing America," a light-hearted look at
weird and wacky subcultures throughout the United States. Regularly appearing
in nightclubs and casinos, he has also become a highly sought-after entertainer
for corporate events.
Drawn to standup comedy at the tender age of 6, Wayne memorized the routines
of Alan King, Bob Newhart, Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks and other greats of the
era, repeating them incessantly. His parents, not recognizing this obvious cry
for help, simply avoided him, causing sufficient feelings of alienation that
Wayne's future in show business was virtually assured.
Although he studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania
and began a career with a New Jersey computer company, before long Wayne
started moonlighting as a Philadelphia comedian. He continued this double life
for some time, and ultimately came to the visionary conclusion that the
computer industry was going nowhere and left town to pursue show business full
time.
Upon arriving in New York, Wayne quickly became a favorite of both David
Letterman and Johnny Carson. He also appeared on several cable specials, and
was nominated as "Best Standup" in the American Comedy Awards. He moved to Los
Angeles, where he hosted the weekly Fox television series "Comic Strip Live"
for over three years. His relationship with Discovery Networks then began as a
spokesperson for The Learning Channel, leading him eventually to host his own
show there.
Keeping up-to-date with developments in the fast-paced information
technology business, Wayne now performs frequently for such companies as Sun
Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM. "Just when I thought I was out, they
pull me back in!" he says.
Wayne lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son. He finds parenthood to be
a great source of comedy. "Although, " he adds, "not enough to write off the
expense."
