Awesome Fat Guy of the Week.

It’s  that time again. Time for the Awesome Fat Guy of the Week. Not too long ago, I spoke about Will Sasso. I mentioned that Sasso was the funny fat guy from MADtv. What I may not have said was that Will was not the first nor last funny fat guy. The first was Artie Lang, a man I know too little about, and the third was Frank Caliendo, who is this week’s Awesome Fat Guy. Which means that yes, I have fallen back on the funny fat guy list. What can I say? There are so many of them. It’s just my go to list.

Frank Caliendo was born in Chicago, Illinois,  on January 19, 1974 and raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Frank and the cast of Hype.

Caliendo’s big break came in 2001 when he appeared on the short-lived sketch comedy show Hype. From there he went to MADtv where he made a name for himself as an impressionist. During his tenure on the show, Frank impersonated the likes of George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Terry Bradshaw, and most famously John Madden.

During his MADtv years Frank appeared on a number of other shows. He performed his John Madden impression on Fox NFL Sunday, The best Damn Sports Show Period, and Mohr Sports. Caliendo also appeared on a number of radio shows such as Bubba the Love Sponge, Opie and Anthoney, Mike and the Mad Dog, The Glen Beck Program, and The Howard Stern Show.

After leaving MADtv, Caliendo went on to have his own sketch show on TBS. The show, named Frank TV, would only last 15 episodes but was a large step forward.

Caliendo appeared on the big screen in The Comebacks, where he impersonated John Madden and Al Michaels. His George W. Bush impression got him an invite to perform at the 2007 White House Correspondent’s Dinner.

In 2008 Frank hosted a special segment of The Comedy Festival called “The Comedy Festival Presents: Funniest Movies of the Year 2008”. The Comedy Festival, formerly the US Comedy Arts Festival, is a yearly comedy festival originally held in Las Vegas but more recently in Aspen.

Aside from MADtv Frank has been most successful doing pure standup. He was featured in an episode of Comedy Central Presents and had his own special “Frank Caliendo; All Over the Place”, on TBS.  He has also released 6 comedy albums to date and continues to tour all around the country.

I know what you're thinking. “Gee, that doesn’t sound all that impressive. Frank Caliendo just seems like another marginally successful comedian. What’s the big deal?” Well, firstly, thanks for reading. Secondly Frank isn’t Awesome because of what he has done. No, he is Awesome because he is funny. He makes me laugh. Frank Caliendo is damn funny. He does great impressions and has made a career of doing them. What more do you want? Frank Caliendo is an Awesome Fat Guy.

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