William "Bill" Minkin, a renowned American comedian, actor, and recording artist, is also a pioneer in the field of FM radio. While he is best known for his roles in Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, Minkin spent over two decades hosting the groundbreaking, nationally syndicated rock concert series, The King Biscuit Flower Hour, from 1972 to 1994.
Prior to his success in radio, Minkin was an Assistant Professor at Brooklyn College, where he co-founded the improvisational sketch comedy group, The Hardly Worthit Players, alongside Steve Baron and Dennis Wholey. The group's live comedy album, featuring the hit single "Senator Bobby's 'Wild Thing'", reached number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1967. This led to appearances on various TV shows, including The Hollywood Palace, The Mike Douglas Show, and Dick Clark's What's Happening.
During this period, Minkin befriended rock icons The Who while performing at the legendary Murray The 'K' Easter Show, appearing after Cream and before The Who. He went on to appear in Martin Scorsese's Who's That Knocking at My Door and Mean Streets, as well as delivering the only funny line in Taxi Driver to Albert Brooks. Fans of Minkin will also remember him as the bombastic Clarence McCabe in the cult classic The King of Comedy.
In the decades since The King Biscuit Flower Hour, Minkin has continued to work as a voice over artist, lending his talents to commercials and the Jak's Playstation video games series.
