Bob Zany, a native Southern Californian, made his television debut at the tender age of fifteen on the infamous Gong Show in 1977. Halfway through his stand-up routine, which he read from a piece of paper, he was abruptly pulled off the stage by a man dressed as a nun wielding a net. Eleven years later, he made a triumphant return to the show as a celebrity judge, marking the first of over 100 appearances on national television.
Before his television career took off, Bob attended Mt. San Antonio College, where he applied for a job as a newscaster at the campus radio station but was turned down. Undeterred, he auditioned for the owner of The Ice House in Pasadena and, despite being told he wasn't ready, managed to talk the owner into letting him produce his own show. The result was The Bob Zany Show, which featured up-and-coming comedians such as Garry Shandling, Yakov Smirnoff, Robert Wuhl, Kevin Nealon, and Nia Peeples.
After a successful run at The Ice House, Bob was approached by Frazier Smith, the host of a top-rated radio show on KLOS/LA, and was eventually hired as a personality with his own show on Saturday mornings. He also went on to create Bob Zany's Comedy Outlets, with over 50 locations throughout California and Nevada, and released a comedy album titled "Hi Home, I'm Honey" on Laff Records.
In addition to his comedy career, Bob has also written a soon-to-be published diet scrapbook titled "Laugh at Fat, Bay-bee!" and has been hired by his idol, Steve Martin, to appear on George Burns' Comedy Week. The dramatic weight loss he experienced in 1991 led to a major overhaul of his stage persona, and he spent the following year doing late-night spots at Hollywood clubs, trying to "reinvent" himself.
Today, Bob is married to comedienne/actress Erin O'Connor and they live in Los Angeles with their three dogs and three cats.
