Howie Mandel

Howie Mandel is a versatile Canadian entertainer. He works as a comedian, actor, television personality, and producer.

Throughout his long career, he has mastered many different forms of performance. He has voiced famous animated characters and acted in medical dramas. He has also hosted major game shows and judged talent competitions. His ability to adapt to different roles has made him a household name. In 2004, Comedy Central even ranked him number 82 on their list of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time.

His career began with stand-up comedy in Toronto, Ontario. In September 1978, he was a featured act at Yuk Yuk's. The Toronto Star described his performance style as "a wild and crazy borderline psychotic." This energetic style helped him move to Los Angeles. He soon became a regular performer at the famous Comedy Store. These early successes led to appearances on the comedy game show Make Me Laugh. He also had the chance to open for David Letterman in 1979. These steps built the foundation for his international fame.

Mandel is highly skilled at voice acting and character creation. He provided the voice for Gizmo in the 1984 film Gremlins. He returned to voice the character in the 1990 sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch. He also voiced several characters in the Muppet Babies series, including Bunsen Honeydew and Animal. One of his greatest achievements was creating the animated series Bobby's World. This show ran for seven seasons on Fox from 1990 to 1998. Mandel acted as the executive producer for the series. He also supplied the voices for both the title character, Bobby, and his father.

As an actor, Mandel achieved national attention on the medical drama St. Elsewhere. He played Dr. Wayne Fiscus for six years starting in 1982. This role allowed him to work alongside actors like Ed Flanders and Norman Lloyd. He has also appeared in many films and television shows. He played the character "Maurice" in the 1989 movie Little Monsters. He also appeared in the film Walk Like a Man in 1987. His range allows him to move between serious drama and silly comedy easily.

One of his most significant roles is as a game show host. Mandel hosted the American version of Deal or No Deal on NBC. This version debuted on December 19, 2005, and became very popular. He also hosted the Canadian version, Deal or No Deal Canada, in 2007. This makes him one of only three hosts to emcee the same game show in two different countries. The others are Donny Osmond and Anne Robinson. He also hosted a daytime version of the show with a top prize of $500,000. He even served as an executive producer for the spin-off Deal or No Deal Island in 2024.

Mandel is also a well-known judge on talent competitions. He joined the judging panel of America's Got Talent in 2010. He replaced David Hasselhoff on the NBC program. He has held this position for sixteen consecutive seasons. This is the longest tenure of any judge or host on that show. In 2021, he expanded his judging work to include Canada's Got Talent. He has helped many performers share their skills with the world through these shows.

Beyond the stage, Mandel has many unique personal trademarks. As a stand-up comedian, he was famous for a specific stunt. He would stretch a latex glove over his head. He would then inflate the glove using only his nostrils. The glove would eventually pop off his head suddenly. He eventually stopped this routine due to a perforated sinus. He also uses his creativity in modern media. Since 2021, he has hosted the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast with his daughter, Jackelyn Shultz. They use the platform to discuss pop culture and interview interesting people.