Apr 25, 2003 3 min read

Academy Award-winning actor and comedian Steven Wright will bring his off-beat comedy routine to the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 15. Wright is a prototype comedian that many others continually try to follow, according to a press release issued by Michael O’Brien Entertainment in New York City.

Wright was raised in Burlington, Mass. Upon graduating from Emerson College and holding a variety of odd jobs, Wright attended an “open mike” audition and became a regular performer at Ding Ho’s Comedy Club and Chinese Restaurant in Cambridge, Mass.

It was during this time in August 1982 that Wright got his big break and was booked for his first “Tonight Show” appearance. The king of late night enjoyed the performance so much he invited Wright to appear again within a week – a rarity on “The Tonight Show.”

His back-to-back appearances helped him put his fledging career into high gear. The comic soon found himself performing his offbeat routines on “Saturday Night Live,” “Late Night with David Letterman” and numerous trips back to “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.”

Wright expanded his comedy career to include comedy albums, film and television appearances. His 1986 debut album, “I Have A Pony,” earned him a Grammy nomination. In 1988, Wright starred in his first HBO Special “On Location: Steven Wright.”

In 1989, Steven was honored with an Academy Award for Best Short Film for his film titled “The Appointments of Dennis Jennings” in which he starred and co-wrote.

Other stars of the film include “Roseanne’s” Laurie Medcalf and British comedian, Rowan Atkinson.

In September 1990, Wright starred in his second stand-up special for HBO called “Wicker Chairs and Gravity.” The special included stand-up from The Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto and a short film shot on location in New York and New Jersey.

Wright has been seen in numerous films including “Desperately Seeking Susan,” Mike Myers’ “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born Killers” and Nora Ephron’s “Mixed Nuts.”

Wright starred with John Cleese and Jack Palance in New Line’s animated film “The Swan Princess” as the voice of Speed, the turtle. He also appeared as a sitcom actor in MGM’s “Speechless” with Harry Shearer and as a Mountie in the MGM release “Canadian Bacon,” opposite the late John Candy.

In 1999, Wright played a guest-starring role in Albert Brooks’ film “The Muse” starting Brooks, Sharon Stone, Andie MacDowell and Jeff Bridges. In 1998, he played a supporting role in the Universal release “Half-Baker” and was a featured voiced in “Babe 2: Pig in the City.”

Wright wrote, directed and starred in a short film called “One Soldier” that was screened at numerous film festivals and can be seen on the Independent Film Channel. The film is the story of a man obsesses with the unanswerable questions in life.

Wright is a regular guest on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”

Wright continues touring the U.S., Canada and overseas.

The Web site, www.stevenwright.com, features Wright’s paintings, a song written and performed by Wright, written pieces, stand-up and film clips, tour dates and chat rooms.