Craig Ferguson

Craig Ferguson is an Emmy Award-winning actor, writer and comedian with a diverse career that encompasses film, television and the stage. Ferguson is the author of three books, most recently Riding the Elephant: A Memoir of Altercations, Humiliations, Hallucinations, and Observations.

As the host of Celebrity Name Game, Ferguson was awarded the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host two years in a row and was nominated for a third. Ferguson recently concluded his wildly popular daily SiriusXM program “The Craig Ferguson Show.” In 2014, Ferguson concluded his ten-year run as the host of CBS’ The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, which had set all-time viewer records and earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination and the 2009 Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting for his interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Ferguson got his start in the entertainment industry as a drummer for some of the worst punk bands in the U.K. Following his musical stint, he began bartending in a local pub in Glasgow where he was introduced to Michael Boyd, the artistic director of The Tron Theatre in Glasgow, who persuaded Ferguson to try acting. After several low paying acting gigs, Ferguson discovered he had a knack for comedy and was soon the star of his own BBC television show, The Ferguson Theory. After several stints on the English comedy circuit, Ferguson brought his act to America in 1995 to star with Betty White and Marie Osmond in the short-lived ABC comedy, Maybe This Time. After the show ended, ABC decided to add the talented Scotsman to The Drew Carey Show, playing Drew Carey's boss, ‘Nigel Wick,’ from 1996-2003. In 2016, Ferguson debuted his original History Channel show, Join or Die, which featured him and his celebrity friends debating provocative topics with history experts.

Ferguson has written the feature films The Big Tease and Saving Grace. In 2003, he made his directorial debut with I'll Be There, which he also wrote and starred in. I'll Be There went on to receive the Audience Award for Best Film at the Aspen, Dallas, and Valencia film festivals. Craig was also named "best new director" at the Napa Valley Film Festival. Ferguson’s other film credits include, Niagra Motel, Lenny the Wonder Dog, Prendimi l’anima, Life Without Dick, Chain of Fools and Born Romantic. In 2011, Ferguson portrayed ‘Owl’ in the Disney classic Winnie the Pooh, and in 2012 he portrayed ‘Lord Macintosh’ in Disney’s animated feature Brave. He has appeared as ‘Gobber’ in the animated feature series How to Train Your Dragon. 

Ferguson has achieved notable success on the North American comedy circuit and has performed to sold-out theaters all across the country, including Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall. He has five widely acclaimed stand-up comedy specials: “A Wee Bit O’ Revolution"; “Does This Need to Be Said”; “I’m Here to Help”, which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album; “Just Being Honest”, which earned him a second Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album; and “Tickle Fight”.

In 2006, Ferguson debuted his first bestselling novel entitled Between the Bridge and the River.  In 2008, Ferguson succeeded in becoming a US Citizen, mentioning that this is his home after thirteen years and “my heart is here.” Soon after, Craig had landed himself the biggest date of all; a date with President Bush hosting the White House Correspondence Dinner. Critics raved of his witty and comical deliverance speech to the 3,000 attendees who included political journalists, celebrities, and Washington’s power players. In 2009, Harper Collins published Ferguson’s bestselling memoir American on Purpose - a book about why and how late night funnyman Craig Ferguson became an American.

Ferguson also serves on the board of the Lollipop Theater Network. The mission of the Lollipop Theater Network is to bring movies that are currently in theatrical release to hospitalized children facing chronic and life threatening illnesses nationwide.