Gallagher Facts:
·
Gallagher, born Leo Anthony Gallgher Jr., was born in
North Carolina and raised in Florida.
·
He began performing stand-up comedy in 1969 while working
as road manager for musician/comedian Jim Stafford.
·
He has taped 15 live stand-up specials, 14 of which aired
on Showtime throughout the '80s and '90s. From 1980 to 1987, he was releasing
specials at the rate of one (or more) per year.
·
In 2000, he filed a lawsuit against his brother to stop
him from performing comedy clubs under the name "Gallagher Two" and
even doing the signature "Sledge-o-Matic" bit.
·
In 2011, Gallagher collapsed onstage in Minnesota after a
mild heart attack. In March 2012, he suffered a second heart attack prior to a
club performance and had to be placed in a medical coma for several days.
·
After suffering a third heart attack in March 2012,
Gallagher announced that he would retire from touring and intended to focus on
writing TV scripts.
Additional
Gallagher Facts:
·
He was ranked number 100 on Comedy Central's poll of the
100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.
·
He ran for governor of California during the 2003 recall
election, receiving over 5,000 votes.
·
In later years, Gallagher's act became more political and
right-wing, and his act began incorporating jokes and speech interpreted by
many as racist and homophobic.
·
In early 2011, Gallagher was a guest on Marc Maron's
popular WTF podcast, but walked out of the taping when Maron brought up
the accusations of racism and homophobia in the comedian's act.
·
He has a degree in chemical engineering from the
University of South Florida.
