Years active 1996–present Website chrisdelia.com Nationality American | Relatives Matt D'Elia (brother) Height 1.91 m Parents Bill D'Elia, Ellie D'Elia | |
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Born March 29, 1980 (age 36) ( 1980-03-29 ) New Jersey, U.S. Other names Chank SmithRemington Tufflips Occupation Comedianactorwriterpresentercomedy singer Spouse Emily Montague (m. 2006–2010) Movies and TV shows Similar Emily Montague, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Brent Morin, Chris Pine Profiles | ||
Chris D'Elia (born March 29, 1980) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, presenter, writer, and comedy singer. He is known for playing Alex Miller on the NBC sitcom Whitney and for the role of Danny Burton on the sitcom Undateable, also on NBC.
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Early life
D'Elia was born in New Jersey, the son of TV producer and director Bill D'Elia, and interior decorator Ellie D'Elia (née Dombroski). He has a younger brother, filmmaker/actor Matt D'Elia. His father is first generation Italian-American. D'Elia grew up in New Jersey until he was 12 years old, when his family relocated to Los Angeles.
Career
D'Elia started acting in high school, did some guest starring parts on Chicago Hope. He went to New York University and studied acting but dropped out after a year because he didn't like college. He then got in a movie that went straight to DVD. During his downtime as an actor he started writing scripts. When he was 25 he decided to do standup, which is what he always wanted to do. D'Elia has been doing stand-up comedy since 2006. He considers himself to be a standup comedian who acts. D'Elia has been featured on Comedy Central's Live at Gotham and Comedy Central Presents as well as on Showtime's Live Nude Comedy. D'Elia was introduced to a broader audience as a regular on the series Glory Daze, which ran for one season on TBS, playing "the Oracle", William Stankowski. He was originally only cast for the pilot but they made him a series regular. He co-starred in the NBC comedy series Whitney, opposite comedian Whitney Cummings for two seasons. D'Elia was one of three hosts of the Ten Minute Podcast, along with Bryan Callen and Will Sasso.
In January 2013, D'Elia released a parody rap album as MC "Chank Smith," releasing a debut album called "Such Is Life" that was produced by Mr. Green. On December 6, 2013, D'Elia's first one-hour stand-up special, White Male Black Comic, aired on Comedy Central. It was directed by his father. In May 2014, D'Elia was cast in the lead role of the NBC sitcom Undateable, which premiered on May 29, 2014. Bill Lawrence is the executive producer. The show is a multi-camera sitcom with a live audience based on the book Undateable: 311 Things Guys Do That Guarantee They Won't Be Dating or Having Sex by Ellen Rakieten and Anne Coyle. The show often incorporates improv, with D'Elia playing Oscar to Brent Morin's straight-man Felix à la The Odd Couple. The cast of the show includes stand-up comics who were good friends before the show. In 2015 Bill Lawrence and the cast (D’Elia, Brent Morin, Ron Funches, and Rick Glassman) went on a series of stand-up tour dates to promote the show.
2016, Chris headlined the Leafly 420 Comedy Tour show in Chicago with special guest Ron Funches.
Personal life
D'Elia says he was raised Catholic. In a standup routine, he talked about how he recently attended a mass and joked about how creepy certain aspects of it are. In 2006, D'Elia was married to actress Emily Montague. They divorced in 2010. Despite the fact that his characters in Whitney (Alex Miller) and Undateable (Danny Burton) are both portrayed as frequent drinkers, D'Elia has never done drugs or consumed alcohol in his lifetime, besides communion wine. D'Elia lives in the Beachwood Canyon area of Los Angeles.
At the Chicago Leafly 420 show, D'Elia informed the audience he does not partake in cannabis use.
Influences
D'Elia cited Bryan Callen, Eddie Murphy, and Jim Carrey as major influences for his comedian career.
Discography
