Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 17, 1962 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, writer, television presenter |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Known for | Host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005–2014) |
Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-American entertainer known for his multifaceted career as an actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He gained widespread recognition as the host of CBS's late-night program The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson from 2005 to 2014. His 2009 interview with South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu earned him a prestigious Peabody Award.
Following his departure from The Late Late Show in 2014, Ferguson went on to host the syndicated game show Celebrity Name Game between 2014 and 2017, for which he received two Daytime Emmy Awards. He also fronted Join or Die with Craig Ferguson on the History channel in 2016. In 2017, alongside his wife Megan Wallace Cunningham, he launched a six-episode web series titled Couple Thinkers. More recently, in 2021, he took on hosting duties for ABC's game show The Hustler. In August 2023, Ferguson debuted his podcast named JOY.
Ferguson's early career began in the United Kingdom, where he was involved in music, comedy, and theatre before relocating to the United States. There, he portrayed Nigel Wick on ABC’s sitcom The Drew Carey Show from 1996 to 2004. He is also an accomplished author with three published works: a novel titled Between the Bridge and the River, and two memoirs—American on Purpose (2009) and Riding the Elephant: A Memoir of Altercations, Humiliations, Hallucinations & Observations (2019). Holding dual citizenship, Ferguson is both British and American.
In addition to his television and literary ventures, Ferguson has written and starred in three films, directing one of them. His voice acting credits include roles such as Gobber in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise (2010–2019), Owl in the 2011 film Winnie the Pooh, and Lord Macintosh in Brave (2012).
Early life and education
Born on 17 May 1962 at Stobhill Hospital located in Glasgow’s Springburn area, Ferguson is the son of Robert (1930–2006), who worked for the post office and was a supporter of Scottish nationalism, and Janet (née Ingram) Ferguson (1933–2008), a primary school educator. When he was six months old, his family relocated from Springburn to a Development Corporation residence within Cumbernauld’s New Town—a move aimed at rehousing Glaswegians displaced by inadequate housing conditions and wartime destruction. Ferguson attended Muirfield Primary School followed by Cumbernauld High School. At age sixteen, he left secondary education to undertake an apprenticeship as an electronics technician at a local factory operated by the American firm Burroughs Corporation. He has three siblings: two sisters—one older and one younger—and an older brother. His younger sister, Lynn Ferguson Tweddle, is also active in entertainment as a comedian, presenter, and actress; she voiced Mac in the 2000 stop-motion feature Chicken Run and contributed writing for The Late Late Show until July 2011.
Ferguson’s initial trip to the United States occurred at age thirteen in 1975 when he visited an uncle residing on Long Island, near New York City. After moving to New York City in 1983, he worked various jobs including construction labor in Harlem and later as a nightclub bouncer at Save the Robots before returning to the UK.
British career
Ferguson's entry into entertainment began during his teenage years as a drummer for punk bands based in Glasgow such as Night Creatures and Exposure. He briefly joined the post-punk group Ana Hausen, releasing a single in 1981. Subsequently, he became part of The Bastards from Hell—later renamed Dreamboys—which featured future actor Peter Capaldi as frontman; they performed regularly across Glasgow between 1980 and 1982. Capaldi played a motivating role in encouraging Ferguson to explore comedy. At eighteen years old, Ferguson worked as a session drummer during Nico’s Scotland tour.
After an initially challenging debut in stand-up comedy, Ferguson developed the persona "Bing Hitler," a satirical take on patriotic Scottish folk singers that borrowed its name from Capaldi. This character first appeared in Glasgow and achieved notable success at the 1986 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. By the end of that year, Ferguson decided to retire Bing Hitler, acknowledging limitations in writing material for a single character indefinitely. A live recording featuring Bing Hitler was released during the 1980s alongside a monologue included on the compilation cassette Honey at the Core.
Following this breakthrough at Edinburgh, Ferguson appeared on television portraying 'Confidence' in Red Dwarf, participated in STV's Hogmanay broadcasts, and featured in the Christmas special of One Foot in the Grave (1993). In 1990, Granada Television produced a pilot entitled The Craig Ferguson Show, co-starring Paul Whitehouse and Helen Atkinson-Wood. Channel 4 later hosted him as presenter of Friday at the Dome, a live music program aired in 1991. BBC Scotland commissioned him for his own series called 2000 Not Out in 1992. The following year saw him presenting two six-part series: The Dirt Detective, focusing on archaeology for STV, and BBC One’s The Ferguson Theory, which blended stand-up comedy with sketch segments.
Ferguson also found success within musical theatre. Beginning in 1991, he portrayed Brad Majors in London’s production of The Rocky Horror Show. In 1994, he took on roles such as Father MacLean in Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom staged at London’s Union Chapel and Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple performed at Edinburgh Fringe.
After spending several years working stateside, Ferguson returned to British television with a guest appearance on BBC Scotland’s comedy series Still Game, which aired in 2018.
In 2022 it was announced that Ferguson’s film Saving Grace (2000) would be adapted into a West End stage musical scheduled for production in 2023. He is set to portray a "villainous banker" character within this adaptation by April De Angelis featuring music composed by KT Tunstall.
American career
Following encouragement from his future agent Rick Siegel after his appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Ferguson moved to Los Angeles in November 1994 to explore opportunities within the American entertainment industry. His initial U.S. television role was as Logan McDonough, a baker, on the short-lived 1995 ABC sitcom Maybe This Time, which featured Betty White and Marie Osmond.
Ferguson's significant breakthrough in the United States came with his portrayal of Mr. Wick, the employer on The Drew Carey Show (1996–2003). He adopted a distinctively refined English accent for this role to set it apart from typical Scottish characterizations. The character gained recognition for his unconventional methods of dismissal, notably the recurring gag of "firing Johnson." Ferguson maintained a recurring presence on the show until its conclusion in 2004.
While working on the series, Ferguson also wrote and starred in three films: The Big Tease, Saving Grace, and I'll Be There, the latter of which he directed. These films received Audience Awards at festivals in Aspen, Dallas, and Valencia, and he earned Best New Director honors at Napa Valley. Additionally, he penned several screenplays that were sold but never reached production.
His other film appearances include roles in Niagara Motel, Lenny the Wonder Dog, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Chain of Fools, Born Romantic, The Ugly Truth, and Kick-Ass. In voice acting, Ferguson contributed to the How to Train Your Dragon franchise as well as Brave and Winnie the Pooh.
From the late 2000s onward, Ferguson toured extensively across North America with his stand-up comedy performances, appearing at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in 2010 and Radio City Music Hall in 2012. He released two Comedy Central stand-up specials on DVD: A Wee Bit o' Revolution (2009) and Does This Need to Be Said? (2011). His third special, I'm Here to Help (2013), was distributed via Netflix, garnered critical acclaim, reached number six on Billboard’s top comedy albums chart, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album in 2014.
On 11 June 2013, Ferguson was honored with the Peter Ustinov Comedy Award at the Banff World Media Festival.
The Late Late Show
In December 2004, it was announced that Craig Ferguson would succeed Craig Kilborn as host of CBS's The Late Late Show, with his debut airing on 3 January 2005. The program distinguished itself by foregoing traditional human sidekicks; starting in 2010, it featured a robotic skeleton named Geoff Peterson, alongside two silent performers dressed as a pantomime horse. Ferguson’s monologues were delivered directly into the camera lens, fostering a more personal connection with viewers.
By 2007, the show averaged around 2.0 million viewers, trailing behind Late Night with Conan O'Brien, which attracted approximately 2.5 million. However, in April 2008, Ferguson's program briefly overtook Conan’s weekly ratings with 1.88 million viewers compared to 1.77 million. In March 2009, he also surpassed Jimmy Fallon, achieving a rating of 1.8 against Fallon's 1.6. Despite these successes, ratings declined by 2014 to an average audience of 1.35 million, falling behind Late Night with Seth Meyers, which drew 2.02 million viewers.
Ferguson announced on 28 April 2014 that he would exit The Late Late Show by year-end, with his final episode broadcast on 19 December. Although his contract was set to expire in June 2014, it was extended by six months to facilitate a smooth handover and provide CBS ample time to find a successor. Reports indicate he received approximately US$5 million as part of this contract extension after not being selected to replace David Letterman on the Late Show. CBS entertainment executive Nina Tassler commended Ferguson for delivering "tremendous energy, unique comedy, insightful interviews and heartfelt monologues" throughout his tenure.
CBS continued the show's legacy by appointing James Corden as Ferguson’s replacement.
Post–Late Late Show
In October 2013, Ferguson was revealed as the host of the syndicated game show Celebrity Name Game, created by Coquette Productions and launched in late 2014. Initially developed in 2011 as a CBS primetime pilot, the series received an initial order of 180 episodes by April 2014 and premiered on 22 September 2014. Ferguson earned Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host in both 2015 and 2016. The show concluded after three seasons in December 2016.
In 2015, Ferguson committed to star as Prentiss Porter in the ABC comedy pilot The King of 7B, which ultimately was not picked up for series.
On 18 February 2016, he began hosting Join or Die with Craig Ferguson, a historical talk show on the History channel. This program features Ferguson alongside a panel of comedians and historians who explore historical subjects with humor, while actively engaging viewers through social media platforms.
Between January 2021 and April 2022, Ferguson served as host of ABC’s game show The Hustler. The format involved five contestants accumulating a cash prize by answering trivia questions, with one participant covertly assigned as the Hustler who knows all the answers. The remaining players must identify the Hustler to prevent them from claiming the prize. The series premiered on 4 January 2021, ran for two seasons, and was cancelled in April 2022 after airing 19 episodes.
Other television work
Craig Ferguson has made guest appearances on a wide range of television programs such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Rachael Ray, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, The Howard Stern Show, The Daily Show, The View, and Real Time with Bill Maher. He also co-hosted Live with Regis & Kelly and guest-hosted the April Fools’ edition of The Price Is Right in 2014.
In 2009, Ferguson made a live-action cameo appearance on Family Guy. He hosted the 32nd annual People's Choice Awards in January 2006. From 2007 through 2010, he was the host of the nationally televised Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular held on July Fourth. In addition, he served as the featured entertainer at the 2008 White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
Ferguson co-presented the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama in 2008 alongside Brooke Shields. His voice acting credits include roles on shows such as American Dad!, Freakazoid!, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and Futurama. He has headlined stand-up comedy performances in venues across Las Vegas, New York City, and at Montreal’s Just for Laughs festival. In 2008, he recorded a Comedy Central special titled A Wee Bit o' Revolution, which aired in March 2009.
The British television comedy-drama series Doc Martin was inspired by a character from Ferguson’s film Saving Grace, with Ferguson credited as writer on twelve episodes. In November 2009, he appeared as himself in a special episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. In 2010, Ferguson hosted Discovery Channel’s twenty-third season of Shark Week, and he made a brief appearance in Toby Keith’s music video for "Red Solo Cup" in 2011.
In 2013, Ferguson guest-starred as a priest/tabloid journalist in the season finale of Hot in Cleveland and reprised this role during several episodes when the series returned in 2014.
In January 2023, Sony Pictures Television announced that Ferguson would host a new half-hour syndicated late-night talk show titled Channel Surf with Craig Ferguson. Produced by Whisper North and distributed by SPT, the pilot was filmed at Dock10 studios in the United Kingdom, with plans to present it to buyers in Los Angeles.
Radio
On 27 February 2017, Ferguson introduced The Craig Ferguson Show, a two-hour talk radio broadcast featured on the Comedy Greats channel as well as Faction Talk via SiriusXM Satellite Radio. The final episode of this program was broadcast on 11 May 2018.
Literature
Ferguson's debut novel, Between the Bridge and the River, was released on 10 April 2006. He acknowledged that its themes—including sex, violence, surreal dream sequences, and challenges to conventional beliefs—might surprise viewers familiar with his television persona. The book is dedicated to his older son, Milo, and his grandfather, Adam. Ferguson announced intentions to write a sequel called The Sphynx of the Mississippi, envisioning this novel as the initial installment of a trilogy. As of February 2019, no further novels have been published by him, though he has issued several non-fiction titles.
He entered into a publishing agreement with HarperCollins for his memoirs. Titled American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot, the memoir was published in the United States on 22 September 2009 and chronicles his path to becoming an American citizen alongside his transformation from punk musician and bouncer into a Hollywood actor and comedian. The audiobook adaptation received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2010.
In July 2009, novelist Jackie Collins appeared on The Late Late Show to promote her book Married Lovers, mentioning that one of the characters was inspired by Ferguson himself.
Ferguson also contributed a short story to the 2017 anthology In Sunlight or in Shadow (published by Pegasus Crime), edited by Lawrence Block, who has frequently appeared on Ferguson’s show. His third book, titled Riding the Elephant: A Memoir of Altercations, Humiliations, Hallucinations, and Observations, was published on 7 May 2019.
Personal life
Ferguson earned an FAA private pilot certificate in 2009. Since 2013, he has maintained a vegan lifestyle and is a recovering alcoholic who has remained sober since 1992.
During the early stages of his career, Ferguson resided in St John's Wood, London. He has been married three times and divorced twice. His initial marriage to Anne Hogarth (1983–1986) took place in New York. His second marriage was to Sascha Corwin, founder of Los Angeles’ SpySchool; together they have one child born in 2001 and co-parented while living close by in the Hollywood Hills. In 2008, he wed art dealer Megan Wallace-Cunningham in Vermont; they have a son born in 2011.
In his memoir American on Purpose, Ferguson recounts a five-year relationship with actress Helen Atkinson-Wood before attaining sobriety, crediting her with significantly improving both his health and professional life.
He acknowledges comedic influences such as Monty Python, Marx Brothers, The Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and David Letterman.
Ferguson has five tattoos; among them is the Join, or Die political cartoon inked on his right forearm symbolizing his American patriotism; a Ferguson family crest bearing the motto Dulcius ex asperis ("Sweeter out of difficulty") honoring his father; and a Celtic cross featuring the Ingram clan motto Magnanimus esto ("Be great of mind") as a tribute to his mother.
He obtained U.S. citizenship on 1 February 2008, sharing both the citizenship exam experience and swearing-in ceremony live on The Late Late Show. In 2011, he acquired Bargany House, an historic estate located in South Ayrshire, Scotland.
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Modern Vampires | Richard | |
| 1999 | The Big Tease | Crawford Mackenzie | Also credited as writer |
| 2000 | Chain of Fools | Melander Stevens | |
| Born Romantic | Frankie | ||
| Saving Grace | Matthew Stewart | Also credited as writer | |
| 2002 | Life Without Dick | Jared O'Reilly | |
| Prendimi l'anima (The Soul Keeper) | Richard Fraser | ||
| 2003 | I'll Be There | Paul Kerr | Also director and writer |
| 2004 | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | Person of Indeterminate Gender | |
| Lenny the Wonder Dog | Dr. Richard Wagner | ||
| 2005 | Niagara Motel | Phillie | |
| 2007 | Trust Me | Ted Truman | |
| 2009 | The Ugly Truth | Himself | Cameo appearance |
| 2010 | How to Train Your Dragon | Gobber (voice) | |
| Kick-Ass | Himself | Cameo appearance | |
| Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon | Gobber (voice) | Short film format | |
| 2011 | Gift of the Night Fury | Gobber (voice) | Short film format |
| Book of Dragons | Gobber (voice) | Short film format | |
| Winnie the Pooh | Owl (voice) | ||
| 2012 | Brave | Lord Macintosh (voice) | |
| Big Top Scooby-Doo! | Whitney Doubleday (voice) | Direct-to-video release | |
| 2014 | How to Train Your Dragon 2 | Gobber (voice) | |
| ' Craig, Not a Dalek (voice) | |||
| ' Nat (voice) |
Television
1988 || Red Dwarf || Lister's Confidence || Episode titled "Confidence and Paranoia" 1988 || Chelmsford 123 || Scott || Episode: "Peeled, Grapes, and Pedicures" 1988 || The Laughter Show || Various Characters || Episode: "2.4" 1991 || Friday Night at the Dome || Presenter || Live series on Channel 4 1992 || The Bogie Man || Detective Sergeant Ure || Television movie 1993 || One Foot in the Grave || Glaswegian beach bully || Episode titled "One foot in the Algarve" 1993 || The Dirt Detective: A History of Scotland || Himself as host || Six episodes total 1994 || The Ferguson Theory || Multiple roles || Five episodes; creator, writer, executive producer credits 1995–1996 || Maybe This Time || Logan McDonough || Appeared in 18 episodes 1995 || Aaahh!!! Real Monsters || Cammander, French Man, Weatherman (voice) || Episode: "Garbage Ahoy" 1995–1997 || Freakazoid! || Roddy MacStew (voice) || Featured in five episodes 1996–2004 || The Drew Carey Show || Nigel Wick || Appeared in 185 episodes 1996 || Almost Perfect || Peter Church || Episode: "Suites for the Sweet" 1998 || The Lionhearts || Various roles || Episode: "Survive" 1998 || Hercules || Agent Epsilon, Orion (voice) || Three episodes featured 1999 || The Wild Thornberrys|| Jope (voice) || Episode: "Dances with Dingoes" 2000|| Buzz Lightyear of Star Command|| NOS-4-A2 (voice)|| Five episodes 2001|| The Angry Beavers|| Wizard, TV Announcer(voice)|| Episode: "Beavemaster" 2001|| The Norm Show|| Rob|| Episode titled "Norm Comes Back" 2001|| The Legend of Tarzan|| Samuel T. Philander(voice)|| Four episodes 2005|| Life as We Know It|| Oliver Davies|| Episode titled "Papa Wheelie" 2005–2014|| ' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson '|| Himself as host|| Total of 2,058 episodes; also credited as writer 2005|| ' Vampire Bats '|| Fisherman|| Television movie 2006, 2019|| ' American Dad! '|| Evil Barry(voice)|| Two episodes 2008|| ' White House Correspondents' Dinner '|| Himself as host|| Television special event 2009|| ' Craig Ferguson: A Wee Bit o' Revolution '|| Himself|| Stand-up comedy special 2009|| ' Family Guy '|| Himself|| Episode titled "We Love You, Conrad" 2009|| ' SpongeBob SquarePants '|| Himself|| Episode: "SpongeBob's Truth or Square" 2010|| ' Futurama '|| Susan Boil(voice)|| Episode: "Attack of the Killer App" 2011|| ' Archer (2009 TV series) '|| Announcer(voice)|| Episode: "Jeu Monégasque" 2011|| ' Craig Ferguson: Does This Need to Be Said? '|| Himself|| Stand-up comedy special 2012|| ' Political Animals (miniseries) '|| Himself|| Pilot episode appearance 2013–2015|| ' Hot in Cleveland '|| Simon|| Seven episodes 2013|| ' Sean Saves the World '|| Andrew|| Episode titled "Of Moles and Men" 2013|| ' Craig Ferguson: I'm Here to Help'|| Himself|| Stand-up comedy special 2014|| ' The Price Is Right (U.S. game show) '|| Himself as host|| Episode themed "April Fools" 2014–2017|| ' Celebrity Name Game (American game show) '|| Himself as host|| Hosted 257 episodes; also served as executive producer 2014|| ' Web Therapy (TV series) '|| Ewan Clarke|| Appeared in two episodes 2015|| ' Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest'|| Himself|| Stand-up comedy special 2016|| '' Join or Die with Craig Ferguson ', Red Nose Day', Lip Sync Battle''', Craig Ferguson: Tickle Fight' 2018||| Still Game ||| Callum||| Episode titled "The Fall Guy" 2019||| Craig Ferguson Presents: Hobo Fabulous, How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming 2021||| The Hustler (American game show) 2022||| Alice's Wonderland Bakery, Love, Death & Robots || Doorknob(voice), Mason(voice) || Two episode guest roles 2024||| Craig Ferguson: I'm So Happy || Himself|| Stand-up comedy special| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host for all; creator and executive producer for Join or Die; guest on Lip Sync Battle; stand-up special for Tickle Fight |
22 episodes total; includes television specials and guest appearances | ||
| Himself, Gobber(voice) | Stand-up documentary series and television special respectively | ||
| Himself |
Podcasts
| Year | Title | Company | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–present | Joy, a Podcast. Hosted by Craig Ferguson | iHeartPodcasts | Host and presenter |
Radio
| Year | Title | Company | Role |
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Radio
| Year | Title | Company | Role |
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| Year | Title | Company | - | 2017–2018 | The Craig Ferguson Show | Sirius XM | }
Web
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