Wayne Federman - Biography

Wayne Federman is a Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, and writer. Aside from headlining comedy clubs and colleges across the nation, he is a regular performer on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992). He recently taped his own 1/2 hour comedy special which will air on Comedy Central in August 2003.

Wayne is co-authoring the new authorized biography of basketball legend Peter Maravich and served as senior consultant on the Emmy award winning CBS documentary (Pistol Pete: The Life and Times of Pete Maravich (2001)).

Wayne Federman grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. and Plantation, Florida. Upon completion of high school, he headed north to New York University School of the Arts. There he studied acting with legendary coaches Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg. But it wasn't Strinberg or Ibsen that motivated Wayne, it was New York's comedy club scene and a few years after college Wayne was developing his act at Catch a Rising Star and the Comic Strip.

Wayne has also acted in scores of television commercials including national spots for Hertz ("not exactly"), Eagle Talon (with Greg Kinnear), U.S. Navy, McDonalds, Glad Bags, Total Raisin Bran, Ford Ranger, The U.S. Olympic Team, Sizzler, and 7-11. You may currently hear Wayne's voice on the Cartoon Network, Nick at Night, or the long running Florida Orange Juice campaign (the talking "ham and cheese" sandwich).

As a writer, Wayne has been published in Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, and contributed to the official Ronald Reagan presidential biography "Dutch" (Edmund Morris). He has written jokes for Politically Incorrect and advertising campaigns for Blue Cross/Blue Shield as well as the Milton Bradley game, Taboo. He has written speeches for film producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Internet browser inventor Marc Andreessen.