At Alfred he joined the college's acting company and graduated in 1962 with a BA in Political Science and History. But the acting bug hit hard and Robert's drama professor convinced Ben Klein that his son should pursue an acting career. Yale Drama School beckoned and Klein was on his way.

He finished a year at Yale, followed by summer stock. The following fall, in order to earn a living while paying his dues at New York City clubs like The Original Improvisation, The Bitter End and Cafe Wha?, Klein took a job as a substitute teacher.

In March of 1965 he auditioned for the famous Chicago "Second City," became a member of the troupe and there spent the single most important year of his career. When Klein returned to New York as a seasoned member of "Second City," he was seen by producer Mike Nichols and chosen for a role in the Broadway musical "Apple Tree."

Soon after that, Klein was cast in two more Broadway productions, "Morning, Noon and Night" and "New Faces of 1968." In 1970 he starred in "Comedy Tonight," the CBS summer replacement for Glen Campbell's show. Klein and the show were highly acclaimed, and it was becoming very clear that Robert Klein was here to stay.

In 1973 he released his first album, "Child of the Fifties," an ingenious collection of material, which brought him to the attention of a vast audience and won him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Comedy Album of the Year. Two more albums followed, including "Mind Over Matter," also nominated for a Grammy, and "New Teeth." Klein's most recent album, "Let's Not Make Love," was released in 1990. In conjunction with that release, he filmed a music video of the title track, hilariously depicting his quest for love in the safe-sex '90s as only Klein can. For the video he tapped Geraldo Rivera, Joan Rivers, Maury Povich, Capt. Lou Albano, Joe Franklin, Lisa Sliwa, Vitas Gerulaitus, Bob Costas and Marv Albert for cameo appearances.

Probably no single event is more indicative of Klein's success than his first sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall in 1973, "The First Annual Robert Klein Reunion." For nearly two hours he knocked out his audience with his high-energy comedy and comment. The critics raved, and Klein affirmed his place as a major personality in contemporary entertainment and as an influence on a whole generation of comedians.

In 1979 he returned to Broadway in grand style with a Tony nomination for Best Actor and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his performance in the hit musical "They're Playing Our Song." While "They're Playing Our Song" was running in New York, Klein began hosting "The Robert Klein Radio Show," an internationally syndicated comedy-rock show taped before a live audience, which ran for two years.

In 1993 he starred in Wendy Wasserstein's "The Sisters Rosensweig," with Madeline Kahn and Jane Alexander, in which he won both an Obie Award For Performance and The Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor.

On television Klein has been a regular guest on "The Tonight Show" for over 20 years and has guest-hosted the show on numerous occasions. He also appears regularly on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." Klein also hosted "Saturday Night Live" twice and starred in the first infamous "Cheeseburger" sketch with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. He starred in the television movies "Summer Switch," "This Wife For Hire," "Poison Ivy, "Your Place or Mine?," "Table Settings" and "Pajama Tops." In 1984 NBC's "Bloopers and Practical Jokes" sent him onto the streets of New York for weekly segments, exploring the country's most exciting city in the inimitable Klein style. He had a recurring role on "Sisters" and has also guest starred on such series as "The New Twilight Zone," "Murder She Wrote," "Midnight Caller," "Frasier," "Phenom," "Law and Order," "Grace Under Fire," "Mad About You" and "King of Queens." His 1988 episode of "Family Ties" was nominated for an Emmy Award.

Klein has hosted numerous television shows, including "Dead Comics Society," "Robert Klein Time," his own weekly talk/variety/comedy show which was nominated for seven Ace Awards, "Arts and Entertainment Review," "E! Stand-Up Sit-Down Comedy" and "New Joke City." In 1975 Klein was the first comedian to appear in a live concert on the precedent-setting Home Box Office "On Location" series, and he has done seven one-man shows since for HBO. His 1982 show, "Robert Klein at Yale," has been added to the permanent collection of The Museum of Broadcasting.

Klein's motion picture credits include "Hooper," "The Owl and the Pussycat," "Rivals," "The Landlord," "The Bell Jar," "Nobody's Perfekt," "Dangerous Curves," "Tales From The Darkside: The Movie," "Radioland Murders," "Mixed Nuts," "Jeffrey," "One Fine Day," "Suits," "Next Stop Wonderland," "Primary Colors," "Goosed" and "Labor Pains." He will be also be seen in the upcoming "Safety of Objects" and "People I Know" with Al Pacino.

Klein is currently writing a book for Simon and Shuster.

When not making a movie, filming a one-man concert, performing on Broadway, at the White House or hosting a television show, Klein relaxes by regularly traveling the country and appearing at hundreds of colleges, universities and theatres, or in Atlantic City performing his comedy to sold-out houses.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Hometown: Bronx, NY
Birthdate: February 8

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