# George Wallace (American comedian)

George Henry Wallace (born July 21, 1952) is an American comedian and actor. Wallace has had supporting roles in a number of films, including 3 Strikes (2000) and the Coen brothers film The Ladykillers (2004) as Sheriff Wyner. Wallace also appeared in Batman Forever (1995) as the Mayor of Gotham City. Other film credits include A Rage in Harlem (1991), The Wash (2001), Punchline (1988), Things Are Tough All Over (1982), and Mr. Deeds (2002).
Wallace made a brief appearance in the sitcom Scrubs in the episode "My Words of Wisdom" (2007), and in the sitcom Seinfeld in the episode "The Checks", where he played the doctor that was distracted by the song "Witchy Woman". He also appeared in the introduction scene to the home video release of Jerry Seinfeld: I'm Telling You for the Last Time - Live on Broadway (1999) as a fictionalized version of himself. He portrayed a man in a retirement home in The Last Laugh (2019) and starred as Mayor Benson in Hubie Halloween (2020).

## Early life and education

Wallace was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Mary Lou and George Wallace Sr. Wallace was educated at Lynwood Park Elementary School and Lynwood Park High School. His mother died when he was sixteen, prompting him to move to Ohio where he found a job with Firestone Tire. As part of the company's tuition reimbursement program, Wallace enrolled in the University of Akron, in Akron, Ohio. He studied transportation, marketing and advertising.

## Career

Upon graduating college, Wallace moved to New York City to pursue his childhood dream of being a comedian. Initially, success in comedy proved elusive and Wallace worked as a salesman for an advertising agency to pay the bills.
Wallace's break came when one of his clients opened a comedy club. The club owner was amused by Wallace's natural humor and friendly demeanor and offered him the chance to perform stand-up comedy. In 1977, Wallace walked on stage for the first time, wearing a preacher's robe and calling himself The Right Reverend Dr. George Wallace. His routine was completely improvised. He stayed in New York City for several years, perfecting his craft and living with friend and fellow comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
In 1978, Wallace moved to the West Coast, where he quickly became recognized as a talented young comedian. After one of his performances, producers from The Redd Foxx Show asked him to write for the popular series. However, after only one year of writing, Wallace returned to the stage. He became a regular at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, California, which also featured artists including Richard Pryor, Rodney Dangerfield, Roseanne Barr, Jay Leno and Robin Williams. Wallace also took his comedy show on the road, opening for George Benson, Diana Ross, Donna Summer and Smokey Robinson, among others.
Wallace was named the Best Male Standup Comedian during the 1995 American Comedy Awards. He has explained that his routines are inspired by everyday moments of life. His social commentary proved popular with radio audiences as well. Wallace was a regular on the Tom Joyner Morning Show before joining Isaac Hayes on a popular radio program on the former WRKS radio station in New York City. He also starred in his own HBO special and has appeared on many television shows, including The Tonight Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Late Night with David Letterman.
In December 2007, Wallace suffered an onstage injury when he fell during a private-party performance at the Bellagio resort hotel and casino in Las Vegas. He sued the Bellagio, claiming negligence after tripping over loose wires on stage. In April 2014, a Las Vegas jury found in favor of Wallace and awarded him $1.3 million.
After winning his case against the Bellagio, Wallace announced that he would end his 10-year run as a Las Vegas headliner to pursue other projects. "There are so many things to do. It's time to get into something new."

## Personal life

Wallace has had political ambitions. In 2006, he considered running for mayor of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. Wallace stated that as mayor, he would update the Las Vegas Strip, with an easy-to-use monorail, close the strip to vehicles, and expand the road system behind the Strip hotels.
He was the best man at comedian Jerry Seinfeld's wedding.
Wallace's brother, Steve Wallace, played professional football with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1982 | Things Are Tough All Over | The Champ |
| 1988 | Punchline | Man with Arm in Cast |
| 1989 | Bert Rigby, You're a Fool | Bartender |
| 1991 | A Rage in Harlem | Grave Digger |
| 1992 | Bebe's Kids | Card Player #4 (voice) |
| 1995 | Batman Forever | The Mayor |
| 1997 | Meet Wally Sparks | Bartender |
| 1999 | Catfish in Black Bean Sauce | James |
| 2000 | 3 Strikes | Mr. Douglas |
| 2000 | Little Nicky | Mayor Randolph |
| 2001 | The Wash | Mr. Washington |
| 2002 | Mr. Deeds | NAACP Administrator |
| 2004 | The Ladykillers | Sheriff Wyner |
| 2009 | Funny People | Himself |
| 2014 | Shirin in Love | Officer Henderson |
| 2014 | Think Like a Man Too | Randy the Dealer |
| 2016 | Jerico | Greg Parsons |
| 2017 | Grow House | Mark White |
| 2017 | Just Getting Started | Larry |
| 2018 | Nappily Ever After | Driver |
| 2019 | The Last Laugh | Johnny Sunshine |
| 2020 | Hubie Halloween | Mayor Benson |
| 2024 | Unfrosted | Lloyd |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | The Dom DeLuise Show | George Henry Wallace | Episode #1.1 |
| 1991 | The Sunday Comics | Himself | |
| 1993 | Tall Hopes | George Harris | Main cast |
| 1994 | In the Heat of the Night | Tommy Ammons | Episode: "Who Was Geli Bendl?" |
| 1995 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | George | Episode: "The Script Formerly Known As..." |
| 1996 | Seinfeld | Doctor | Episode: "The Checks" |
| 1996 | C-Bear and Jamal | Hawthorne Wingo | Recurring cast |
| 1996–2001 | Arliss | Various Roles | Guest cast (season 1 & 4 & 6) |
| 1997 | Mother Goose: A Rappin' and Rhymin' Special | Farmer (voice) | TV movie |
| 1997–99 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Farmer/Baba Mustafa | Guest cast (season 2-3) |
| 1998 | Jenny | Vet | Episode: "A Girl's Gotta Make Room for Daddy: Part 1" |
| 1998 | Moesha | Game Show Host | Episode: "A Terrible Thing Happened on My Tour of College" |
| 2002 | Santa Jr. | Norm Potter | TV movie |
| 2002–03 | The Parkers | Quincy DeJohn | Guest cast (season 3-4) |
| 2003 | Wanda at Large | Jimmy | Episode: "Back to the Club" |
| 2004 | Like Family | Bill, Tayna's Father | Episode: "Daddy Knows Best" |
| 2007 | Scrubs | Minister | Episode: "My Words of Wisdom" |
| 2007 | Tyler Perry's House of Payne | Jimmy | Episode: "Crazy In Love" |
| 2007 | Larry the Cable Guy's Christmas Spectacular | Wiseman | TV movie |
| 2011 | The Hot 10 | Himself | Episode #1.35 |
| 2011 | The Life & Times of Tim | Dante (voice) | Episode: "The Model from Newark/Tim's Hair Looks Amazing" |
| 2012 | Sullivan & Son | Leroy Williams | Episode: "Who's Your Daddy" |
| 2015 | The Soul Man | Clyde | Episode: "Who Let the Dog In?" |
| 2015 | Drunk History | Bill Russell | Episode: "Cleveland" |
| 2015 | Gigi Does It | Melvin Schlanger | Episode: "Eat Something" |
| 2015–18 | K.C. Undercover | Poppa Earl Cooper | Guest cast (season 1 & 3) |
| 2016 | Horace and Pete | George | Episode #1.10 |
| 2017 | Coming to the Stage | Himself | Episode: "Ross Everett & Kiran Deol" |
| 2017 | Detroiters | Freddie "Motown" Brown | Episode: "Devereux Wigs" |
| 2017 | Mann & Wife | Poppa Bo | Episode: "Come On, Mann!" |
| 2017–19 | Funny You Should Ask | Himself/Panelist | Recurring panelist |
| 2018 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ron Carter | Episode: "Guardian" |
| 2018–23 | Bob's Burgers | Mr. Huggins (voice) | Guest cast (season 8-10 & 14) |
| 2020 | Mike Tyson Mysteries | Leonard (voice) | Episode: "The Stein Way" |
| 2021 | The Premise | Principal Wallace | Episode: "The Ballad of Jesse Wheeler" |
| 2021–23 | Ten Year Old Tom | Nelson's Dad (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2022 | Atlanta | Greg | Episode: "Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga" |
| 2023 | History of the World, Part II | George Wallace | Episode: "V" |
| 2024 | Hacks | Himself | Episode: "Just for Laughs" |
| 2025 | Clean Slate | Harry Slate | Main role; also executive producer and creator |

### Podcasts

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Adam Sandler's Audio Skits | Skipper Jenkins | Season 3, episode 6: "The Champion" |