Biografia
Jeffrey Gurian’s comedy writing career took off in 1977 when Alan Zweibel of SNL fame discovered his videos and referred him to his manager. His next major break came when Rodney Dangerfield began performing his jokes on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
Since then, Jeffrey has collaborated with a wide range of performers, from legends like Milton Berle—his original sponsor at The Friars Club—and Jerry Lewis, to comedians such as Richard Belzer, the late Phil Hartman, Gilbert Gottfried, Joan Rivers, Pat Cooper, Pauly Shore, Dice Clay, George Wallace, and more recently Kevin Hart, Nick Kroll, and John Mulaney.
He holds the distinction of being the first person pranked with Too Much Tuna by Nick Kroll and John Mulaney on Comedy Central’s Kroll Show.
For two years, Jeffrey was a regular on Sirius XM’s Bennington Show, where he brought on celebrity guests like Trevor Noah, D.L. Hughley, Robert Smigel, Colin Quinn, Susie Essman, and Russell Peters, among others.
Paul Provenza, director of the acclaimed film *The Aristocrats*, wrote the foreword to Jeffrey’s first book, *Filthy, Funny, and Totally Offensive* (2007), which draws from his extensive experience writing for the famed Friars Roasts.
The book features favorite edgy jokes from over 250 stand-ups and celebrities across the entertainment world, including Drew Carey, Jason Alexander, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Adam Ferrara, Chris Elliott, Jeffrey Ross, Artie Lange, Lisa Lampanelli, Ice-T, *The Sopranos*, and many more.
Jeffrey’s work for the iconic Weekly World News led to his own column, “Gurian’s World of the Bizarre,” where he covered stories like “Tap Dancing For The Criminally Insane” and “Man Paints Replica of the Sistine Chapel With His Beard.” This inspired him to launch an animated short film news series produced by GNN (Gurian News Network), featuring “All The News That’s Fit To Dance To” with stories like “Man Robs Bank With His Chin,” “George Washington Wore Wooden Pants,” and “Man With Infant’s Head Sues For Discrimination.” These shorts were showcased at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in the Short Film Corner. GNN also produces brief, bizarre news segments tailored for radio stations.
Jeffrey has written two award-winning films: a feature titled *Face to Face* (also known as *Italian Ties*) and a short called *I Am Woody*. In 2021, he has two films in pre-production with producer Noel Ashman: a romantic comedy, *Baby and Max*, about an unlikely couple, and *Men of Violence*, his first non-comedy project, a gangster/martial arts film.
He has authored seven books, including *Make Em Laugh*, which accompanied his co-production of a documentary on the history of The Comic Strip, New York City’s longest-running comedy club, with owner Richie Tienken, who opened it in 1976.
Jeffrey has interviewed comedy legends such as Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Reiser, Billy Crystal, Lewis Black, Susie Essman, Colin Quinn, Gilbert Gottfried, Jim Breuer, Lisa Lampanelli, and Ray Romano. He has been a frequent guest on various radio shows—both comedic and serious— and has appeared on numerous TV news programs and networks thanks to his diverse career.
He created the comedy variety show *Uncle Nat’s Traveling Peep Show*, co-produced the 2004 Hamptons Comedy Festival as a fundraiser for Comedy Fights Cancer, and has written the national celebrity-focused entertainment column and vlog *Comedy Matters* since 1999. This insider’s look at the comedy world appears in *The Interrobang* and on YouTube as *Comedy Matters TV*, with over two million views.
In addition to his entertainment career, Jeffrey is a doctor and former professor at NYU’s Oral Medicine/Oro-Facial Pain Department. For the past twenty years, he has served on the board of The Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy. He lectures at energy psychology conferences, is an author, playwright, comedian, and developed a cure for stuttering, a condition he overcame himself. He now works with stutterers worldwide.
Jeffrey frequently appears on radio shows to discuss his energy healing techniques for treating stress-related illnesses and depression. Following the success of his last two Amazon bestseller books on happiness, he has become a motivational speaker and has led several online conferences during the pandemic.
A documentary about him, titled *Who The F*ck Is Jeffrey Gurian*, premiered in July 2020 and is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7tSiROK60A
He truly embodies the spirit of a Renaissance man.
