Billy Gardell Born on August 20, 1969, to the hard, blue collar steel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Billy Gardell would learn early that a strong sense of humor is not only a convenient weapon, but an absolute must for dealing with life in an unstable environment. As if being a die hard Steeler's fan wasn't enough for stress in the mid-eighties, Gardell suddenly found himself transplanted from the traditional "family first values" of Pennsylvania to the obscurity and blistering humidity of Central Florida, the product of a broken home. Struggling through his awkward teens, an overweight misfit, Billy took part time jobs to help his mother support his young brother and sister while simultaneously writing, directing and starring in a high school theater production entitled "Winter Park Live," where, among other things, he performed a "show-stopping" portrayal of Ralph Cramden, Captain of the Starship Enterprise. The piece was so well executed that one reviewer, a Gleason family member, commented that "Jackie would have been very proud." Billy's new addiction to live performance lead him down the path of stand-up comedy. The comedy club boom was in full swing making stage time accessible and Gardell was undeniably a natural talent. His bold honesty and over-whelming stage persona made him an instant hit with Florida audiences. By the summer of 1989, only two years into the business and still not old enough to legally drink alcohol, Billy Gardell was the most requested act among the regular patrons at Bonker's Comedy Club in Orlando. Word of this "Young Gun" from the South spread quickly through the comedy circuit and Billy followed his reputation down that relentless educator known as "The Road." While many comedians of the time were mulling over dictionaries and encyclopedias to make themselves seem more clever and educated, Gardell held true to his middle class, blue collar background and approached stand-up on a more personal level. He relied on his naturally cunning wit and straightforward philosophies to make audiences not only laugh incredibly hard, but even to stand and cheer his "down to earth" performances.