Alan Whitney Brown (born July 8, 1952) is an American comedian, writer and actor. He is best known for his tenure as a writer and cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live Brown has been nominated for an Emmy Award four times, winning once.

Early life

Brown was arrested for stealing cars and sent to a reformatory. He never finished high school. He had legal troubles in Toronto, Ontario and spent time in jail in Texas, where he learned to juggle. He followed the Grateful Dead tour as a Deadhead and began busking in San Francisco.

Career

Brown began his career as a street juggler, and he became a stand-up comedian after entering the 1977 San Francisco Comedy Competition. Early television appearances include Showtime's The Big Laff Off (1978), Late Night with David Letterman (1983), and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1986). He shared an office with Chris Farley.

He worked briefly for the liberal radio network Air America Radio during its start-up period in early 2004.

He also wrote the screenplay for an episode of HBO's horror anthology show Tales from the Crypt named "Collection Completed."

Personal life

On March 4, 2011, Brown married Carolyn Wonderland, a blues singer and guitarist, in Austin, Texas. The marriage was officiated by Michael Nesmith of The Monkees. Brown was previously married to Cynthia Swanson, a New York newspaper designer, from 1976 to 2011.

Works

  • The Big Picture: An American Commentary. HarperCollins, 1991.

References

  • A. Whitney Brown at C-SPAN.