A stand-up comedian, actor, writer and television host, Scottish native Craig Ferguson made a splash with American audiences as the gleefully maligned English boss Mr. Wick on the hit sitcom, “The Drew Carey Show” (ABC, 1995-2004). But Ferguson found his true voice in front of smaller late-night audiences after replacing Craig Kilborn on “The Late Late Show” (CBS, 2005- ), where his honest, self-effacing style of humor slowly but surely attracted a loyal audience. While other late night hosts like David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien publicly fought for attention and ratings, Ferguson quietly carved out his own space with his slashing wit, unscripted monologues and disarming personal candor. Over time, he developed a number of elements branded with laid-back humor, such as lip-syncing popular songs, incorporating a wide array of puppet characters into his opening monologue, and impersonating the likes of Sean Connery, Aquaman, and Queen Elizabeth II. In more serious moments on the show, he eulogized his dad the day after he passed and often made light of his struggles with alcohol addiction, which ended in the early 1990s. Meanwhile, Ferguson found little time to appear outside his show, though he did voiceover work for the animated films “How to Train Your Dragon” (2010) and “Winnie the Pooh” (2011). Though he did so quietly, Ferguson secured his place as a popular talk show host, giving audiences a good reason to say up even later. In April 2014, Ferguson announced that he was leaving late-night television to work on other projects.
