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{{short description|American stand-up comedian}}

[[Image:Dave Attell, USAF crop.jpg|thumb|right|Dave Attell]]

{{use mdy dates|date=December 2013}}

'''Dave Attell''' (born [[January 18]], [[1965]]) is a popular [[United States|American]] [[stand-up comedy|stand-up]] [[comedian]] and host of [[Comedy Central]]'s [[Insomniac with Dave Attell]]. Attell has been called "one of the most original voices of his generation". He is originally from [[Rockville Centre, New York|Rockville Centre]], [[New York]] and now lives in [[New York City]].

{{Infobox comedian

| name = Dave Attell

| image = Dave Attell 2009.jpg

| caption = Attell in 2009

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|01|18}}

| birth_place = [[New York City]], New York, U.S.

| years_active = 1988–present

| medium = Stand-up, television, film

| death_date =

| death_place =

| genre = {{hlist|[[Blue comedy]]|[[insult comedy]]|[[black comedy]]}}

| subject = {{hlist|[[Culture of the United States|American culture]]|[[news|current events]]|[[everyday life]]|[[recreational drug use|drug use]]|[[self-deprecation]]| [[sex]]|[[religion]]}}

| notable_works = ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''<br>(writer, 1993–1994)<br>''[[The Jon Stewart Show]]''<br>(writer, 1993–1995)<br>The Ugly American on ''[[The Daily Show]]''<br>''[[Insomniac with Dave Attell]]''<br>''[[The Gong Show with Dave Attell]]''<br>Frank in ''[[Pootie Tang]]''<br>''[[Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attell]]''<br>''[[Everybody Loves Raymond]]''

| spouse =

| parents =

| children =

}}

'''David Attell''' (born January 18, 1965)<ref>{{cite web |last=Rose |first=Mike |date=January 18, 2023|title=Today's famous birthdays list for January 18, 2023 includes celebrities Kevin Costner, Dave Bautista|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2023/01/todays-famous-birthdays-list-for-january-18-2023-includes-celebrities-kevin-costner-dave-bautista.html |access-date=January 18, 2023 |website=[[Cleveland.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/20/arts/television/dave-attell.html|title=Dave Attell Is Our Greatest Club Comic (Says the Writer He Made Fun Of)|first=Jason|last= Zinoman|date=March 20, 2019|access-date=April 14, 2020|newspaper= [[The New York Times]]|quote=...Attell, 54...}}</ref> is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of [[Comedy Central]]'s ''[[Insomniac with Dave Attell]].''<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|url=http://tv.nytimes.com/show/156702/Insomniac-With-Dave-Attell/overview|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Insomniac with Dave Attell}}</ref>

==Stand-UpEarly beginninglife==

Attell was born in the New York City borough of [[Queens]] to a [[Jewish]] family.<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124438/https://www.macombdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-dave-attell-stands-up-at-comedy-castle/article_fccaa96a-c0f5-511b-8d9f-82c220ef675c.html|date=November 4, 2014|archivedate=February 9, 2019|url=https://www.macombdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-dave-attell-stands-up-at-comedy-castle/article_fccaa96a-c0f5-511b-8d9f-82c220ef675c.html|title=Comedian Dave Attell stands up at Comedy Castle|work=[[The Macomb Daily]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/judaism/2009/02/jewish-comedians.aspx?p=15|title=Top Living Jewish Comedians|author=Elias, Jeremy|website=beliefnet.com|access-date=October 27, 2018}}</ref> He was raised in [[Rockville Centre]] on [[Long Island]].<ref name=nymag2003>{{cite magazine|url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/features/n_8743/|title=Comedy Schlub|first=Rob|last=Tannenbaum|magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|date=June 2, 2003}}</ref> He graduated from [[South Side High School (Rockville Centre, New York)|South Side High School]].<ref name="Janette">{{cite news|last1=Pelligrini|first1=Janette|title=Taking to the stage|url=http://liherald.com/stories/Taking-to-the-stage,20723|access-date=February 20, 2019|newspaper=L.I. Herald|publisher=Richner Communications|___location=Long Island, New York|date=November 11, 2009|archive-date=February 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221000319/http://liherald.com/stories/Taking-to-the-stage,20723|url-status=live}}</ref>

Dave Attell's initial dive into stand-up comedy is attributed to his indecisiveness as to what he should do after college. In 1987 (the same year he graduated from [[New York University]] (NYU) with a degree in communications), like many other fledgling comedians, he worked normal jobs during the day and put in his time at comedy clubs at night. He worked his first gig at Governor's in Long Island and, according to Attell, "totally bombed". After years of finding his voice, he found himself being described as "the comedian's comedian". When working a club, the other comedians on the bill would come in to watch his act. While the audience didn't always follow his up-front delivery, fellow comedians were refreshed by his originality.

After graduating from [[New York University]] in 1987 with a degree in communications, Attell began performing at open-mic nights.<ref name=nymag2003 />

Attell's material is what one would consider "blue". His point-of-view is that of the everyman, yet slightly imbalanced. He has an affinity for the bizarre, such as midgets and odd sexual encounters (or odd sexual encounters with midgets, depending on which day you catch him).

==Career==

His delivery is punching. Like [[Mitch Hedberg]], his jokes are mostly one-liners, often sloppily delivered with too much force, making them that much funnier. For examples, see the ''"Quotes"'' section below.

Attell's first appearance on television was in 1988 on [[VH1]]'s ''[[Stand-Up Spotlight]],'' which also featured early appearances by [[Lewis Black]], [[Margaret Cho]], [[Jeff Garlin]], [[Jay Mohr]] and [[Wanda Sykes]].<ref name=PW>{{cite web|url=https://philadelphiaweekly.com/stand-up-comedian-dave-attell-suffers-no-fools/|work=[[Philadelphia Weekly]]|title=Stand-Up Comedian Dave Attell Suffers No Fools|author=Amarosi, A.D.|date=January 23, 2023}}</ref>

On November 23, 1993, he made his first appearance on ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]''. The appearance was seen by ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' creator [[Lorne Michaels]], who then recruited Attell to be a writer and occasional performer on ''SNL''. Attell can be seen behind [[Chris Farley]] during the "[[Rudy Giuliani]] Inauguration" sketch. Attell worked on the show for the 1993–94 season.

Attell is also notorious for comedically striking down hecklers to the point of embarrassment.

In 1995, Attell was featured on two [[HBO]] specials alongside up-and-comers [[Louis C.K.]] and [[Dave Chappelle]].<ref name=PW/> He was a featured performer on the 1995 ''Young Comedians Special'' hosted by [[Garry Shandling]]. He was given his own 60-minute special on the channel's ''HBO Comedy Showcase.'' Subsequently, Attell was also given an episode of ''[[HBO Comedy Half-Hour]]'' in 1997. Attell's first one-hour special, ''[[Dave Attell: Captain Miserable]]'' aired December 8, 2007, on HBO.

Attell dated comedienne [[Sarah Silverman]] for a time prior to both of their respective professional primes and major fame. She remarked on ''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'' when asked about the relationship that he was her first real boyfriend, saying among other things that he hadn't even smoked cigarettes before they started their relationship. A couple weeks later Dave confirmed that she introduced him to "his two favorite things, alcohol and smoking" and added his belief that "Sarah was out of his league and ended up leaving him."[http://www.marksfriggin.com/news03/5-12.htm][http://www.marksfriggin.com/news03/5-26.htm]

His comedy special ''[[Dave Attell: Road Work]]'' aired 2014 on [[Comedy Central]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Vulture.com]]|url=https://www.vulture.com/tags/dave-attell%3A-road-work/|date=April 11, 2014|title=Talking to Dave Attell About His New Comedy Central Standup Show and Special|author=Davidson, Phil}}</ref>

==Television==

Attell's first appearance on television was in 1988 on [[VH1]]'s [[Stand-Up Spotlight]], which also featured early appearances by [[Lewis Black]], [[Margaret Cho]], [[Jeff Garlin]], [[Jay Mohr]] and [[Wanda Sykes]]. The show was hosted by [[Rosie O'Donnell]].

In 1995 and 1997, Attell appeared on ''[[Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist]]''.

But perhaps his biggest break to date was achieved on November 23, 1993 when he made his debut on ''[[The Late Show with David Letterman]]''. The appearance was seen by [[Saturday Night Live]] creator [[Lorne Michaels]], who then recruited Attell to be a writer, and occasional performer, on ''SNL'' (you can see Attell behind [[Chris Farley]] during the famous "Rudy Giuliani Inauguration" sketch). Attell worked on the show for the '93-'94 season.

In 1999, the network issued Attell an installment in the [[List of Comedy Central Presents episodes|second season]] of ''[[Comedy Central Presents]]'' series. The same year the network signed him as a regular commentator to its satirical news series ''[[The Daily Show]]'', on which he appeared for three years. Attell's commentary segment was called "The Ugly American". He returned for the finale episode of host Jon Stewart's tenure.

In 1995, Attell was featured on two [[HBO]] specials: Alongside up-and-comers [[Louis C.K.]], [[Anthony Clark]], [[Eric Tunney]] and [[Dave Chappelle]], he was a featured performer on the 1995 ''[[Young Comedians Special]]'', hosted by [[Garry Shandling]]; and he was also given his own 60-minute special on the channel's "[[HBO Comedy Showcase]]". Subsequently, Attell was also given an episode of ''[[HBO Comedy Half-Hour]]'' in 1997.

In 2001, the television series ''[[Insomniac with Dave Attell]]'' premiered on Comedy Central. Attell described it as "''[[Wild On!|Wild on E!]]'' for Ugly People".<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|url=https://ew.com/article/2002/04/19/night-rider/|title=Night Rider|author=Wolk, Josh|date=April 19, 2002}}</ref>

Also in 1995, Attell appeared as Squiggly Dave on ''[[Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist]]'', kicking-off a long-standing relationship between Attell and [[Comedy Central]]. In 1999, the network issued Attell an installment in their ever-popular ''[[Comedy Central Presents]]'' series.

In 2003, Attell began appearing on ''[[Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn]]''. The show featured many of the performers he works with at the New York City comedy club the [[Comedy Cellar]] and is based on the conversations they would have off-stage at the Olive Tree Cafe, the restaurant above the club.

The same year, the network signed him on as a regular commentator on their satirical news show, ''[[The Daily Show]]''. When he arrived in 1999, the show was just finding its audience after the departure of brash host [[Craig Kilborn]] and the arrival of the more charmingly affable [[Jon Stewart]], an old friend of Attell's from the New York comedy circuit. The three-year stint was possibly the best thing that had ever happened to Attell's career, as it was the first time that he could address a massive audience on a regular basis (''The Daily Show'' has done much the same for comedians [[Stephen Colbert]], [[Steve Carell]], [[Lewis Black]] and many others). Attell's series of commentary on the show was called "The Ugly American".

Attell appeared on Comedy Central's ''Last Laugh'' in 2007. In 2008, Attell began hosting ''[[The Gong Show with Dave Attell]]'' for [[Comedy Central]]. Like the [[The Gong Show|1970s version]], the show had a rotating panel of celebrity judges grading unusual acts.<ref name="urlThe Gong Show with Dave Attell| Comedy Central">{{cite web|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/gong_show/index.jhtml|title=The Gong Show with Dave Attell|publisher=[[Comedy Central]]|access-date=July 14, 2008|archive-date=May 15, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515030951/http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/gong_show/index.jhtml|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="urlTV listings guide, TV shows, cable TV, satellite TV, TV schedules on Zap2it">{{cite web|url=http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCProgram.do?method=getDetail&pgmId=SH010647160000&sch=1216346400000&stn=10149&chn=16 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130210180722/http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCProgram.do?method=getDetail&pgmId=SH010647160000&sch=1216346400000&stn=10149&chn=16 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-02-10 |title=TV listings guide, TV shows, cable TV, satellite TV, TV schedules on Zap2it }}</ref><ref name="urlThe Gong Show With Dave Attell Will Premiere On Comedy Central| AHN| July 26, 2008">{{cite web |url=http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011487587 |title="The Gong Show With Dave Attell" Will Premiere on Comedy Central&#124; AHN&#124; July 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116021553/http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011487587 |archive-date=January 16, 2009 |df=mdy }}</ref>

In 2003, Attell began appearing semi-regularly on ''[[Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn]]''. The show featured many of the performers he works with every day at the (literally) underground comedy club the [[Comedy Cellar]] and is based on the conversations they would have off-stage at the Olive Tree Cafe, the restaurant above the club. A breath of fresh air to an industry of pre-packaged jokes, the show was completely unscripted and uninhibited. Much to the dismay of its cult following, the show was cancelled in November of 2004 due to poor ratings and controversial subject matter.

In May 2008, Attell announced a casting call on his MySpace page for Comedy Central's relaunch of ''The Gong Show''. Attell was host, along with Greg Fitzsimmons serving as head writer on the series. However, ''The Gong Show with Dave Attell'' aired only from July to September 2008.

Other notable television roles for Attell:

In January 2010, he co-hosted the [[AVN Awards]] show, along with porn actresses [[Kirsten Price (actress)|Kirsten Price]] and [[Kayden Kross]];<ref>{{cite magazine|url= http://business.avn.com/articles/37031.html|title= Dave Attell to Co-Host AVN Awards|access-date= December 24, 2009|author= Dan Miller|date= December 23, 2009|magazine= AVN|archive-date= December 26, 2009|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091226021012/http://business.avn.com/articles/37031.html|url-status= dead}}</ref> and again in 2012 with co-hostesses [[Sunny Leone]] and [[Bree Olson]].

*"Dave" in a couple of the early episodes of ''[[Everybody Loves Raymond]]''

*The voice of "Frank Demore" on ''[[Crank Yankers]]''

*"Motherboy XXX" on ''[[Arrested Development]]''

*"Brad Campbell" on ''[[Ed (TV series)|Ed]]''

Attell returned to television on Showtime beginning October 20, 2011, in ''[[Dave's Old Porn]]'', a TV series in which Attell views and jokes about retro 1970s and 1980s pornographic films with different guest comedians. Typically, during a given show, Attell and his guest view clips that give an overview of a particular retro porn star's career. Near the end of the show, that particular actor appears and also comments on clips from some of their films.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wetherbee|first=Brandon|title=Dave Attell, 'Dave's Old Porn' Host, Heads to the DC Improv|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/29/dave-attell-porn-dc-improv_n_2213303.html|work=[[HuffPost]]|access-date=April 27, 2013|date=November 29, 2012}}</ref>

Attell has also been on numerous talk shows, including ''The Late Show with David Letterman'', ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]'', ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'' and ''[[Last Call with Carson Daly]]''.

In April 2014, Comedy Central premiered ''[[Comedy Underground with Dave Attell]]'', a late-night stand-up comedy show taped live in New York.<ref>{{cite web|title=Comedy Underground with Dave Attell|url=https://www.cc.com/shows/comedy-underground-with-dave-attell|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403111847/http://www.cc.com/shows/comedy-underground-with-dave-attell|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 3, 2014|publisher=[[Comedy Central]]}}</ref>

==Film==

Attell played the roles of "Don" in ''[[Los Enchiladas!]]''. The film was written, produced and directed by his friend, comedian [[Mitch Hedberg]], and co-starred with Hedberg as well as fellow comedians [[Todd Barry]] and [[Marc Maron]].

In 2018, he toured with [[Jeff Ross]] on the Bumping Mics Tour.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Polk|first1=Leilan|title=Jeff Ross and Dave Attell Are Bringing Their Cranky Comedy to Seattle This Friday|url=https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2018/05/16/26188381/jeff-ross-and-dave-attell-are-bringing-their-cranky-comedy-to-seattle-this-friday|newspaper=The Stranger|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref> Over the last three days of the tour they taped a three-part documentary series, ''[[Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attell]]'' for [[Netflix]]. Interspersed footage showcases the duo's interactions both off-stage and on as they return to the [[Comedy Cellar]], where a spontaneous first performance marked the birth of their ensemble act.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/attheshore/headliners/ross-and-attell-to-bump-mics-and-drop-some-bombs/article_97164d16-b7be-55f2-bad7-07571e32708f.html|title=Ross and Attell to bump mics and drop bombs at Borgata|date=May 20, 2019|newspaper=[[The Press of Atlantic City]]|___location=New Jersey|access-date=June 30, 2019}}</ref>

In the short film ''[[The Office Party]]'', Attell once again played the role of "Don". The film co-starred ex-''[[Karate Kid]]''/Outsider [[Ralph Macchio]], [[Jon Stewart]], [[Carol Kane]] and [[Tate Donovan]]. The film was written and directed by ''Daily Show'' producer [[Chiara Edmands]].

In 2024, Attell released the Netflix comedy special ''[[Dave Attell: Hot Cross Buns]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://liherald.com/baldwin/stories/dave-attell-returns-with-new-netflix-special,207111|title=Dave Attell returns with new Netflix special|date=April 10, 2024|author=Offner, Daniel|website=Herald Community Newspapers}}</ref>

The cult hit ''[[Pootie Tang]]'' saw Attell as the bumbling corporate lackey, "Frank". The film was written and directed by fellow comedian [[Louis C.K.]]. It co-starred Lance Crouther, Wanda Sykes and Chris Rock among others.

==Personal life==

Attell also played "Efram the Driver" in the Independent feature ''[[My Suicidal Sweetheart]]'', written and directed by filmmaking newcomer Michael Parness. The film co-starred Natasha Lyonne, David Krumholtz, Tim Blake Nelson, Lorraine Bracco, David Paymer and Rosanna Arquette.

Attell has been sober since the late 2000s.<ref>{{cite episode|title=Episode 1522: Dave Attell|url=https://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1522-dave-attell|series=WTF with Marc Maron|series-link=WTF with Marc Maron|air-date=March 17, 2024|number=1522}}</ref>

==Filmography==

Though not a film, the video game ''[[Outlaw Golf 2]]'' featured the voice of Attell as the Color Commentator. He also had a recurring role on the 1st season of ''[[Everybody Loves Raymond]]'' as one of [[Ray Barone]]'s crude co-worker buddies.

=== Films ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Notes

!Ref.

|-

|1990

|''Caesar's Salad''

|Policeman

|Short film

|

|-

|1999

|''[[Los Enchiladas!]]''

|Don

|

|

|-

|2000

|''The Office Party''

|Don

|Short film

|

|-

|2001

|''[[Pootie Tang]]''

|Frank

|

|

|-

|2003

|''[[Abby Singer (film)|Abby Singer]]''

|

|Cameo

|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/abby-singer/cast/2000026502/|publisher=[[TV Guide]]|title=Abby Singer}}</ref>

|-

|2005

|''[[My Suicidal Sweetheart]]''

|Efram the driver

|

|

|-

|2006

|''[[Scary Movie 4]]''

|Knifeman

|Cameo

|<ref>{{cite web|title=Scary Movie 4|work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]|date=April 11, 2006 |url=https://www.timeout.com/movies/scary-movie-4}}</ref>

|-

|2007

|''Twisted Fortune''

|Abbot

|

|

|-

|2007

|''[[Heckler (film)|Heckler]]''

|Himself

|

|

|-

|2008

|''[[The Great Buck Howard]]''

|Las Vegas Husband

|Credited as David Attell

|

|-

|2008

|''[[Harold (film)|Harold]]''

|Barker

|

|<ref>{{cite web|title=Harold|date=September 16, 2008 |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10010011-harold}}</ref>

|-

|2009

|''[[Funny People]]''

|Himself

|Cameo

|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.firstshowing.net/2008/stand-up-comedian-cameos-in-funny-people-revealed/|title=Stand-Up Comedian Cameos in Funny People Revealed|author=Billington, Alex|date=December 17, 2008|website=FirstShowing.net}}</ref>

|-

|2010

|''[[Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo]]''

|The G.P.S.

|Voice, direct-to-video

|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/scooby-doo-abracadabra-doo/cast/2030287410/|publisher=TV Guide|title=Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo - Full Cast & Crew}}</ref>

|-

|2015

|''[[Trainwreck (film)|Trainwreck]]''

|Noam

|

|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/photo-gallery/37900529/image/37900532/Dave-Attell|publisher=[[PopSugar]]|title=13 Famous Comedians in Trainwreck — Besides Amy Schumer|date=July 23, 2015|author=Panos, Maggie}}</ref>

|-

| 2017

| ''[[Gilbert (film)|Gilbert]]''

| Himself

| Documentary film

|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/02/movies/wait-for-your-laugh-review-gilbert-gottfried-rose-marie.html|title=Review: In 'Wait for Your Laugh' and 'Gilbert,' Comedians Work HardReview|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 2, 2017|authorlink=Jason Zinoman|author=Zinoman, Jason}}</ref>

|-

|2018

|''[[I Feel Pretty (film)|I Feel Pretty]]''

|Really Tan Dude

|

|<ref>{{cite web|date=April 20, 2018|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-feel-pretty-2018|work=[[RogerEbert.com]]|author=Lemire, Christy|title=I Feel Pretty}}</ref>

|-

| 2025

| ''[[Kinda Pregnant]]''

| Shirley's Father

|

|

|}

=== Stand-up releases ===

==Insomniac with Dave Attell==

{| class="wikitable"

''[[Insomniac with Dave Attell]]'', Attel's television show. Described by Attell as "''[[Wild On E!]]'' for Ugly People", the show featured Attell walking the streets of the America's greatest (and some not-so-great) cities late at night, meeting the people in a haze of ecstatic inebriation. The show occasionally went overseas.

!Year

!Title

!Notes

|-

|1996

|''[[HBO Comedy Half-Hour]]''

|Special

|-

|1999

|''[[Comedy Central Presents]]''

|Special

|-

|2003

|''[[Skanks for the Memories... (album)|Skanks for the Memories...]]''

|Album

|-

|2005

|''[[Dave Attell: Hey, Your Mouth's Not Pregnant!]]''

|DVD

|-

|2006

|''[[Dave Attell's Insomniac Tour]]''

|Special

|-

|2007

|''[[Dave Attell: Captain Miserable]]''

|Special

|-

|2014

|''[[Dave Attell: Road Work]]''

|Special

|-

|2024

|''[[Dave Attell: Hot Cross Buns]]''

|Special

|}

=== Television ===

The American cities featured on the show were New York (4 times), San Francisco, Miami, Kansas City, New Orleans, Houston, Baltimore, Memphis, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Boise, Reno, Atlanta, Phoenix, Charleston (WV), Myrtle Beach, Portland, Albuquerque, Nashville, Anchorage, Cleveland, Little Rock, Oakland, Long Island, Columbus, Honolulu, Austin (2 times), Key West, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Notes

|-

|1988-1991

|''[[Stand-Up Spotlight]]''

|Himself

|

|-

|1995–1997

|''[[Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist]]''

|Dave

|Voice, 2 episodes

|-

|1996–1997

|''[[Everybody Loves Raymond]]''

|Dave

|2 episodes

|-

|2001–2004

|''[[Insomniac with Dave Attell]]''

|Himself

|44 episodes

|-

|2002

|''[[Crank Yankers]]''

|Frank Demore

|Voice, episode: "[[David Alan Grier]] & Dave Attell"

|-

|2003

|''[[Ed (TV series)|Ed]]''

|Brad Campbell

|Episode: "Business as Usual"

|-

|2005

|''[[Arrested Development]]''

|Himself

|2 episodes

|-

|2005

|''New Car Smell''

|Harry

|Television film

|-

|2008

|''[[The Gong Show with Dave Attell]]''

|Himself

|8 episodes

|-

|2011

|''[[Dave's Old Porn]]''

|Himself

|16 episodes

|-

|2013

|''[[Inside Amy Schumer]]''

|Ghost

|Episode: "Terrible People"

|-

|2014

|''[[Louie (American TV series)|Louie]]''

|Dave

|Episode: "So Did the Fat Lady"

|-

|2014

|''[[Comedy Underground with Dave Attell]]''

|Himself

|8 episodes

|-

|2014

|''[[TripTank]]''

|Dave Attell

|Voice, episode: "Roy & Ben's Day Off"

|-

|2014

|''Teachers Lounge''

|School Photographer

|

|-

|2015–2016

|''[[The Jim Gaffigan Show]]''

|Himself

|3 episodes

|-

|2017

|''[[Bob's Burgers]]''

|Scalper

|Voice, episode: "The Laser-inth"

|-

|2017

|''[[Difficult People]]''

|New York City

|Voice, episode: "Sweet Tea"

|-

|2017–2019

|''[[Crashing (American TV series)|Crashing]]''

|Himself

|3 episodes

|-

|2018

|''[[The Simpsons]]''

|Luke

|Voice, episode: "Bart's Not Dead"

|-

|2018

|''[[Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attell]]''

|Himself

|3 episodes

|-

|2024

|''[[Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024 TV series)|Mr. and Mrs. Smith]]''

|Kosher Food Mart Clerk

|1 episode

|}

=== Video games ===

The non-American cities featured on the show were Tijuiana, Montreal, Toronto, Dublin, London Amsterdam and specials that took place in Tokyo, Berlin, and Rio De Janeiro.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Notes

|-

|2004

|''[[Outlaw Golf|Outlaw Golf 2]]''

|Commentator

|

|-

|2009

|''[[Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust]]''

|Merv Wallski

|

|}

==References==

The most common activity (besides roaming the street aimlessly and visiting bars) was visiting workers on their night shifts. Instead of spending time with gas station attendants, he went searching for odd professions to highlight. Among them were crime-scene cleaners, bail bondsmen, cow-milkers, brothel-hookers, bicycle cops, coal miners and Porn overdubbers. Memorable episodes include a visit to Chicago's world-famous [[Weiner Circle]], where the staff routinely got in cursing matches with their customers, and a visit to a Phoenix nudist camp.

{{reflist}}

==External links==

Throughout the run of the show, Attell carried around a cheap disposable camera and took pictures of random events, which would be shown during the end-credits.

The future of the show is not known, but Attell has said that he decided to more-or-less end ''Insomniac'' because the show had gotten too popular to establish a level of spontaneity. As soon as he would walk into a bar with a camera crew, crowds would surround them, desperate to be on his television show. He has said, though, that people aren't so aware of his show overseas, so he would more than likely do a few specials in other countries.

==The Insomniac Tour & Insomniac Special==

[[Dave Attell's Insomniac Tour]] was a tour that travelled across the country. It directly followed the Comedy Central Tour that featured Attell and [[Lewis Black]]. ''The Insomniac Tour'' featured ''"Tough Crowd"'' alum [[Greg Giraldo]] and lesser-known comedian [[Sean Rouse]] as the tour regulars, while comedian [[Dane Cook]] closed select shows.

One show in Las Vegas was filmed and became a concert film. It featured Attell as the main comic/MC, Rouse, Giraldo, and a rousing 30-minute set from Cook.

==Present==

Dave can be seen touring occasionally. He is a mainstay on the New York comedy circuit and performs several times a week at the ''Comedy Cellar''.

{{cquote|''At last, an encyclopedia by potheads!''}}

<p align="right">''- '''Dave Attell on Wikipedia''', [[Caroline's]], New York, December 27, 2005''</p>

==Quotes==

{{wikiquote}}

{{commons category}}

<!-- READ THIS: Quotations are limited to the current three. The link to Wikiquote provides additional reading for those who need more. DO NOT ADD MORE QUOTES HERE. See Talk page for discussion. -->

*{{official website|http://www.daveattell.com}}

*{{IMDb name|40995}}

* I kinda have a weird look. I kinda have an Andre Agassi with a drinking problem kinda look. Not many ladies go for it, it's their loss, that's how I see it.

*[http://comedyhalloffame.com/archives/dave-attell/ Dave Attell at the Comedy Hall of Fame]

* Yeah, I know, some people are against drunk driving, and I call those people "the cops." But you know, sometimes, you've just got no choice; those kids gotta get to school.

* A security guard said to me I should look less threatening when I fly. Less threatening? What am I suppose to do? Walk around holding a balloon and a Hello Kitty lunchbox? 'I'm going on the fly-fly'.

<!-- READ THIS: Quotations are limited to the current three. The link to Wikiquote provides additional reading for those who need more. DO NOT ADD MORE QUOTES HERE. See Talk page for discussion. -->

==Discography/Videography==

*''[[Insomniac with Dave Attel|The Best of Insomniac Uncensored (Vol. 1)]]'' - DVD, 2003

*''[[Insomniac with Dave Attel|The Best of Insomniac Uncensored (Vol. 2)]]'' - DVD, 2003

*''[[Skanks for the Memories|Skanks For The Memories]]'' - CD, 2003

*''[[Hey, Your Mouth's Not Pregnant!]]'' - DVD, 2005

*''[[Dave Attell's Insomniac Tour]]'' - DVD, 2006

==External links==

* [http://www.daveattell.com/ Dave Attell's official website]

* [http://www.myspace.com/attell Dave Attell's MySpace site]

* {{imdb name|id=0040995|name=Dave Attell}}

* {{imdb title|id=0292805|title=Insomniac with Dave Attell}}

* [http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/insomniac_special/about.jhtml Dave Attell's Insomniac Tour]

* [http://www.usarps.com Dave Attell - Host of the USA Rock Paper Scissors League Championships]

* [http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/daveattell/ Playboy interview]

* [http://tsoya.blogspot.com/2006/07/podcast-two-sides-of-coin.html The Sound of Young America interview (July 2006)]

* [http://www.mpempire.com/daveattell.htm Modest Proposal interview (August 2003)]

* [http://www.thecomical.com/features/dave_attell_interview.html The Comical interview]

* [http://www.recoilmag.com/interviews/dave_attell_0505.html Recoil interview (May 2005)]

* [http://www.thewavemag.com/printarticle.php?articleid=22430 The Wave Magazine]

* [http://www.avclub.com/content/node/22494 The Onion (February 2003)]

* [http://podcast.971freefm.com/klsx1/10736.mp3 Adam Carolla Show, MP3 (June 18, 2004)]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:American comedians|Attell, Dave]]

[[Category:American stand-up comedians|Attell, Dave]]

[[Category:Arrested Development actors|Attell, Dave]]

[[Category:Saturday Night Live writers|Attell, Dave]]

[[Category:The Daily Show|Attell, Dave]]

[[Category:Jewish American comedians|Attell, Dave]]

[[Category:People from Long Island|Attell, Dave]]

[[Category:1965 births|Attell, Dave]]

[[Category:Living people|Attell, Dave]]

[[simple{{DEFAULTSORT:Dave Attell]], Dave}}

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[[Category:South Side High School (Rockville Centre) alumni]]