American comedian (born 1977)
Rob Delaney
Delaney in 2012
Born (1977-01-19 ) January 19, 1977 (age 47) Occupations Comedian actor writer activist Years active 2003–present Spouse Leah Delaney Children 4 Website
robdelaney .com
Rob Delaney (born January 19, 1977) is an American
comedian ,
actor ,
writer , and
activist . He was the co-star and co-writer of the TV show
Catastrophe , and has appeared in comedy films such as
Deadpool 2 (2018) and
Tom & Jerry (2021).
Early life
Delaney was born in
Boston, Massachusetts , on January 19, 1977, the son of Nancy and Robert Delaney. He grew up in
Marblehead, Massachusetts .
[1] He is of Irish descent.
[2] He attended
New York University 's
Tisch School of the Arts and graduated with a degree in musical theater in 1999.
[3]
Career
Delaney came to the attention of the public via
Twitter , where he began posting in 2009.
[4] By 2016, he had over 1.2 million followers. While other comics were hesitant to share their material on social media, he is considered one of the first comedians to use social media to publish jokes.
[5] He credited Irish comedy writer
Graham Linehan with his rise in popularity after Linehan began responding to his tweets.
[6] In 2010,
Paste magazine named Delaney one of the 10 funniest people on Twitter. In May 2012, he became the first comedian to win the award for "Funniest Person on Twitter" at
The Comedy Awards .
Writing
Delaney has written articles for
Vice
[9] and
The Guardian .
[10] His book Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage. was published by
Spiegel & Grau in November 2013.
[11]
[12] His memoir A Heart That Works, about the loss of his two-and-a-half-year-old son Henry to brain cancer, was published by Spiegel & Grau in 2022.
[13]
Acting
Television
Delaney and
Sharon Horgan being interviewed about
Catastrophe in 2015
In December 2011,
Comedy Central announced that Delaney would shoot a pilot for a variety show, called @RobDelaney .
[14] However, the series was not picked up. Instead, Delaney moved on to co-write and co-star with
Sharon Horgan in
Catastrophe ,
[15] that began airing in the UK on January 19, 2015, on Channel 4. The show follows their characters after they get together following a brief affair while he is in the UK on business, and then moves there permanently after he learns that she has become pregnant.
[16] It debuted in the United States on
Amazon in June 2015.
[17] The program ended after four seasons.
[18]
Channel 4 aired the concluding episode on February 12, 2019, while
Amazon announced the US release date to be March 15 of the same year.
[19] The series earned him his sole
Emmy nomination, for "Outstanding Comedy Writing".
[20]
Since moving to the UK in 2014,
[21] Delaney has appeared on several British panel shows, including
Have I Got News for You ,
[22]
Would I Lie to You? ,
[23]
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown ,
[24]
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year
[25] and
Room 101 .
[26] In 2016, he appeared on
Travel Man as a guest host for the Spanish city of
Seville ,
[27] and in March 2021, he was the guest announcer on
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway .
[28]
Film
In the film
Deadpool 2 (2018), Delaney played Peter, an average middle-aged man who has no superpowers and joins Deadpool's
X-Force .
[29] As part of the film's promotion, a Twitter account was launched in Peter's name.
[30]
[31]
Throughout 2019, Delaney had a series of cameos in Hollywood blockbuster films. He reteamed with director
David Leitch and actor
Dwayne Johnson for
Hobbs & Shaw , in which he appeared as Agent Loeb.
[32] He appeared as a theater director in
Paul Feig 's comedy-drama
Last Christmas .
[33] Both movies went to No. 1 at the UK box office.
[34]
[35] He also appeared opposite
Anne Hathaway in
The Hustle as Todd and the Fox News drama
Bombshell co-starring
Charlize Theron .
[36] He filmed a cameo as
Elvis Presley in
Dexter Fletcher's
Elton John musical biopic
Rocketman , which was omitted from the theatrical cut.
[37] It was also reported that he would appear opposite Reynolds another time, in
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu .
[38] However, he did not appear in the final film. In September 2019 he was cast in
The Good House opposite
Sigourney Weaver and
Kevin Kline .
[39]
Personal life
Delaney resides in London with his wife Leah;
[40] they have had four sons together.
[41]
[42] In February 2018, Delaney revealed that their two-and-a-half-year-old son had died the previous month, having received extensive treatment for a
brain tumor since 2016.
[43]
[44] The couple's fourth son was born in August 2018.
[45]
[46] In 2020 he wrote about getting a
vasectomy .
[47]
Delaney has publicly shared his experience with multiple health concerns, including
depression and
alcoholism .
[48]
[49] In 2002, he blacked out while driving and drove into a building owned by the
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power . In the wreck, he broke his left wrist and right arm, and had both of his knees scratched to the bone. This prompted him to
stop drinking .
[50]
In 2018, Delaney became the first presenter on the
CBeebies Bed Time Stories programme to tell a story in
Makaton , which he used to communicate with his late son Henry.
[52]
On
Sara Cox 's show
Between the Covers , Delaney chose the short story collection A Manual for Cleaning Women by
Lucia Berlin as one of his favorite books.
[53]
Delaney is an
atheist .
[54]
Political views
In June 2017 he endorsed the
Labour Party in the
2017 general election , despite being unable to vote as a non-UK citizen (but longtime resident).
[55] In November 2018, he supported a petition organized by Labour campaign group
Momentum calling on Labour MPs to vote against the EU withdrawal agreement which had been negotiated by
Theresa May's government .
[56]
In November 2019, Delaney joined other public figures in signing a letter supporting Labour Party leader
Jeremy Corbyn , describing him as "a beacon of hope in the struggle against emergent
far-right nationalism ,
xenophobia and
racism in much of the democratic world" and endorsed him in the
2019 UK general election .
[57] In December 2019, along with 42 other public figures, he signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party under Corbyn's leadership in the
2019 general election . The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few".
[58]
[59]
In 2016, Delaney became a member of the
Democratic Socialists of America .
[60]
[61]
[62]
Filmography
Key
†
Denotes works that have not yet been released
Film
Television
References
^
"How 'funniest person on Twitter' Rob Delaney revived the TV romcom – The Boston Globe" . Boston Globe .
Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016 .
^
"Irish American Bostonian Rob Delaney named the 'Funniest Person on Twitter' " . IrishCentral.com . May 7, 2012.
Archived from the original on January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019 .
^ Delaney, Rob (November 5, 2013).
"Rob Delaney: A Beautiful, Shimmering Red Flag" . Esquire .
Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014 .
^ Friar, Christine (April 27, 2012).
"Rob Delaney Talks Abortion, Comedy And That Famous Green Speedo With 'Vice' " .
HuffPost .
Archived from the original on April 30, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012 .
^
"Rob Delaney, From Free Twitter Jokes to Comedic Stardom" . #TheLabNYC . June 19, 2013. Archived from
the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014 .
^ Holt, Kris (July 4, 2012).
"Rob Delaney to The Daily Dot: 'I had to be good at Twitter' " . The Daily Dot .
Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014 .
^
"Articles by Rob Delaney" .
Vice Magazine .
Archived from the original on April 17, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012 .
^
"Rob Delaney Profile" . The Guardian .
Archived from the original on December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014 .
^ Gilbert, Matthew (November 16, 2013).
"Book Review: Rob Delaney by Rob Delaney" . Boston Globe .
Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017 .
^ Ryan, Kyle (November 4, 2013).
"Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage" .
The A.V. Club .
Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013 .
^ Gachman, Dina (November 12, 2022).
"Rob Delaney Wants You to Know How He's Feeling (It May Ruin Your Day)" . The New York Times .
^
"Comedy Central preps Twitter show" . c21media.net . December 8, 2011.
Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011 .
^
"Catastrophe a new C4 comedy created by Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan" (Press release). Channel 4.
Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2014 .
^
"Star Wars' Carrie Fisher in new Sharon Horgan comedy Catastrophe – first look" . Radio Times . 2015.
Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2015 .
^
" 'Catastrophe' renewed for seasons 3 and 4" . Entertainment Weekly's EW.com .
Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016 .
^
"Sharon Horgan teases Carrie Fisher tribute and emotional ending in final ever episode of Catastrophe" . Radio Times .
Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
^ Wright, Megh (February 12, 2019).
"Catastrophe Returns to the States for Its Final Season Next Month" . Vulture .
Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
^
"Rob Delaney" . Television Academy .
Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
^ O'Malley, Katie (January 20, 2017).
"Catastrophe's Rob Delaney Explains The Differences Between US And British Healthcare And It's Blummin' Brilliant" . ELLE .
Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021 .
^
"Have I Got News for You – Episode 6" . www.bbc.co.uk .
Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2021 .
^
"Would I Lie to You?" . TVGuide.com .
Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2021 .
^
"8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown – S7 – Episode 1" . Radio Times .
Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2021 .
^
"Big Fat Quiz of the Year sparks backlash for booking no female comedians" . Metro . December 18, 2020.
Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021 .
^
"Room 101 – Series 6 Episode 7" . www.bbc.co.uk .
Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2021 .
^
"Travel Man: 48 Hours in Seville review – Richard Ayoade reigns in Spain" . the Guardian . March 26, 2016.
Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021 .
^ Seddon, Dan (March 6, 2021).
"Deadpool 2's Rob Delaney shocks Takeaway fans with Dirty Dancing confession" . Digital Spy .
Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021 .
^
Deadpool 2, IMDb, Full Credits Cast List
Archived August 2, 2019, at the
Wayback Machine retrieved August 2, 2019.
^
"Peter W. (@PeterW_1974) on Twitter" . Twitter .
Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018 .
^
" 'Deadpool 2': Standout Character Has His Own (Dad) Twitter Account" . The Hollywood Reporter . April 19, 2018.
^
Hobbs & Shaw, IMDb, Full Credits Cast List
Archived November 12, 2020, at the
Wayback Machine retrieved August 2, 2019.
^ Myers, Kimber.
" 'Last Christmas' Is A Bad Holiday Rom-Com That Squanders Its Dazzling Stars [Review]" . theplaylist.net . The Playlist.
Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019 .
^ Gant, Charles (August 6, 2019).
"UK box office report, August 2–4: are Hobbs & Shaw fast enough for The Lion King?" . The Telegraph .
Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2019 .
^ Dalton, Ben (November 18, 2019).
" 'Last Christmas' ends 'Joker' UK box office reign with £2.6m debut" . www.screendaily.com . Screen Daily.
Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019 .
^
"Roger Ailes Biopic Adds Deadpool 2's Rob Delaney to Cast" . comingsoon.net . Coming Soon. December 6, 2018.
Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2019 .
^ Clarke, Patrick (June 18, 2019).
"Rob Delaney reveals he was meant to play Elvis in 'Rocketman' " .
NME .
Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2019 .
^ Allen, Ben.
"Rob Delaney confirms he WILL star in Pokemon: Detective Pikachu alongside Ryan Reynolds" .
Radio Times .
Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019 .
^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 8, 2019).
"Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Beverly D'Angelo & More Move Into Amblin Partners' 'The Good House' " . deadline.com . Deadline.
Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2019 .
^
Delaney, Rob [@robdelaney] (August 22, 2014).
"@markhoppus Hi Mark, I live in London now if you ever need a place to stay or just want to talk" (
Tweet ).
Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via
Twitter .
^ North, Kyle (November 5, 2013).
"Rob Delaney explains why Phoebe Gloeckner's A Child's Life is "the North Star" " .
The A.V. Club .
The Onion .
Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014 .
^
Delaney, Rob [@robdelaney] (May 7, 2015).
"UK • Can you share this tweet with your grandfather & any stupid cousins? http://t.co/cqp7jFfrAF" (
Tweet ).
Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via
Twitter .
^
"Rob Delaney announces death of two-year-old son from cancer" .
The Guardian . February 10, 2018.
Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2022 .
^ VanHoose, Benjamin (December 8, 2020).
"Rob Delaney on Death of Son Henry, Nearly 3 Years Later" .
People .
Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022 .
^
"Rob Delaney reveals birth of fourth child months after son's death" . The Guardian . December 30, 2018.
Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019 .
^ DeSantis, Rachel (March 5, 2019).
"Rob Delaney Feared He Wouldn't 'Bond' with His New Baby After His 2½-Year-Old Son's Death" . People .
Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019 .
^ Delaney, Rob (August 12, 2020).
" 'Could I feel what they were doing? Yes': Rob Delaney on the pain and pleasure of his vasectomy" . The Guardian .
Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020 .
^
On Depression & Getting Help
Archived May 13, 2012, at the
Wayback Machine . Robdelaney.tumblr.com (February 26, 2010). Retrieved 22 May 2012.
^ Delaney, Rob (October 1, 2010).
"Comedy" . Vice .
Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014 .
^ Delaney, Rob (2011).
"Take a Stroll... With Rob Delaney: Helping You, Helping Me" .
Vice .
Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
^
"Delaney to read and sign CBeebies story" . BBC News . November 13, 2018.
Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018 .
^
"Between the Covers: Favourite reads from Vick Hope, Rob Delaney, Rick Stein and Rachel Parris" .
BBC . May 17, 2021.
Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021 .
^ Constant, Paul.
"Yes, a Bird Is an Animal" . The Stranger .
Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019 .
^ Milne, Oliver (June 8, 2017).
"Who are celebrities voting for in 2017 General Election? The A-Z of famous names supporting Labour, the Tories, the Lib Dems and Greens" .
Daily Mirror .
Archived from the original on June 8, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017 .
^ Ramiro, Joana (November 19, 2018).
"This comedy star just supported a Momentum petition to bring down May's Brexit deal" .
Left Foot Forward .
Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018 .
^ Neale, Matthew (November 16, 2019).
"Exclusive: New letter supporting Jeremy Corbyn signed by Roger Waters, Robert Del Naja and more" .
NME .
Archived from the original on November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019 .
^
"Vote for hope and a decent future" .
The Guardian . December 3, 2019.
Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019 .
^ Proctor, Kate (December 3, 2019).
"Coogan and Klein lead cultural figures backing Corbyn and Labour" .
The Guardian .
Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2019 .
^ Baker, Peter C. (November 25, 2022).
"There's Nothing Decorous About Rob Delaney's Grief" . The New Yorker .
^
Delaney, Rob [@robdelaney] (April 9, 2020).
"I'm a lifetime member of DSA & have been for 4 yrs now but I just made this fun badge & so can you! https://t.co/iQybEGsYvC https://t.co/OW0DfCtd8G https://t.co/dzhejyor1V" (
Tweet ).
Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via
Twitter .
^
Delaney, Rob [@robdelaney] (September 22, 2020).
"I am a Democratic Socialist & I'm working hard to recruit your nieces & nephews.🌈 https://t.co/p7TRuCLkwA" (
Tweet ).
Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via
Twitter .
^ Clarke, Patrick (June 18, 2019).
"Rob Delaney reveals he was meant to play Elvis in 'Rocketman' " . NME .
Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2019 .
^
"Rob Delaney's role cut from Rocketman after actor permanently dyed hair black" . Metro . June 16, 2019.
Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2019 .
^ Dick, Jeremy (May 23, 2023).
"Deadpool 3 Officially Starts Filming" .
MovieWeb .
Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023 .
^
"Invincible Season 2: Release Date, Trailer, Cast & More" . Retrieved September 11, 2023 .
External links
Julia Davis (2005)
Jesse Armstrong and
Sam Bain (2006)
Caroline Aherne ,
Craig Cash and
Phil Mealey (2007)
Graham Linehan (2008)
Jesse Armstrong and
Sam Bain (2009)
Damon Beesley and
Iain Morris (2010)
Jo Brand ,
Vicki Pepperdine and
Joanna Scanlan (2011)
Jesse Armstrong and
Sam Bain (2012)
Simon Blackwell , Rob Colley,
Roger Drew , Dan Gaster,
Sean Gray ,
Armando Iannucci ,
Ian Martin ,
Georgia Pritchett ,
David Quantick ,
Tony Roche and
Will Smith (2013)
Tom Basden ,
Mathew Baynton and
James Corden (2014)
Harry Enfield ,
Charlie Higson and
Paul Whitehouse (2015)
Rob Delaney and
Sharon Horgan (2016)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (2017)
Charlie Cooper and
Daisy May Cooper (2018)
Stefan Golaszewski (2019)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (2020)
Mae Martin and Joe Hampson (2021)
Nida Manzoor (2022)
Lisa McGee (2023)