Dylan Moran

Birthday: 3 November 1971, Navan, Co. Meath, Ireland

Height: 180 cm

Irish comedian Dylan Moran was born in Navan, County Meath in 1971. Leaving school without any qualifications at age 16, Moran quickly became attracted to stand-up comedy and debuted, in 1992, at a comedy club in Dublin, The Comedy Cellar. A year later, he won the Channel Four comedy newcomer's "So You Think You're Funny" award at the Edinburgh Festival, and began developing his comedy routines into a one-man show, "Gurgling for Money", for which he won the prestigious Perrier Comedy Award in 1996, and which he subsequently took to a nationwide tour of the UK. His exposure at the Edinburgh Festival also led to him getting programmed at international stand-up comedy festivals, worldwide.Subsequently, Moran took to writing and performing for British television. He has starred in the BBC sitcom, How Do You Want Me? (1998), and - more importantly - in 2000, he was commissioned by Channel Four for the sitcom, Black Books (2000). He wrote and starred in three 6-episode series of this comedy. Co-starring popular British stand-up comedian Bill Bailey, who was nominated for the Perrier Award the year Moran won, Black Books (2000) sees Moran play a character close to his stand-up comedy persona: an unsociable misanthrope, reminiscent of the John Cleese sitcom character, "Basil Fawlty", that shares a great love of wine with one of razor-sharp put-downs of all things human. Also, his character Bernard Black's often surreal views on everyday things and on human behavior is close to his stand-up persona's dealing with them.The same year the first series of "Black Books" aired, Moran took his one-man show, "Ready, Steady, Cough", on a UK tour, followed two years later by Dylan Moran: Monster (2004). This was followed by Monster II in 2004.In the late 1990's, Moran also moved from doing stand-up to working on a film acting CV. He played opposite Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in Notting Hill (1999), co-starred with Michael Caine in The Actors (2003) and had parts in the Simon Pegg comedy, Shaun of the Dead (2004) and the Michael Winterbottom film, A Cock and Bull Story (2005).Moran's live stand-up comedy is unique in that it merges two strands of stand-up that seemed incompatible for a long time: sharp observational humor, and surreal and fantastical language-based absurdity. On the one hand, he has a clear influence from what could be called an American school of stand-up comedy that is heavily observational. On the other hand, Moran's comedy is characterized by a use of language similar to the stand-up comedy of Eddie Izzard and Ross Noble: surreal associative leaps between on the one side observations and on the other fantasies, verbally painting bizarre and absurd worlds, often through a use of stream-of-consciousness narration. His language is often highly poetic, resembling a James Joyce that has had one too many.Moran is very reluctant to give interviews on his personal life and even on his career, a fact parodied in a staged interview inter-cut with the recording of his live stand-up show, "Monster", on its DVD release. Hide

I mean, I wish I was like you, really, Protestant and short... I mean, I wish I was like you, really, Protestant and short...

I think a lot of the time you just parody yourself. I think a lot of the time you just parody yourself.

They say women are sensitive. A man can look at a woman and think "If that woman doesn't love me, it Show more They say women are sensitive. A man can look at a woman and think "If that woman doesn't love me, it's all over for me. Nothing will matter in my life any more." That is how women feel about shoes! Hide

It's its own bioculture, I just leave it alone... we sleep in separate rooms. (On his hair) It's its own bioculture, I just leave it alone... we sleep in separate rooms. (On his hair)

One thing that's coming up a lot is: are you as grumpy as you appear from this Black Books thing. One thing that's coming up a lot is: are you as grumpy as you appear from this Black Books thing.

You achieve the surreal jokes through the realism by making it elastic. You achieve the surreal jokes through the realism by making it elastic.

I don't really think of myself as an actor. I don't really think of myself as an actor.

I have a very low level of recognition, which is fine by me. I have a very low level of recognition, which is fine by me.

I don't want to do the same thing over and over again. I don't want to do the same thing over and over again.

You try various things when you're growing up. I was an attache in the Foreign Service for a while a Show more You try various things when you're growing up. I was an attache in the Foreign Service for a while and then I drove a bulldozer, but neither of those panned out for me so it had to be stand-up. Hide

I have no qualifications to do anything else and there weren't any formal application forms you had Show more I have no qualifications to do anything else and there weren't any formal application forms you had to fill in for stand-up, so I thought I'd give that a twist. Hide

Roman Catholicism seems to be a hysterical panic over the inevitability of Death. "Quick! Death is c Show more Roman Catholicism seems to be a hysterical panic over the inevitability of Death. "Quick! Death is coming! Put on the big hat and the gold dress!" Hide

I thought The Office was good, though I didn't think of it as a sitcom, just as a very good programm Show more I thought The Office was good, though I didn't think of it as a sitcom, just as a very good programme. Hide

I never thought I want to do anything, really, except not go to work properly and turn up at the sam Show more I never thought I want to do anything, really, except not go to work properly and turn up at the same place every day and eat sandwiches in the same canteen, if I can possibly help it, as I don't think I'd be very good at it. Hide

You think about the French Revolution, look at contemporary Britain, and wonder how much exactly wou Show more You think about the French Revolution, look at contemporary Britain, and wonder how much exactly would it take to crack them? How many times can they tut and rattle their newspapers? Hide

I don't do drugs. If I want a rush I just get out of a chair when I'm not expecting it. I don't do drugs. If I want a rush I just get out of a chair when I'm not expecting it.

Yeah, I think Michael has had to deal with that label of being Michael Caine for a long time. Yeah, I think Michael has had to deal with that label of being Michael Caine for a long time.

I think that women just have a primeval instinct to make soup, which they will try to foist on anybo Show more I think that women just have a primeval instinct to make soup, which they will try to foist on anybody who looks like a likely candidate. Hide

I'm actually about as famous as a fourth division footballer from the 70s. I'm actually about as famous as a fourth division footballer from the 70s.

In the same way, there is some creature gnawing away inside of me, urging me to do things in differe Show more In the same way, there is some creature gnawing away inside of me, urging me to do things in different ways. Hide

The characters can't be wittier than people are in real life. They have to be character witty. The characters can't be wittier than people are in real life. They have to be character witty.

We are both drawn to surreal situations so the writing was a joy. We are both drawn to surreal situations so the writing was a joy.

Showing off seemed to me to be a highly valuable and necessary activity when I was 20. Showing off seemed to me to be a highly valuable and necessary activity when I was 20.

The truth is that I'm constitutionally incapable of doing an ordinary job. The truth is that I'm constitutionally incapable of doing an ordinary job.

It's true that I have spoken about doing a book before, but then everyone you speak to is planning t Show more It's true that I have spoken about doing a book before, but then everyone you speak to is planning to write a book. Hide

If I hadn't done this I might have ended up digging the roads. If I hadn't done this I might have ended up digging the roads.

The trend now is to get away from stage bound sitcoms. The trend now is to get away from stage bound sitcoms.

Black Books adheres to a more old fashioned, traditional sitcom format, which I think works, because Show more Black Books adheres to a more old fashioned, traditional sitcom format, which I think works, because in its own way, it's quite theatrical. Hide

Dylan Moran's FILMOGRAPHY

as Actor (26)

The Tommy Tiernan Show - Season 9

The Decoy Bride

Shaun Of The Dead

Uncle - Season 3

Conan - Season 7

Tristram Shandy (A Cock and Bull Story)

Pixie

The Actors

Conan - Season 10

Conan - Season 8