comedian

A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This may be done by telling jokes, creating amusing situations, acting foolishly, or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comedian. A popular saying often attributed to Ed Wynn states: "A comic says funny things; a comedian says things funny." This draws a distinction between how much of the comedy can be attributed to verbal content and how much to acting and persona. Since the 1980s, a new wave of comedy, called alternative comedy, has grown in popularity with its more offbeat and experimental style. This normally involves more experiential, or observational reporting (e.g., Alexei Sayle, Daniel Tosh, Malcolm Hardee). As far a...