Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel (born November 29, 1955 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian-born Jewish comedian and actor who came to national attention in the United States during a six-year stint on St. Elsewhere. He was also the creator and executive producer of the children's animated series, Bobby's World, which ran for eight seasons on Fox Broadcasting Company and is now widely syndicated. He also supplied the voice of the title character.
More recently, he is known for his frequent appearances as a stand-up comedian and for his hidden camera segments on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In April 2004, he was selected by Comedy Central as one of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time, coming in at number 82. In October 2005, he was named to be the host of the U.S. version of Deal or No Deal, which debuted on December 19, 2005, on NBC.
Mandel is a notable alumnus of Beth David B'nai Israel Beth Am's Hebrew School located in Toronto, Ontario, as well as three other Toronto high schools. [1]
Trivia
- Mandel has obsessive-compulsive disorder and has mysophobia to the point that he does not shake hands with anyone. Though he may have gotten over his mysophobia as he can be seen on the American version of Deal or No Deal giving the contestants props (the gesture which involves hitting ones fist into anothers fist),hugging them and putting his hands on their shoulders. [2]