Actor /comedian Hal Sparks began his professional career as a teenager in Chicago. As a member of the famed Second City Troupe, his quick wit and affable personality quickly gained him recognition and acclaim. ?In 1987 he was named the "Funniest Teenager in Chicago" by the Chicago Sun Times.??After a successful run with Second City, Sparks moved to Los Angeles and immediately began performing at numerous comedy clubs, including The Improv, The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory and The Ice House, as well as at Comic Relief's American Comedy Festival.?From 1999 - 2000, Sparks was the host of the Emmy-award winning "Talk Soup" on E! Entertainment Television, winning rave reviews from fans and critics alike. ?For five seasons, he co-starred as Michael Novotny on the hit Showtime series "Queer As Folk," based on the controversial and critically acclaimed British series.??Most recently, Hal provided the voice of Tak in the Nickelodeon animated series "Tak and the Power of Juju" which follows a teenage jungle boy and his fellow villagers as they deal with their fate as the unluckiest tribe in the world. ?He also lent his voice to the character "Mr. Q" in the GSN game show "20Q" hosted by Cat Deeley, based on the award-winning game of the same name. ???In 2006, Sparks appeared on the FOX musical competition series "Celebrity Duets" and hosted ?the WB ?reality series "Survival Of the Richest." In 2007, he shared judging duties with Rosanne Barr on the Nick at Nite comedy competition series "America's Funniest Mom."??Hal is one of the star commentators of the ?VH1 hit pop culture series "I Love The 90's," "I ?Love The 80's," "The 80's Strike Back, ""I Love The 70's" and "I Love the New Millennium." He also appeared in the VH1 shows "Celebracadabra" and "The Great Debate." ?His television credits include guest-starring roles on "CSI," "Frasier," and "One on One." ?He also co-starred ?in the ?Showtime ?Original ?feature ?"Bleacher Bums," ?adapted ? from ? the ? critically ?acclaimed ?play ? of ?the ?same ?name. ? Hal starred opposite Peter Riegert, Wayne Knight and Brad Garrett in this classic baseball comedy.??On the big screen, he recently appeared in the film "Extract" and made a scene-stealing appearance with Tobey Maguire in "Spiderman 2." He also co-starred in the 20th Century Fox comedy, "Dude, Where's My Car?," ?"Dickie Roberts, Former Child Star" and "Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town" with Billy Bob Thornton. ?Sparks also provided the voices for two animal characters, a bee and a fish, in the 20th Century Fox film "Dr. Dolittle 2." ?
His numerous television appearances include "The Tonight Show," "Larry King Live," "Charlie Rose," "Good Morning America," "The View," CNN's "Your Money," "Joy Behar," "Politically Incorrect," MTV and "Jimmy Kimmel Live."?
He starred in his own sketch comedy pilot entitled "Here Comes The Neighborhood" ? and ? produced comedy segments ? for ? Disney ? Channel. ? On the stage, Sparks has ?performed ?in productions of ?"The Glass Menagerie" and "Brighton Beach Memoirs."
In addition to a busy acting and stand-up career, Hal is an accomplished singer/songwriter/musician. ?He and his band, Zero 1, recently released their debut album.?
A native of Peak's Mill, Kentucky, Sparks spent several years in Chicago before moving to Los Angeles. ?He is also an expert in the martial arts with 20 years experience in Shaolin, Kung Fu, Wushu and Karate. ??
More information on Hal can be found at his website: www.halsparks.com
He did one hour set to a half empty room. People who were not there missed out! He was very funny with his jokes, facial expressions, and rolling around on the floor! After the show he greeted and thanked everyone for coming. He was very nice and gracious! Next time he appears go see him!
Run screaming with your arms waving to any Hal Sparks show. He is easily one of the smartest, funniest comedians working today. Be prepared to go on a magic carpet ride of face hurting hilarity and then multiply that by a thousand.
Hal Sparks’ comedy show was great! Afterwards he did a meet and greet with fans. Hal was very personable and took time to accommodate his fans with stories, photos and autographs. Class act!!!!
Witty, goofy and yes even educational! My face hurt from smiling and laughing so much. Definitely worth going.
They absolutely rocked it .... If your open minded and command the ability to empathize you'll roll off your chair laughing. Close minded and set in your ways you might enjoy s but milder routine. I give it 5 stars
The introduction and opening act were tough - nice people I am sure, but just couldn't get a laugh going. While appreciating the crowd is quite unusual at Mystic Lake in Minnesota (entertaining itself), Hal did a great job making everyone, including us, laugh. His joke agenda was flexible to hit just about any genre/age group and have no doubt he would have fun with whatever crowd he was dealt. The fact he could get the crowd going so quickly, especially after the rough start, I would recommend him. Becky would probably be better if she had a younger crowd that could relate more to her joke lines - the crowd we had, and even for us in the middle, just didn't roll.
I thought Hal Sparks was very funny, was a polished entertainer and kept the crowd engaged. His material was very interesting and there was never a dull silent moment :) Becky Robinson was also very good. She was very comfortable on stage and could think on her toes.
I loved this show! Hal is so incredibly funny..his delivery is beyond witty. I was laughing so hard the entire night!
Hal Sparks was great. I expected that. But by golly, Carla Rea as the 'host' was awesome. She fearlessly connected with audience members one on one (showing off her improvisational skills). Her timing , flow, and jokes were just great. She's headlined other places and has done some work with cable. So, yes, bring back Hal; but let's get Carla on the headliner track at Red Rock!
Hal Sparks is very funny. He is so smart and it comes through in his comedy. Highly recommend.
