Background and career
William Frederic Burr (born June 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, actor, writer and director. As a comedian, he is known for sharp "rage-fueled" confrontational and observational comedy style often discussing subjects such as social issues, politics and the absurdities of the human condition. Burr has received nominations for two Emmy Awards and two Grammy Awards.
Burr created, co-wrote, and voiced the lead character in the Netflix animated sitcom F Is for Family (2015–2021). His other notable roles include various characters in Chappelle's Show (2004), Patrick Kuby in the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad (2011–2013) and Migs Mayfeld in The Mandalorian (2019–2023). He made his feature-length directorial debut as the co-writer, director, and star of the comedy film Old Dads (2023) and has had supporting roles in Daddy's Home (2015), Daddy's Home 2 (2017), and The King of Staten Island (2020), Unfrosted (2024), and The Social Reckoning (2026). He made his Broadway debut in the 2025 revival of Glengarry Glen Ross.
Burr has released 14 stand-up comedy specials and albums including You People Are All the Same (2012), I'm Sorry You Feel That Way (2014) and Walk Your Way Out (2017). He received two Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album nominations for his Netflix special Paper Tiger (2019) and his Hulu comedy special Drop Dead Years (2025), the former of which also earned him a Emmy Award nomination.
William Frederic Burr was born in Canton, Massachusetts, on June 10, 1968, the son of nurse Linda Ann and dentist Robert Burr. He is of German and Irish descent, and was raised Catholic. He graduated from Canton High School in 1987. After attending North Carolina State University for two semesters, he graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in communications. He worked in warehouses before starting his comedy career, later stating that he enjoyed the freedom of the job: "If my boss gave me a rough time, I could just get on a forklift and just, like, drive away."
Burr first performed stand-up comedy at the age of 23 on March 2, 1992. He moved to New York City in 1994. He started to appear in numerous shows performing standup such as Showtime at the Apollo in 2000, Comedy Central Presents in 2003, Just for Laughs in 2004, One Night Stand in 2005, and Live at Gotham in 2006. Also during this time, he co-starred in the TV series Townies in 1996, appeared in Two Guys and a Girl in 1998 and Law & Order: Criminal Intent in 2002. He gained prominence as a regular on Dave Chappelle's popular sketch comedy series Chappelle's Show in 2004 on Comedy Central.
