Who is Marc Maron? Everything You Need to Know

Marc Maron was born as Marcus David Maron on September 27, 1963 in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States of America. He was raised by an upper-middle class family.

His father Barry R. Maron was a surgeon, while his mother Toby Maron was a real estate agent. His father was recruited into the Air Force and hence, Marc had to move around a lot with his family.

After leaving the Air Force, his father moved, along with his family, to Albuquerque, where Maron completed most of his education. After graduating from Highland High School, he completed his Bachelors in English Literature from Boston University in 1986.

Marc had a distressed childhood and adolescence because of his difficult relationship with his parents, particularly his father. His observation on his eccentric parents later became a key element of his stand-up acts.

After his graduation, Marc started working part-time at The Coffee Connection in Harvard Square and became part of the cafeteria’s comedy scene.

Later, he moved to New York and continued performing his acts there. He also went on to perform at the Boston Comedy Club.

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Career

Marc made his TV debut by hosting the late night clip show, ‘Short Attention Span Theater’. The following year, he made his acting debut in 1994 by performing the role of Valet in the movie, ‘D2: The Mighty Ducks’. Unfortunately, the scene involving his act was removed before the film’s release.

In 1995, he auditioned for ‘Saturday Night Live’, but was unsuccessful.

In 1996, he debuted as a script writer for two of the episodes of the animated show, ‘Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist’. He also starred as a comedian in the 1997 comedy, ‘Who's the Caboose?’

During this period, he appeared on the comedy show, ‘Late Night with Conan O'Brien’ which started in 1994. From then on, he has been part of the show and holds the record for most number of guest appearances.

Marc also appeared regularly on ‘The Late Night Show with David Letterman’. By the mid-1990s, Marc was appearing on his own 30 minute stand-up specials on both HBO and Comedy Central, which gave him the prominence as a stand-up comedian. He appeared in a bit role in the 2000 movie, ‘Almost Famous’.

Next, Marc was seen as Devin in the stand-up comedian Mitch Hedberg’s life story titled ‘Los Enchiladas!’ In 2001, Marc penned an autobiography titled ‘The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah’.

Around this time, Marc's stand-up persona changed. His onstage clothes went from being casual suits to jeans and T-shirts, and he grew a goatee that resembled that of one of his musical heroes, Frank Zappa.

His first four albums, ‘Not Sold Out’ (2002), ‘Tickets Still Available’ (2009), ‘Final Engagement’ (2009) and ‘This Has to Be Funny’ (2011) are comedy classics.

Out of these albums, the contents of ‘Not Sold Out’ and ‘Tickets Still Available’ were aggressive in nature due to the outbreak of public rage after the Bush administration's irresponsible response to the 9/11 terror attacks.

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Marc joined Air America with their project, Maron v. Seder which began in 2008. It was a weekly video webcast, co-hosted by fellow Air America veteran Sam Seder. Recorded at Air America's New York studios the show was later renamed as, ‘Breakroom Live with Maron & Seder’.

Next, he appeared in a few episodes of the 2012 show, ‘Metalocalypse’ in which he voiced the character, Magnus Hammersmith. He became a producer with the 2013 film, ‘Marc Maron: Thinky Pain’. He later released this stand-up special on Netflix and as an album in 2014.

His most notable show ‘Maron’ was aired on IFC in May 2013. It has tidbits of his life, played out in a show format. The show was created, written and produced by him, and it was nominated for a WGA award in 2016. He also contributed as a voice over artist in the 2015 show, ‘Harvey Beaks’ when he lent his voice for a character named Randall.

Major Works

Almost Famous – Marc got his first high profile film role when he played the role of a promoter in this romcom. Released on September 13, 2000, the film was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Metalocalypse –Marc lent his voice to the character, Magnus Hammersmith in this animated series. The series revolves around ‘Dethklok’, the most successful death metal band. The series ran from August 6 to October 27, 2006.

Maron – In 2013, Marc became a multimedia figure with this show which is a recreation of the early days of podcast. This critically acclaimed half hour scripted series was aired on May 3, 2013 on IFC.

Personal Life

Despite being a successful stand-up comedian, Marc's personal life has always been tumultuous. He used to be a heavy drinker and drug user since his teens.

His addictions began to negatively affect his career. Finally, he entered a rehab in 1999 and with the help of a 12-stepagenda he became free from alcohol and drugs.

In 1997, Marc got married to Kimberly Reiss who is a producer. They got divorced in 2001. The actual reason for their divorce is unknown.

A few years later, in 2004, Marc married writer and humorist, Mishna Wolff. They dissolved their marriage in 2007.

Trivia

Maron is a cat lover.

He raises stray cats at his home, which he sometimes refers to as the Cat Ranch.

Marc Maron Biography