OUR 2009 INDUCTEE VINNIE BRAND Vinnie grew up in Middletown NJ, the third of four children born to a plumber and a overly optimistic mother. He attended Rutgers College and immediately met the woman of his nightmares.  Promptly, they had three children and bills. Vinnie ran his own construction company and flower shop while performing at open mic nights, juggling his time raising his children, working like a dog and performing. After becoming a headline comic, He sold the flower shop, closed the construction company and gave his wife the divorce she was begging for.  With three kids, no money and no car, he opened The Stress Factory Comedy Club while living in a boarding house for fathers that lost it all in bad divorces.  In 1995 Vinnie met the woman of his dreams, Vicki, while borrowing her car.  He married her in 1998 and got full custody of his three children in 1999.  Then, to round things out, they added two more children.  Together, they built The Stress Factory into one of the best clubs in the country.  During this time Vinnie had become a fixture not only at The Stress Factory, but every club in New York City. He has also appeared on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, Comedy Central’s “Tough Crowd”, The Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival (Best of the Fest), The New York Comedy Festival, and the Toyota Comedy Festival. He has also appeared on the Opie and Anthony Radio show, (WNEW & XM), The Jim Breuer show “Unleashed” (Sirius), FULL METAL COMEDY and the independent film “White Chicks”. He has also starred in a commercial for Direct TV, released a CD entitled “This is Vinnie Calling” and done various voice overs.

OUR 2008 INDUCTEE MIKE MARINO Mike Marino – affectionately known to thousands of his fans as New Jersey’s Bad Boy – is one of the most unique comics of our time. He has performed in every major comedy club from New York to Los Angeles including: The MGM Grand, Catch a Rising Star, The Comic Strip, Stand Up NY, and The Improv. Mike is a top headliner at both the world famous Laugh Factory and The Comedy Store in Hollywood, where he can be seen nightly. Mike has worked with some of the biggest names in the business such as: Andrew Dice Clay, Carrot Top, Lou Rawls, Tony Orlando, Frankie Avalon, Tony Danza, Joey Gian and Frank Stallone. Mike was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He entered the world of theatre at an early age, and is a graduate of the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts and has received a Best Actor Clio Award Nomination. Mike has acted in many Prime Time soaps and television shows including: As the World Turns, One Life to Live, Becker, Nikki, Frasier and Party of Five. His film credits include Crooks, Steven King’s Lucky Quarter, Volaré, Walking on the Sky, Three Tables and Hangin’ in Hedo. Mike has a tongue like a razor and a heart of gold. He has the incredible ability to perform in any arena, big or small, and can cater his material for all audiences, from strictly clean to down and dirty. He has performed in hundreds of corporate functions for companies including AT&T, United Airlines, American Express and Paul Mitchell. Mike Has performed for numerous charities including Aids Project – LA, Haven House, Team earthworks, and the Eric Davis Cancer Fund. When Marino is not performing, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family on the East Coast.

OUR 2007 INDUCTEE JERRY LEWIS Jerry Lewis is a comedian whose unrestrained comic style made him one of the most popular performers of the 1950s and '60s. Lewis was born into a vaudeville family, and, at age 12, he developed a comedy act in which he mimed to records. He dropped out of high school in order to perform his speciality in New York City theatres, burlesque shows, and nightclubs. He first met singer Dean Martin in 1944, and two years later they officially became a performing team. Their act consisted of Martin singing, Lewis clowning, and both joining forces for a rousing finale of music and comedy. Well-received performances in Atlantic City and at New York City's Copacabana nightclub resulted in an offer from Hollywood. Their first film, My Friend Irma (1949), established Martin and Lewis as box office stars, and the follow-ups My Friend Irma Goes West and At War with the Army (both 1950) were equally successful. Martin and Lewis became the most popular comedy team of the decade and appeared in 16 films in eight years, including Scared Stiff (1953), Living It Up (1954), Artists and Models (1955), and Hollywood or Bust (1956). They were also frequent television guests and part of a series of rotating hosts of NBC's The Colgate Comedy Hour. It was during their stint with NBC that Lewis began his long involvement with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Lewis returned to the screen in 1981 with the episodic comedy Hardly Working. However, most of the critical accolades he would receive in the next two decades would be for dramatic or offbeat performances. He essayed acclaimed supporting roles in Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy (1983), in the dramatic television series Wiseguy (1988–89), and in the film Funny Bones (1995). A longtime cult figure in France, Lewis was awarded that country's Order of Arts and Letters and the Legion of Honour in 1984. A successful revival of the musical Damn Yankees gave Lewis his first taste of Broadway success in 1995.