Talk:Deadpan/Archive 1

Old comments
Should there be a little bit more explanation on what dry humor consists of?

I'd say Droopy the Dog deserves to be on this list
 * Droopy Dog added! Amchow78 22:53, 10 January 2006 (UTC)

What about Christopher Walken?

What about Paul Merton, from 'Have I Got News For You'? Very deadpan. Saccerzd 16:41, 14 January 2006 (UTC)

Australia
Small query regarding the line "It should also be noted that dead-pan humour is widespread throughout Australia as a basic form of comedy."

Being Australian, I cannot really confirm this as being accurate. Dead-pan humour is simply another form of humour that may or may not be used; I doubt it's overly popular in Australia any more than any other form of humour.


 * FROM ARTICLE: "It should also be noted that dead-pan humour is extremely popular and widespread in Australia, to the point where it could be considered a major part of Australian culture." I agree that this is a sily claim, especially given that the article provides a LOOONG list of examples, all of which are not from Australia! Deleting. Asa01 00:15, 18 June 2006 (UTC)

I'd argue (being from Melbourne, but having been born into a a family a generation older than my peers (my sisters were born shortly after ww2, me in 72) that it's _very_ common to see dry or hear dry humour. I am curious if perhaps it's possible that it's on the decline, so it's less common amongst younger demographics. I'd perhaps note the popularity of books (both fiction and non fiction) by Chopper Read, and even the pseudo biography "Chopper" by Andrew Dominik. Quite a bit of deadpan humour in that one, and a very popular, and seemingly very accessible film for/with Australians, suggesting that it's a familiar sort of humour. I'd perhaps even put forward a website called "performance forums" (performanceforums.com) which is heavily Australian based. Hell of a lot of deadpan jokes in there, that new subscribers will be exposed to if it's clear they aren't there to contribute.

Oh give me a break
Do you really think ALL of the names on this list should be there? I mean Melissa Joan Hart?? Raven Symone?? The Friends cast? Looks like criteria for being considered a "deadpan" comedian is to simply be ABLE to make a joke with a serious expression. By this reason, anyone who has ever acted in a comedic role could be considered a deadpan actor. I'M a deadpan comedian, apparently.

This article should contain a list of actors/actresses who are PRIMARILY KNOWN for their deadpan delivery....people like Stephen Colbert, Peter Sellers, Steve Wright, Ben Stein, etc. belong on this list. David Schwimmer, Melissa Joan Hart, David Duchovny (it's deadpan COMEDIC delivery) and Patrick Stewart do not. --Crabbyass 16:44, 6 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Yeah I had the same thoughts. I think basically people have just added there favourite comedian to the list, but with the number of entries there is, it's pretty much useless.  Should have maybe three or four for each category at the most, the point of "Examples" is to help someone quickly understand what deadpan humour is, it's not supposed to be a complete list of every time it has ever been used. I think we should aim to pick out the best three or four examples, and leave it at that. Brendanfox 10:36, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

Me too, I've added in Elliot Goblet, as he's practically like Steven Wright on valium in his delivery (one wonders if he was in fact inspired by Wright, though I would note their material whilst similar in style has no overlaps in subject matter that I'm aware of, and have seen both live, as well as some tv stuff.


 * OK, so I cleaned it up a bit, adding an "Origin" section and "Peter Sellers"...I moved some of the comedians around, renamed some categories and removed some dumb entries (i.e. Raven). Fell free to remove/add others you do'nt think should be there.  I'm personally apprehensive about Sacha Baron Cohen.  --Crabbyass 15:40, 7 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Sidcom actors often by necessity have to say something funny without laughing; this cannot be considered deadpan or almost all sidcom actors should be considered deadpan. A deadpan comedian is best described as a comedian, who is known for maintaining a serious look while delivering a joke outside of the comedy acting arena. So Paul Merton joking in Have I Got News For You is a perfect example of a deadpan comedian, while Melissa Joan Hart playing a character in a sidcom is not. As for Sacha Baron Cohen; while he at first seems to fit the chriteria, he is an imperinator, a completely different catagory of comedy that certainly does not have the requirement that the comedian maintain a serious look. - Anon —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 131.111.236.124 (talk) 20:53, 22 December 2006 (UTC).

I'm deleting more useless entries that have been added, lest this list becomes 6 pages long. I think we should vote on who stays and who goes, in the television section. It's getting long. My vote goes for Geoffrey from Fresh Prince, and Rick Mercer - even though they're great examples, I don't think they're well-known enough. --Crabbyass 13:23, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Really, some anonymous website users cannot be counted as 'notable comedians' by any sensible standards. Not even 22-year old hot college girls. --Graniitti 02:42, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Does Mitch Hedberg really count as a deadpan comedian? As much as I love the guy, I don't think his style of delivery really qualifies as deadpanning. Listening to his CDs or watching his special, you can hear/see many times where he's trying to conceal his laughter or amusement, or sometimes even laughing mid-joke. Djseifer 08:26, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Dirk Benedict
How about adding him to the list? I got to know what dry humor was when the presentator of BB told him that people in Britian appreciated his dry humor. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 85.0.248.23 (talk) 15:09, 29 January 2007 (UTC).

Deadpan doesn't equal dry
The discussion 'Australia' prompted me to think that deadpan humour isn't the same thing as dry humour. Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee etc.) certainly delivered his jokes with a serious face but his humour was qualitatively different in style to American humour in the entry examples. It seems to me an element of mockery or subversiveness is present in Hogan's humour that some of these others lack. Of course Python had that subversiveness but unlike Hogan their situations were invariably silly, whereas Hogan's were always grounded in some way in reality. Perhaps this is another specific attribute of dry rather than deadpan humour. All in all maybe there is a case for a separate entry for dry humour. --Hologram1 02:28, 6 December 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree, deadpan emphasizes emotionless manner of delivery only, whereas dry refers to subtlety requiring more thought or insight or external knowledge to perceive what is funny. --Littlefaith 10:00, 6 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Dry humour is humour which is not haha funny. Peter Cook was a great dry humorist.  It does not have to be "deadpan", but sometimes it helps.  It is a particularly British form of humour, similar to, but not quite the same as irony or sarcasm.  Guy 23:27, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

Norm MacDonald
Should Norm MacDonald be added to the list? Apparently, his comedic work on Saturday Night Live was in a deadpan style and is what he's best known for although I'm not familiar enough with his work to say whether it is typical of his style of comedy in general. Theshibboleth 02:47, 15 February 2007 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure if Norm MacDonald really qualifies as deadpan. Being able to deliver a comedy line without so much as a change in voice or cracking a smile is key to deadpan delivery, something I've rarely seen MacDonald pull off.  To be honest, this whole list needs to be trimmed down; a good deal of the people on this list only vaguely fit the description of a deadpan comic.  Bud Abbott, widely considered to be one of the greatest straight men in the history of comedy, isn't on this list.  Then again, I'm not even sure if he qualifies as deadpan. Djseifer 11:27, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

GLaDOS
I added GLaDOS from Portal. If anyone here has played that game you know why I did.Yagikaru 21:15, 3 November 2007 (UTC) "Please note, we have added a consequence for failure. Any contact with the chamber floor will result in an unsatisfactory mark on your official testing record, followed by death. Good luck." -GLaDOS

The Use Of British and English
Is there a reason why some English Comedians are labelled as British whilst others are labelled English? All the Comedians Labelled as British are English. I have Rectified this. (Morcus (talk) 01:02, 14 December 2007 (UTC))

Dry Humor article?
If there's an article on specific types of dry humor, then where in the world is the article on dry humor itself? Whenever I search dry humor I get redirected to deadpan. Anonymous —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.84.10.3 (talk) 02:02, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Tom Green
What about TOM GREEN? He is always serious when he is making fun of other people. I think he could be added.


 * I agree. He is very good at it in his "talk show" format of his various shows. --1sneakers6 (talk) 07:57, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Stranger Than Paradise
AllMovie.com claims that this is the most deadpan comedy ever to be set to film. Perhaps it is worth adding to the list? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.66.69.242 (talk) 22:57, 26 July 2008 (UTC)

Craig Ferguson
Of Late Late Show fame. He often delivers jokes with a serious expression, only breaking from an expressionless face after the audience starts to laugh. So does fit the description of deadpan or not? Zell65 (talk) 22:39, 3 October 2008 (UTC)

Stephen Colbert?
In what way is he deadpan? He smiles all the time. One Episode even started with him laughing uncontrollably. TBone777 (talk) 02:29, 15 March 2009 (UTC)


 * It should also be remembered that Not Every Country Is The United States. I loved the Daily Show and lived in the US when it started, but I couldn't place the name. The ref is enough, I think (assuming the list has a place at all), but to refer to him without qualification is confusing. SimonTrew (talk) 16:45, 15 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Remember Strangers with Candy? I would not consider The Colbert Report to be deadpan, but he is certainly capable of it when he wants to use it. dnstest (talk) 05:16, 14 April 2012 (CST)

What is the purpose of this page?
Are we explaining what the term deadpan means, or are we trying to make a comprehensive list of all comedians who wish to be known as having delivered deadpan at some time. Gwrede (talk) 02:06, 19 April 2009 (UTC)Gwrede
 * Uh oh. The list seems to be a copy-paste from http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Deadpan. Logical Gentleman (talk) 20:22, 19 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Nevermind, the Reference one is a wiki and copied Wikipedia. Logical Gentleman (talk) 19:15, 27 September 2009 (UTC)

Suggest split
Maybe it would be better if the entire "Notable deadpan comedians" section was split off into it's own separate list article. -- &oelig; &trade; 22:10, 28 July 2010 (UTC)
 * See below.

Rich Hall?
Should Rich Hall be added to the list? Memassivbeast 19:58, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

Great idea - I think of him as the American equivalent of Jack Dee! ACEOREVIVED (talk) 22:57, 31 August 2010 (UTC)

Notable deadpan comedians
The following section was removed for being original research. I've copied it here to use as a reference. -- &oelig; &trade; 04:08, 18 October 2010 (UTC)

Stand-up comedians

 * Margaret Smith, American stand-up comedian.
 * Morgan Murphy, American stand-up comedian and writer.
 * Dave Allen, an Irish stand-up.
 * Michael Ian Black, David Wain, and Michael Showalter are the trio in the stand up act known as Stella.
 * Todd Barry, American stand-up comedian.
 * Joey Bishop, American stand-up comedian and actor.
 * Frankie Boyle, Scottish stand-up comedian
 * Garry Shandling, American stand-up and actor of The Larry Sanders Show.
 * Jimmy Carr, English stand-up comedian.
 * Jemaine Clement, New Zealand comedian, actor, musician.
 * Les Dawson, late English comedian; noted for his lugubrious delivery
 * Jack Dee, English stand-up comedian.
 * John Shuttleworth A character created by Graham Fellows, who incorporates deadpan humour into his music routines.
 * Nathan Fielder, Canadian stand-up comedian, writer and television personality.
 * Herman Finkers, Dutch comedian.
 * Stewart Francis, Canadian stand-up comedian, writer and actor.
 * Zach Galifianakis, American stand-up comedian and actor.
 * Jim Gaffigan, American stand-up comedian.
 * Elliot Goblet, Australian comedian Jack Levi's stand-up persona
 * Tom Green, Canadian comedian from The Tom Green Show.
 * Hitoshi Matsumoto, Japanese comedian of Downtown no Gottsu Ee Kanji
 * Mitch Hedberg, American stand-up comedian, actor and writer.
 * Kevin Nealon, American stand-up comedian and actor.
 * Dave Hughes, Australian stand-up comedian.
 * Jonathan Katz, American comedian, actor and voice actor.
 * Stewart Lee, English stand-up comedian, writer and director.
 * Ted Chippington, English stand-up comedian.
 * Norm MacDonald, Canadian stand-up comedian, writer and actor.
 * Demetri Martin, American comedian, actor, and writer.
 * Kenny Mayne, ESPN reporter and author.
 * Danielle Sherring, Canadian comedian.
 * Felo, Chilean comedian,
 * Bret McKenzie, New Zealand comedian, actor, musician.
 * Paul Merton, English comedian and actor, of Have I Got News for You. However, he has broken this style quite a few times.
 * Dan Mintz, American comedian and writer.
 * John Moloney - English comedian.
 * Paul Mooney, American comedian and writer
 * Dylan Moran, Irish stand-up comedian.
 * Sarah Silverman, American comedienne
 * Dave Mordal, American comedian, contestant on Last Comic Standing.
 * Bill Murray, American comedian and actor.
 * Bob Newhart, American stand-up comedian, TV and film actor, and voice actor
 * Seth Rogen, Canadian actor, stand-up comedian and writer.
 * Jackie Vernon caricatured the typically boring slide-projector presentation of vacation photos.
 * Steven Wright, American stand-up comedian, actor and writer.
 * Brian McKim, American stand-up comedian, writer and publisher of Sheckymagazine.com
 * Karl Pilkington, English comedian, of The Ricky Gervais Show

Film

 * Buster Keaton, known as "Great Stone Face," became famous for never cracking a smile in any of his films. Strictly speaking, his was not a deadpan approach, since his face was actually very expressive. He subtly portrayed bemusement, anger, fear, and other emotions, but never smiled in a single one of his classic silents. In Go West, a cowboy forces him to smile, which he does by using his fingers to pull up the sides of his mouth. The result is a ghastly parody of a smile. Keaton also mugged, cried, laughed, and otherwise carried on in several of his earliest silent two-reelers with Fatty Arbuckle. Keaton did smile as a closing gag in the sound films Le Roi des Champs-Élysées (1934) and San Diego, I Love You (1944).
 * Stan Laurel, of the double act Laurel and Hardy.
 * Tommy Lee Jones, American actor whose style is ever present in the Men in Black films.
 * John Cusack, most notably his role in Better Off Dead.
 * Bill Murray. Most of his work entails him delivering overtly humorous lines with a genuine look of disinterest or indifference on his face, particularly in later works such as Lost in Translation, Broken Flowers and The Lost City.
 * Charles Grodin. Often delivers lines in his roles (and in interviews) in a deadpan manner. Most notably in Midnight Run.
 * Leslie Nielsen progressed from being a dramatic actor in films such as The Poseidon Adventure to a comedic actor due in large part to his seriousness in delivering nonsensical lines in movies such as Airplane! ("Surely you can't be serious!" "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley.") and The Naked Gun series.
 * Peter Sellers, most famously for his role as the United States President (as well as Dr. Strangelove, and Captain Mandrake) in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove and his portrayal of bumbling French police inspector Jacques Clouseau.
 * Ben Stein, who was originally a university professor, found a new career as a comedy actor by exploiting the stereotype of the dull academic.
 * Christopher Walken is best known for his deadpan affect and off-key pauses, which is most notable in films such as Pulp Fiction and True Romance, as well as in his many appearances on Saturday Night Live, specifically in his role as Bruce Dickinson in the More Cowbell sketch.
 * Chevy Chase, known for his roles as Ty Webb in Caddyshack and Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's Vacation
 * Zooey Deschanel, known for comedic deadpan roles in Elf, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Failure to Launch.
 * Kamal Hasan, Indian actor and comedian known for his many Tamil language comedy films.
 * KevJumba, a Chinese-American YouTube comedian.

Television

 * Amanda Bynes, comedic actress and star of sitcom What I Like About You.
 * Bea Arthur, comedic actress and star of Maude and The Golden Girls.
 * Clive Anderson, UK television presenter, host of Whose Line Is It Anyway?
 * Jason Bateman known for his role as Michael Bluth on Arrested Development
 * Jack Benny and Johnny Carson were famous for their "takes," blank stares toward the camera in response (or nonresponse) to something funny that had just happened.
 * Mike Birbiglia, from Comedy Central and This American Life
 * Steve Carell, from The Office television series.
 * Michael Ian Black
 * John Cleese, in Monty Python's Flying Circus.
 * Graham Chapman, also in Monty Python's Flying Circus.
 * Molly Price, as Officer Faith Yokas in Third Watch
 * Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie of HBO's Flight of the Conchords heavily incorporate straightfaced expressions in response to jokes into their comedic and musical routines on the show.
 * Steve Coogan, British comedian and actor best known for his character, Alan Partridge
 * Emily Deschanel, known for her comedic deadpan role as Dr. Temperance Brennan in Fox's Bones
 * David Duchovny is famous for his deadpan humour; it can be seen in such TV series as Californication.
 * Sacha Baron Cohen, in Da Ali G Show.
 * Stephen Colbert is an American comedian, satirist, actor and writer, known for his deadpan comedic delivery.
 * Peter Cook, pioneering British comedian of stage, screen, and script.
 * Estelle Getty, best known for performing on the TV series The Golden Girls.
 * Topher Grace, known for his role as Eric Forman on the sitcom That '70s Show.
 * Tom Green on MTV's The Tom Green Show.
 * Chelsea Handler in E!'s Chelsea Lately.
 * Leigh Hart (also known as "That Guy"), most famous for New Zealand television show Moon TV, employs an Andrew Levy in Fox News's Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld.
 * Lee Mack English stand-up comedian and actor.
 * Colin Mochrie is famous for his deadpan humour in such TV series as Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
 * Kenny Mayne, SportsCenter anchor.
 * Rick Mercer, in This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Talking to Americans (by making outlandish claims about Canada).
 * Daria Morgendorffer, protagonist of the MTV cartoon Daria.
 * Christopher Morris The alter ego of Chris Morris portrayed on Brass Eye, a satirical news investigation show in which the most hysterical headlines and stories are told completely seriously.
 * Bob Newhart is known for his deadpan delivery and his slight stammer, featured on The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, and in classic standup routines.
 * The Office, BBC comedy co-written and co-directed by Steve Merchant and Ricky Gervais, and starring Ricky Gervais
 * Pat Paulsen spoke in a blank monotone with heavy eyelids, usually opening with, "Good evening, I'm really excited to be here."
 * Chris Parnell displays his deadpan delivery as Dr. Leo Spaceman on the NBC comedy 30 Rock.
 * Anne Robinson, of The Weakest Link known for acerbic remarks.
 * Mo Rocca.
 * Martin Starr, best known for the character of Bill Haverchuck on the TV series Freaks and Geeks.
 * Ed Sullivan, host of The Ed Sullivan Show.
 * Jeremy Piven, known for the character of Ari Gold on Entourage.
 * The radio and television comedy team of Bob and Ray were known for their straightlaced portrayals of absurd characters.
 * Justin Kirk, best known for his portrayal of Andy Botwin on Showtime's Weeds
 * Henry Gibson, best known for his many roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. His performance as Martin Short's harried supermarket manager, Mr. Wormwood, in the sci-fi/comedy film Innerspace is a deadpan classic.

Fictional characters

 * Agent Smith in The Matrix'.
 * Shizuka Dômeki in xxxHolic
 * Brock Samson in The Venture Bros..
 * Alfred Pennyworth in Batman (Pre-90's)
 * Chloe O'Brian in 24.
 * Wednesday Addams and Morticia Addams in the 1990s films: The Addams Family and Addams Family Values
 * Chandler Bing, portrayed by Matthew Perry from the show Friends
 * Edmund Blackadder, played by British comedian Rowan Atkinson.
 * Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star, whose catchphrase, "You're already dead" is ironic because of his deadly technique that can make fighters literally explode.
 * Tim Canterbury, played by Martin Freeman, in The Office
 * Kimball Cho, played by Tim Kang, in The Mentalist
 * Father Ted Crilly, lead character in popular Irish sitcom Father Ted, played by Dermot Morgan
 * Jim Halpert, played by John Krasinski, on The Office
 * Daria Morgendorffer and Jane Lane, from Daria
 * Mac in Green Wing
 * Enid from Ghost World
 * Mandy from ''The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
 * Hank Hill from King of the Hill
 * Droopy, the low-key animated movie character created by Tex Avery.
 * Holly, the ship's computer in Red Dwarf, played by Norman Lovett and later by Hattie Hayridge.
 * Brent Leroy, played by Brent Butt, in the television series Corner Gas.
 * FBI agent Fox Mulder, as portrayed by David Duchovny, in the television series The X-Files.
 * Noah Bennet, portrayed by Jack Coleman, in the television series Heroes expresses subtle lines of dry humour. Coleman is known by fellow castmates for his dry wit.
 * Niles, the butler from The Nanny, played by Daniel Davis.
 * Rick Spleen, played by Jack Dee, in Lead Balloon
 * Jade Curtiss, from Tales of the Abyss.
 * George Feeny, from Boy Meets World, played by William Daniels.
 * Mokka from Magical Starsign
 * Carlton the Doorman, off-camera persona from the TV show Rhoda.
 * Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
 * Michael Bluth, played by Jason Bateman from Arrested Development.
 * Willow Rosenberg, played by Alyson Hannigan, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when she becomes herself's vampire doppelgänger or when she becomes an evil witch.
 * Yukishiro Tomoe in the manga-version of Rurouni Kenshin
 * Kwame in Captain Planet and the Planeteers
 * The Janitor, played by Neil Flynn, in the NBC television series Scrubs
 * Takashi Takeda/Jumbo, from Yotsuba&!.
 * GLaDOS from the video game Portal
 * Logan Echolls in Veronica Mars.
 * Almost the entire cast of Gilmore Girls.
 * Almost the entire cast of Home Movies.
 * Huey Freeman from the comic and TV series, The Boondocks.
 * Frylock from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
 * Hoban "Wash" Washburne from Firefly and Serenity
 * Craig Tucker.
 * Mr. Grumpy, from The Mr. Men Show.
 * Hauclir, from Chronicles of Malus Darkblade
 * Kyon and Yuki Nagato from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
 * The Spy from Team Fortress 2.
 * Ceviche from Chowder
 * Ianto Jones from Torchwood
 * Geoffrey, the butler from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
 * Lilith Crane, on Cheers & Frasier''
 * Eric Forman on That 70's Show
 * Joan of Arc from Nelvana's Clone High''

Get rid of the examples
This is by far the worst wikipedia page I have ever seen. The examples should not be there. They are poorly organized and serve no purpose. 75.165.224.75 (talk) 17:44, 5 November 2009 (UTC)
 * I have suggested it be split off into its own separate list article. This I believe would be a much more desirable solution to the "trivia" problem as it allows for preservation of existing content. -- &oelig; &trade; 22:13, 28 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I disagree.  These citations are classic examples of the form.  You can't list all, and you can't list none.    I don't believe the intent is to advertize or popularlize examples that are long in the public history, but cite examples that all can relate to.--71.245.164.83 (talk) 03:07, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Is Seinfeld really deadpan?
They use facial expressions constantly to communicate nonverbally. Deadpan is more like Leslie Nielsen or Stephen Wright delivering a funny line without changing expression. On Seinfeld, they're moving their eyebrows, their facial muscles, delivering jokes with barely suppressed smiles all the time. 76.121.56.99 (talk) 07:21, 29 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Citing references makes that question moot, since a reference enables an editor to cite someone or some publication saying someone is deadpan. Fortunately you didn't come across this article before all the people mentioned in  were removed, otherwise we could have been here all day... 67.100.125.94 (talk) 17:45, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

More example of deadpan usage
I have at least 46 relatives who have been known to use deadpan delivery. Can I add them to the list? 112.118.136.158 (talk) 09:42, 15 April 2012 (UTC)

Removed the emoji image
Using an emoji to demonstrate a form of comedy makes no sense. I would consider it more fitting on an article about an emotional state (though still odd), but here it's not even tied to the subject. It's just a neutral/unamused face. Prinsgezinde (talk) 19:52, 8 July 2018 (UTC)