Short Biography

Colin Quinn (born June 6, 1959) is an Irish-American comedian, best known for his five years in the cast of Saturday Night Live, and as an MTV personality in the late 1980s. Colin Quinn was born in Brooklyn to an Irish-American family and was raised in the Windsor Terrace section of the borough. His exaggerated gravelly Brooklyn accent and idiosyncratic mannerisms are trademarks of his stand-up act, headlining at top comedy clubs across the country, including Caroline`s Comedy Club in New York City. Before becoming a comedian, Quinn worked as a bartender.

In 1995, Quinn was hired by Saturday Night Live as a writer and featured player until 1997–1998 season, when he became a full cast member. He established himself on the show with characters such as "Lenny the Lion" and "Joe Blow", and did the recurring segment "Colin Quinn Explains the New York Times". Quinn took over as host of the Weekend Update segment in January 1998 after Norm Macdonald`s firing, and anchored the segment until departing SNL in 2000. During his SNL years, Quinn made his Broadway debut in his one-man show, Colin Quinn: An Irish Wake co-written with fellow comedian Lou DiMaggio, and was offered the role of Scott Evil in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery by Mike Myers, which he turned down to make time for his writing projects. The role was taken by Seth Green.

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