14 Fascinating Facts About Dennis Miller

Dennis Miller is arguably one of America's most gifted comedians. His trademark rants - whether comedic or serious - are infused with an astonishingly fresh and original use of the English language, and he has an almost preternatural ability to come up with the most obscure pop culture references. His hipster persona, mannerisms and phraseology are, in my opinion, reminiscent of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Dennis has enjoyed a long and multi-faceted show business career, and is currently the host of his own radio talk show. Here are 14 fascinating facts about Dennis Miller:

1. Unlike the vast majority of Hollywood players, Dennis holds decidedly right-leaning political views, and is a staunch supporter of the war in Iraq. The events of 9/11 were largely responsible for his movement to the right side of the political aisle.

2. Dennis majored in journalism at Point Park University, a liberal arts school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (where he was born and raised). He was a member of the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity.

3. He once worked the deli counter at Giant Eagle, an American supermarket chain with stores located throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland.

4. In the 1970s, he submitted the winning joke for Playboy Magazine's annual joke contest.

5. Early in his career, Dennis appeared on the television show, Star Search, competing against the comedian Sinbad. The two split evenly among the judges, but Sinbad ended up the winner after receiving a higher audience approval rating.

6. Miller's big break came in 1985 when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. He succeeded Christopher Guest as the "Weekend Update" anchor. Originally, Jon Lovitz was slated to be the next "Weekend Update" anchor. Various conflicts, however, prevented Lovitz from taking over, and, as fate would have it, the job went to Miller.

7. He is the recipient (along with his writing staff) of five Emmy Awards for Dennis Miller Live, a half-hour talk show that had a nine-year run on HBO.