Funniest standup comedian

[RoyY51]

I'm going with Robin Williams. When I saw him at The Irvine Improv, he had just won a "new comedian" contest in San Francisco and had yet to audition for "Mork and Mindy". Part of the prize for winning the S.F. contest was a headlining gig at the Improv. The warm-up group of comedians was a Who's Who of the popular comedians of the time, and had me thinking that this young upstart might be a little out of his league.

Not to worry.

This coke-infused, rapid-fire Force of Nature stunned the crowd with both his eloquence and his improvisational skills. He spent more time darting through the audience (pausing at tables just long enough to deliver killer riffs on their contents) than he did on stage. At one point, I LITERALLY laughed so hard that I slid out of my chair, onto the floor! The standing ovations (there were three, with encores) seemed to go on forever!

Since that time, I have been a die-hard fan and ardent follower. His movies, his HBO Specials and his sold-out live performances have made him one of the most popular comedians in the world.

I beseech The Academy to include him in this poll.