Billy Gardell Comes To The Jorgensen For UConn Family Weekend 9/24

Billy Gardell of CBS Hit Show "Mike and Molly" to Headline UConn Comedy Night on Sat, Sept. 24, 2011 at 7:30 pm; UConn Family Weekend

Billy Gardell says when he turned 40 two years ago, he heard the gun go off for halftime in his life. "My life is half over. And I played a sloppy first half, man," Gardell says in his "Halftime" show, coming to Jorgensen on UConn Family Weekend, Saturday, September 24. But his fans know that, having entered this stage with 20 years of comic experience, the "Mike and Molly" star has done nothing but age well.

Gardell's big-man, blue-collar style delivers touchdown after touchdown as he tells stories about a rough childhood, wild adolescence and adult family life.

About phone technology in the hands of those in their 20s, he says, "If you're under 25 and you use your cellphone a lot, I want you to do me a favor. For two hours a day, I want you to put your phone in your drawer. That way you remember how to HOLD A CONVERSATION."

About religion: "There are 50,000 religions in the world. You know what that means? Somebody's going to be wrong. There might be a lot of us sitting in hell one night going, ‘Who'd you think it was?'"

And men/women communications: "I always tell young guys, ‘Work on your car. Nobody ever got laid in the back of an iPhone.'"

Since fall 2010, CBS's hit show "Mike and Molly," which stars Gardell as Officer Mike Biggs alongside Melissa McCarthy, has drawn in 13 million viewers weekly and has been decorated as the No. 1 new series of the year. Gardell frequently appeared on "My Name is Earl," "Yes Dear," "Judging Amy," "The Practice," "Monk" and "Gary the Rat," and co-starred in the critically acclaimed FX series "Lucky."

In film, he made his debut alongside Anthony Quinn and Sylvester Stallone in "Avenging Angelo," and appeared with Billy Bob Thornton in the Coen Brothers' "Bad Santa" and with Owen Wilson in "You, Me & Dupree."

Gardell, a native of Pittsburgh and, of course, a Steelers fan, moved to the West Coast in his high school years and, with the great Jackie Gleason as his idol, started his career in standup at age 19. His website bio (on www.BILLYGARDELL.com) says he "took the long road to Hollywood, stopping at every small-town lounge, military base and comedy club along the way."

Gardell has opened for the likes of George Carlin and Dennis Miller. Don't miss "Halftime" at UConn Family Weekend.

Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts is located at 2132 Hillside Road on the UConn campus in Storrs. Tickets are $42 for floor, $37 for mezzanine and $32 for balcony; student tickets are $20, $18 and $15. Tickets are now on sale online at jorgensen.uconn.edu. Purchase tickets by phone or at the box office starting September 6 at 11 a.m. For more information, call the Box Office at 860.486.4226, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Convenient free parking is available across the street in the North Garage.