Marty Ross looked like a little old man on TV trying to live out a lifelong dream Tuesday night on America’s Got Talent.
That much is true. But there’s more to the story of Ross, 80. As even his own website says, Ross isn’t exactly new to the stand-up stage. From his online bio:
Marty Ross was born, raised and first married in New York City. He moved to Peoria, Illinois to get his start in the clothing business, was promoted, moved to St Louis and then Chicago before finally settling in Los Angeles where he married again and again, and divorced a few more times. He’s always had the performing bug. In the late 60’s he worked by day and took the stage at night in black out comedy sketches. By the 1970’s, he had taken his comedy to radio. He dabbled with open mics in the 80’s and 90’s while still holding a day job, but when he turned 65 his life underwent a huge transformation. In the middle of yet another divorce, he realized at his age he was now un-hirable in the clothing industry, so he joined the stand-up comedy circuit full time. Looking for some way to get going Marty found Barb and Steve North and joined their workshop. Just six years later, he has become a seasoned comedian with a full blown stand up comedy career.
Marty is now single, older, still very much alive and delighting audiences all over the Western United States and on the Las Vegas Strip. Last year he recorded a pilot for Vin Di Bona Productions and he has just launched his first comedy CD, “Wrinkled Rebel: Going Down Fighting, But First, A Nap.” The condo retirement communities also embrace his work and he is fully enjoying his new profession. “Old people come up to me after every performance and tell me that they’re so happy someone is talking about things they are living every day. And I can’t believe how many young fans I have” says Ross. “They tell me they can relate too, because I’m just a wrinkled old teen-ager.”
Roll the clip.
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