Brad Garrett was born Brad H. Gerstenfeld on April 14, 1960 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. The towering 6’8” Garrett tried the university life at UCLA for a total of six weeks before he chose to answer the call of stand-up comedy on a full time basis. Following stints at the Ice House in Pasadena and the Improv in Hollywood, Garrett joined Star Search in 1984 and emerged as the first grand champion to win $100,000 in the comedy category. His Star Search victory landed him a spot on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which facilitated his rise in the comedy circuit. He has since been an opener for legends like Diana Ross and Liza Minnelli, has headlined at Bally’s Park Place and worked with Frank Sinatra at The Sands in Las Vegas, with illusionist David Copperfield at Caesar’s Palace, with Sammy Davis Jr. and The Beach Boys at Harrah’s and with crooner Julio Iglesias at Radio City Music Hall. He was named Best Comedian working on the strip by the Las Vegas Review Journal in 1989.