Character comedy

Character comedy is a method or genre in which a comedian performs as though they were a character created by the comedian themselves. Notable character comedians include:

• Tim Allen – Plays a handyman in Home Improvement and his stand-up routines
• Rowan Atkinson – Plays Mr. Bean
• Colleen Ballinger – Plays the talentless and cocky Miranda Sings
• Maria Bamford – Plays a neurotic version of herself in her stand-up shows
• George Carlin – Played Al Sleet the "hippy-dippy weatherman" in his stand-up routine
• Jim Carrey – Often portrays a hyperactive maniac
• Charlie Chaplin – Played The Tramp
• Andrew Dice Clay – Has played the "Diceman" character for most of his stand-up career
• Sacha Baron Cohen – Plays Ali G, Borat, and Brüno, among others; mostly avoided public appearances and out-of-character interviews until the mid-2010s
• Stephen Colbert – Performed a fictional version of himself on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report
• Steve Coogan – Plays various characters, most notably Alan Partridge
• Leigh Francis – Plays original characters such as Keith Lemon and various parodies of celebrities
• Ricky Gervais – Plays various characters
• Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson – Perform live stand-up as the characters from their comedy series Broad City
• Andy Kaufman – Plays various characters
• Chris Lilley – Played Ja'mie King, Mr G, and Jonah Takalua on the miniseries Summer Heights High
• Harold Lloyd - Played Lonesome Luke and Glasses Character
• Sam Lloyd – Plays various characters
• Anders Matthesen – Plays various characters, some of which starred in the 2004 film Terkel in Trouble
• George Miller – Played and created various characters, most famously Filthy Frank and Pink Guy
• Paul Reubens – Plays Pee-wee Herman
• Martin Short – Played Jiminy Glick, Irving Cohen, Ed Grimley, Nathan Thurm, and various others
• Sarah Silverman – Played a dim-witted and naïve character who treads insensitively through controversial topics in her early stand-up shows
• Catherine Tate – Plays various characters, mostly in The Catherine Tate Show
• Jane Turner and Gina Riley – Play various characters such as Kath Day-Knight and Kim Craig from Kath & Kim, and rarely make out-of-character public appearances
• Tracey Ullman – Plays various characters
• María Elena Velasco – Played La India María