Well… Karl Anthony grew up in Detroit, Michigan Oak Park. After High School and College, he got a job at the best radio station in the world WRIF-FM and the assistant promotions director. After the station was sold to Great American Broadcasting, his job was eliminated, with no job or prospect of one that would satisfy him, he made the leap that would change his life. Karl became a stand-up comedian. He then went to an open mic night at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle in 1988, where he got his first laugh, and never looked back.
Karl worked successfully on the road for 15 years through 46 states, Canada, Mexico and abroad. In 1989, at a comedy workshop he was a guest speaker at, Karl met his wife Dawn. Clueless as ever, it took her coming to see his shows at various clubs for a few months, for him to realize that she was interested in him. They dated for 5 years and then got married, and moved to sunny Orlando Florida. While his wife got a job at Disney as an artist for the Disney Design Group she’s a very talented artist/graphic designer, and he still worked the road. After a while they both realized that being apart was getting old, so Karl looked for something he could do close to home and still entertain. Karl auditioned and was hired by the Walt Disney Company and has been a performer for them now for 15 years.
Over that time, among the things Karl Anthony has done for the company, he has been a part of The World Showcase Performers and also Laff 911 at Epcot. Karl Anthony has opened the Flights of Wonder show as the Phoenix at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Comedy Warehouse at Pleasure Island.
Karl started his career as a stand-up comedian in Detroit. In a short time, Karl became one of the most popular and requested acts across the country. Having appeared on Comedy Central and opening for many A-List comedians, such as Tim Allen, Jay Leno, Gilbert Gottfried, Ellen DeGeneres and Brad Garrett, Karl brings a manic, yet friendly observational style mixed with character vignettes, with him on stage.
Having appeared in over 12 feature films and 100 television commercials, Karl shows that he has the range to go from drama to comedy, and places in between. Karl has worked in films with the likes of Paul Giamatti, Jimmy Fallon, Sharon Stone, Tom Arnold, James Gandolfini, John Travolta, and Salma Hayek. Able to work on any stage and any situation, Karl’s act is a crowd pleasing delight and will have you begging for more.
Karl appeared in Finding Nemo: The Musical as Bruce the Shark at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and of course, The Adventurer’s Club at Pleasure Island. Throughout his career, Karl has also been seen in over 50 television commercials, 8 movies and even a few television shows. Karl Anthony still gets out to do his stand-up from time to time, but life is pretty busy.
