Craig Ferguson

Craig Ferguson is a Scottish and American actor, comedian, writer, and television host. He is best known for hosting the CBS late-night talk show The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson from 2005 to 2014. He has also hosted several game shows and television series, including Celebrity Name Game, Join or Die with Craig Ferguson, The Hustler, and Scrabble.

Ferguson was born on 17 May 1962 in Springburn, Glasgow, to Robert and Janet Ferguson. Raised in Cumbernauld, he attended Muirfield Primary School and Cumbernauld High School. At age 16, he left school to begin an electronics technician apprenticeship. He has three siblings, including a younger sister, Lynn, who is also an entertainer. Ferguson first visited the United States in 1975 and later worked in construction and as a bouncer in New York City in 1983.

Ferguson began his entertainment career in the United Kingdom as a drummer for punk bands, including the Dreamboys alongside Peter Capaldi. Capaldi inspired him to perform comedy, leading Ferguson to create the parody character Bing Hitler at the 1986 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He subsequently appeared in British television shows such as Red Dwarf, The Craig Ferguson Show, The Dirt Detective, and The Ferguson Theory, while also performing in stage productions like The Rocky Horror Show.

Moving to Los Angeles in 1994, Ferguson achieved his American breakthrough playing Mr. Nigel Wick on the ABC sitcom The Drew Carey Show from 1996 to 2004. In January 2005, he became the regular host of The Late Late Show, introducing novel elements such as direct-to-camera monologues and a robotic skeleton sidekick named Geoff Peterson, before stepping down in December 2014.

After The Late Late Show, Ferguson hosted the syndicated series Celebrity Name Game from 2014 to 2017, Join or Die with Craig Ferguson on History in 2016, and the ABC game show The Hustler from 2021 to 2022. He released the 2017 web show Couple Thinkers with his wife, Megan Wallace Cunningham, began broadcasting his iHeartMedia podcast Joy in August 2023, and was selected to host Scrabble on The CW Network starting in 2026.

Beyond broadcasting, Ferguson authored the novel Between the Bridge and the River and two memoirs, American on Purpose (2009) and Riding the Elephant (2019). He wrote and starred in the films The Big Tease, Saving Grace, and I'll Be There, directing the latter. He also voiced characters in animated films such as the How to Train Your Dragon series, Winnie the Pooh (2011), and Brave (2012). His accolades include a 2009 Peabody Award, two Daytime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award nomination.