Howie Mandel

Howard Michael Mandel is a Canadian comedian, television personality, actor, and producer born on November 29, 1955. He is widely recognized for voicing Gizmo in the Gremlins film franchise, portraying Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the medical drama St. Elsewhere, and creating the animated children's series Bobby's World. In addition to his acting and voice roles, Mandel has hosted several game shows, served as a judge on long-running talent competitions, and performed stand-up comedy.

Born in Toronto, Mandel grew up in the city's Bathurst Manor neighborhood. His heritage includes Romanian Jewish and Polish Jewish ancestry, and he is a distant cousin of Israeli violinist Itzhak Perlman. Mandel attended William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute, where he was expelled, and later worked as a carpet salesman. He began his stand-up comedy career at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto before performing at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. These performances led to regular bookings, appearances on the game show Make Me Laugh, opening for David Letterman, a CBC-TV special, and a lead role in the 1980 Canadian film Gas.

Mandel achieved broader recognition in the United States starting in 1982 with his six-year role as Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the NBC drama St. Elsewhere. During this era, he provided the voice for Gizmo in Gremlins (1984) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), voiced characters in the first two seasons of Muppet Babies, and starred in films such as A Fine Mess and Little Monsters. He also gained popularity for his stand-up act, notably a recurring routine in which he inflated a latex glove over his head using his nostrils. In 1990, Mandel created and executive-produced the Emmy-nominated animated series Bobby's World, supplying voices for the title character and his father across seven seasons.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Mandel starred in and hosted various television programs, including his 1992 self-titled comedy show Howie, the 1995 sketch show Howie Mandel's Sunny Skies, and the 1998 syndicated talk show The Howie Mandel Show. He took on voice roles for projects like the video game Tuneland and the movie The Tangerine Bear, alongside guest appearances on shows such as Lois & Clark, Monk, and Medium. Additionally, he produced hidden-camera content, served as a spokesperson for Boston Pizza and buy.com, and regularly performed his comedy act at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

In December 2005, Mandel became the host of the American game show Deal or No Deal on NBC, later hosting daytime, Canadian-English, and 2018 CNBC revival versions, as well as serving as an executive producer for Deal or No Deal Island. He has hosted other game shows and specials, including Howie Do It, Mobbed, Take It All, and Netflix's Bullsh*t: The Game Show in 2022. In June 2025, it was announced that he would host the Canadian spin-off game show The Price Is Right Tonight.

Mandel joined the judging panel of NBC's America's Got Talent in 2010, establishing the longest tenure of any judge or host on the series, and joined Canada's Got Talent as a judge in 2022. Since February 2021, he has co-hosted the Howie Mandel Does Stuff Podcast with his daughter, Jackelyn Shultz. Beyond entertainment, Mandel signed an open letter in 2025 regarding the TV and film industry and has invested in tech startups, including MetaMedia's MagicScreen and Proto Hologram technology.