The world has gotten to know the character that Stephen Colbert plays on his Comedy Central show, but who is he really?
Fans who were introduced to Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report or The Daily Show with Jon Stewart may only be familiar with the hyper-conservative satirical character that has made him a household name.
Before Colbert drops the façade for his Late Show hosting gig, we're introducing you to the man behind the character.
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"If there's one word to describe his talent, it's unpredictable," said Colbert's former warm-up comic Peter Dominick.
Along with being one of the funniest guys around, Colbert is also a talented singer and dancer, which could give a host like Jimmy Fallon a run for his money.
"Stephen is an alternative voice," said Chairman of CBS Entertainment Nina Tassler, who is confident that the comedian will make a smooth transition from cable to network television. "Stephen is such a smart host. He's well aware of what the late-night network landscape looks like." And the stars agree.
"Colbert is a great mind in his own right," Johnny Depp told us at the Transcendence premiere. "I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll do."
After honing his craft at The Second City Theatre in Chicago, Colbert, 49, went on to work for such shows as Exit 57, The Dana Carvey Show, Strangers with Candy and then finally The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which gave birth to The Colbert Report.
"I'm sure that he's going to surprise us every night, because there's so much more competition not only in late-night but online," said Pete Dominick. "He's going to want us to go there to say, 'What's next? What is Stephen Colbert going to do tonight?'"
