Biography
Prolific comedienne Joy Behar may best be known to television viewers as the co-host of the popular and long-running television chat show
The View, though longtime fans know that the Brooklyn, NY, native has been making waves in the entertainment industry since her early days as a standup comic in the mid-'80s. A graduate of SUNY at Stony Brook who earned an M.A. in English and first entered the professional workforce as a teacher, Behar soon gravitated toward comedy and became a regular fixture at such popular New York clubs as Caroline's and Catch a Rising Star.
By 1989, Behar's playful sense of humor had gained her a steady following on the comedy circuit, and she was granted her own
One Night Stand special on HBO. It was this performance, as well as bit roles in such films as the
Jon Cryer comedy
Hiding Out, the
Peter Falk action comedy
Cookie, and the short-lived sitcom
Baby Boom that first served to expose the rising star to a wide audience. In 1993, Behar appeared in the
Woody Allen comedy
Manhattan Murder Mystery, with subsequent appearances on such television talk shows as The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Tony Danza Show,
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and
Late Night with Conan O'Brien -- as well as a stint hosting a popular WABC radio call-in show -- helping to prepare her for her own role as a live-television-show host on
The View.
When
The View debuted in 1997, Behar co-hosted only on days when
Barbara Walters was not present, but it didn't take long for her to become a regular member of the show (expanding the panel from four women to five) -- her likable and laid-back demeanor making her the ideal candidate to exchange banter with co-hosts such as
Meredith Vieira,
Elisabeth Hasselbeck,
Lisa Ling,
Rosie O'Donnell,
Star Jones, and
Whoopi Goldberg. Nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards every year since 1998,
The View's playful mix of gossip and discussion made it a favorite amongst female television viewers -- the occasional clash between co-hosts only serving to spice things up and spike the ratings. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide