# Kevin Meaney
**Kevin Meaney** (April 23, 1956 – October 21, 2016) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, best known for his impression of his fretful mother and the catchphrase "That's not right," for more than a dozen appearances on *The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson*, and for starring in the short-lived CBS sitcom *Uncle Buck* (1990–1991).[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/kevin-meaney)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Gerard Meaney[2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) |
| Born | 1956, in White Plains, New York, to Patricia Dorothy (Hickey) and John Paul Meaney[2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) |
| Died | October 21, 2016, at his home in Forestburgh, New York, aged 60[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/kevin-meaney) |
| Breakthrough | First HBO comedy special in 1986[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/kevin-meaney) |
| Signature material | Impression of his mother and the line "That's not right"; a lip-synced spoof of "We Are the World"[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/kevin-meaney) • [3](https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2016/10/26/kevin-meaney-veteran-standup-comedian-and-actor/U6eS8PM11VDFpqsaGbrHuN/story.html) |
| Sitcom lead | Buck Russell on *Uncle Buck* (CBS, 1990–1991), one season[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-meaney/) |
| Broadway | Replacement performer in *Hairspray* from September 6, 2005; opening comedian for *Jerry Seinfeld: Live On Broadway* (1998)[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kevin-meaney-75320) |
| Career length | About 40 years as an actor, comedian, and singer[2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) |
## Early life and start in comedy
Meaney was born in [White Plains, New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/white-plains-new-york), and raised in Westchester County, the middle child of five in an Irish Catholic family of seven.[2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) • [6](https://www.scmp.com/article/294624/funny-mans-family-keep-their-sense-humour) His act drew directly on that household: he described exaggerating his parents, a mother who worried about losing the house over minor domestic mishaps and a father who shouted, as "basically my act."[6](https://www.scmp.com/article/294624/funny-mans-family-keep-their-sense-humour)
He began performing stand-up in 1980, working clubs in San Francisco and Boston, after meeting the Westchester radio personality Bob Fitzsimmons while working as a waiter at the Knollwood Country Club.[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/kevin-meaney) • [2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) His first television appearance came on *An Evening at the Improv*.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-meaney/)
## Breakthrough and television career
**HBO and late night.** Meaney's first HBO comedy special in 1986 brought him into the comedy mainstream.[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/kevin-meaney) He became a fixture of late-night television, making over a dozen appearances on *The Tonight Show* with [Johnny Carson](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-carson), where he was regularly invited to sit on the couch, and appearing on the shows of [David Letterman](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-letterman), Conan O'Brien, and [Oprah Winfrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/oprah-winfrey).[2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) • [7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/kevin-meaney) One signature bit was a lip-synced spoof of the charity single "We Are the World," in which he impersonated Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, and the song's other singers.[3](https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2016/10/26/kevin-meaney-veteran-standup-comedian-and-actor/U6eS8PM11VDFpqsaGbrHuN/story.html)
**Uncle Buck and acting.** In 1990 Meaney moved to Los Angeles to star as Buck Russell in the CBS sitcom version of *Uncle Buck*, adapted from the 1989 film starring [John Candy](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-candy); the series lasted one season, from 1990 to 1991.[2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-meaney-20161022-snap-story.html) Meaney himself drew a line between the two jobs, telling the *Los Angeles Times* in 1992, "My stand-up is one thing and 'Uncle Buck' is another thing," and insisting the show's cancellation had not affected his club draw.[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-17-ca-1873-story.html) Critics were less kind to the sitcom: a 1992 *TIME* review cited Meaney in *Uncle Buck* as an example of a stand-up comic exposed as a "Johnny-one-note" on television.[10](https://time.com/3934188/seinfeld-original-review/)
His other screen work included a small role as an executive in the 1988 film *Big* with [Tom Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hanks), guest roles on *The Jackie Thomas Show*, *Ned and Stacey*, *30 Rock*, and *2 Broke Girls*, and voice roles on animated series including *Garfield and Friends*, *Mad Jack the Pirate*, *Duckman*, and *Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist*.[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/kevin-meaney) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-meaney-20161022-snap-story.html) • [11](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/meaney-kevin-1957)
## Broadway and later career
Meaney joined the Broadway company of the musical *Hairspray* (which ran from August 2002 to January 2009) as a replacement performer from September 6, 2005, playing roles including Harriman F. Spritzer and Mr. Pinky while understudying Edna and Wilbur Turnblad.[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kevin-meaney-75320) His family's obituary describes his nearly five years with the show as his greatest acting experience, and during that period he publicly came out as gay on a Sirius radio program in 2008, at age 52.[2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-meaney/) He had earlier appeared on Broadway as the opening comedian for *Jerry Seinfeld: Live On Broadway* in 1998.[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kevin-meaney-75320)
He continued touring as a stand-up in his later years, and in 2011 told an interviewer that acting work came to him through his stand-up rather than by deliberate choice: "Once you start doing stand up people start to want to see you for other things."[2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) • [12](https://mediamikes.com/2011/08/interview-with-kevin-meaney/)
## Death and tributes
Meaney was found dead at his home in Forestburgh, New York, on Friday, October 21, 2016; his agent, Tom Ingegno, announced the death, and contemporaneous reports said the cause was not immediately known.[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/kevin-meaney) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-meaney-20161022-snap-story.html) IMDb's biography lists the cause as a heart attack.[13](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0575162/bio/) Fellow comedians including [Patton Oswalt](https://www.edgepedia.org/patton-oswalt), Bob Saget, Judd Apatow, and [Michael McKean](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-mckean) paid tribute; Oswalt wrote, "Always thought Kevin Meaney was a brilliant comedian. Then we hung out in Ireland and I found out he was also a terrific person."[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/kevin-meaney) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-meaney-20161022-snap-story.html)
Meaney was a member of the Friars Club and received a local Emmy Award, for the series *Comedy Night*.[2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) • [6](https://www.scmp.com/article/294624/funny-mans-family-keep-their-sense-humour) He was survived by his daughter, Kathleen Ann Meaney, his mother, and three brothers and a sister.[2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) • [13](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0575162/bio/)
## Notes on the record
Most obituaries and database entries give Meaney's birth date as 1956, but the Internet Broadway Database and Encyclopedia.com list his birth year as 1957.[2](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798) • [5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kevin-meaney-75320) • [11](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/meaney-kevin-1957) The obituaries published at his death, which give April 23, 1956, are consistent with his reported age of 60.
## References
1. [Kevin Meaney Obituary, Legacy.com](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/kevin-meaney)
2. [Kevin Meaney Obituary (1956–2016), The Journal News via Legacy.com](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/kevin-meaney-obituary?id=17040798)
3. [Kevin Meaney, 60, veteran standup comedian and actor, The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2016/10/26/kevin-meaney-veteran-standup-comedian-and-actor/U6eS8PM11VDFpqsaGbrHuN/story.html)
4. [Kevin Meaney – Comedian, Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-meaney/)
5. [Kevin Meaney – Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kevin-meaney-75320)
6. [Funny man's family keep their sense of humour, South China Morning Post (1999)](https://www.scmp.com/article/294624/funny-mans-family-keep-their-sense-humour)
7. [Kevin Meaney, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/kevin-meaney)
8. [Comic Kevin Meaney, starred in TV's 'Uncle Buck,' dies at 60, Los Angeles Times (AP)](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-meaney-20161022-snap-story.html)
9. [Uncle Buck Stops Here for Meaney, Los Angeles Times (1992)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-17-ca-1873-story.html)
10. [Read TIME's Original Review of Seinfeld](https://time.com/3934188/seinfeld-original-review/)
11. [Meaney, Kevin, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/meaney-kevin-1957)
12. [Interview with Kevin Meaney, MediaMikes (2011)](https://mediamikes.com/2011/08/interview-with-kevin-meaney/)
13. [Kevin Meaney Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0575162/bio/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › American stand-up comedians, contemporary › Stand-up comedians born 1940–1959*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license