Alan Stuart Franken born May 21, is an American comedian, actor, writer, and former politician who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from to He first gained fame as a writer and performer on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , where he worked for three stints.
He first served as a writer for the show from to , and returned from to as a writer and, briefly, a cast member. Though initially dismissed as a novelty candidate due to his comedic background, [ 1 ] Franken demonstrated political acumen and was reelected in with Franken resigned on January 2, , after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him. He has since said he regrets that decision. It covers global affairs, politics, and entertainment. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Germany; his maternal grandfather came from Grodno , Russian Empire ; and his maternal grandmother's parents were also from the Russian Empire.
Phoebe was from Allentown, Pennsylvania. The family then moved to St. Louis Park, Minnesota , a suburb of Minneapolis. Franken began performing in high school, where he and his longtime friend and writing partner Tom Davis were known for their comedy.
Another routine proclaimed the s the Al Franken Decade. In the early 80s, Franken, Davis, and Jim Downey wrote a feature film parody of called for Lorne Michaels to produce under his deal with MGM , but the movie was deemed too expensive and never produced. As a result of this sketch, Silverman declined Lorne Michaels 's recommendation for Franken to succeed him as the producer, and Franken left the show when Michaels did, at the end of the β season.
He has acknowledged using cocaine and other illegal drugs while working in television and stated that he stopped after John Belushi died of an overdose. The film was a critical and commercial failure and Franken became depressed as a result. The incident focused media attention on Franken's book and, according to him, greatly increased its sales. Franken signed a one-year contract in early to host a talk show for Air America Radio 's flagship program with co-host Katherine Lanpher , who remained with the show until October The network was launched on March 31, Its stated goal was to put more progressive views on the public airwaves to counter what Franken perceived as the dominance of conservative syndicated commentary on the radio: "I'm doing this because I want to use my energies to get Bush unelected", he told a New York Times reporter in According to an article by Richard Corliss published in Time magazine, "In a way, Franken has been running for office since the late '70s.
