An American comedy writer, songwriter and actor, Bruce Vilanch.

Bruce Vilanch is also a six-time Emmy Award winner.

Bruce’s career as an actor started in 1975 when he made his feature film début playing a dress manufacturer in the film Mahogany, starring Diana Ross. Then he had several appearances in the 1980s to 1990s.

Bruce also performed his off-Broadway one-man show Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous at the Westbeth Theatre Center in 2000. Then in 2005, he starred on Broadway as Edna Turnblad in the long-running 2002 musical Hairspray after playing the role for two years in the show’s first national stage tour of 2003–6.

Bruce is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; behind the scenes he was head writer for the show. From 2000 to 2014, Vilanch was the head writer for the Oscars, after being an Oscar program co-writer for the previous ten years. He is a featured writer for the Tonys, Grammys and Emmys.

Bruce shared about:

• Growing gay and unique.
• Challenges growing up being adopted.
• Directing the Emmy Academy Awards.