Best known for his role as dimwitted electrician Joe Garelli on NBC's acclaimed sitcom News Radio, Joe Rogan is equally at home in the standup arena, where his comic persona shifts into the edgier, angrier territory of Sam Kinison and Bill Hicks. Rogan was born on August 11, 1967, in Newark, NJ; he lived in several cities as a child (primarily Boston) and was prone to behavioral problems until discovering Tae Kwon Do in his early teens. Rogan proved highly adept, taking home championships on both state and national levels. Some of Rogan's fellow martial artists eventually coaxed him on-stage at a Boston comedy club's open-mic night, and shortly thereafter, he began to concentrate full-time on standup work. After relocating to New York, Rogan caught a series of small breaks, including an appearance on MTV's Half Hour Comedy Hour and a role on the short-lived sports comedy Hardball. Finally, Rogan landed his spot on News Radio in 1995.