Bill Hicks: Angry Young Man of Stand-Up Comedy

Born in Georgia in 1961, Bill Hicks worked his way around the U.S. stand-up comedy circuit in the late 70s and throughout the 80s after first beginning his career at the Comedy Workshop in Houston, Texas, at the age of 17, when he was still a high-school student by day. By the early 90s, he had hit the big time.

Mostly known for his particular brand of anti-war, pro-smoking, corporate-bashing stand-up — Hicks was, and remains, the “angry young man” of stand-up comedy. Perhaps best remembered for his attitude to smoking – Hicks revelled in being a chain smoker and baiting the “prissy non-smokers” who urged him to quit.

But his career, and life, were cut short; he died from pancreatic cancer on 26 February 1994, at the age of 32.