Todd Barry was born in the Bronx, New York, and later moved to New Paltz before his family relocated to Florida when he was eight years old. He pursued his BA in English at the University of Florida. Before comedy became his calling, Barry was the drummer in a band, marking his initial foray onto the stage. In 1987, he made his stand-up comedy debut at Coconut's Comedy Club in North Miami, Florida, inspired by friends who had recently tried their hand at comedy. Starting during the stand-up boom of the late '80s, Barry had ample opportunities to perform at various clubs with open mics springing up everywhere. Among his early companions in the scene was Dan Whitney, now famously known as Larry the Cable Guy, who drove Barry to one of his first gigs. In the pursuit of making comedy his full-time profession, Barry juggled a number of jobs, from substitute teaching to working as a clerk at a VD clinic. In 1989, Barry returned to New York determined to advance his comedy career. His efforts bore fruit in 1998 when he won the Jury Award for Best Stand-up at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, a significant milestone. A memorable moment in his career came around 1999 after being critiqued in the usenet newsgroup alt.fan.conan-obrien following a Conan O'Brien show appearance. Barry's humorous defense and his mentioning of the incident on Late Night inspired him to create a one-man show titled "Icky," which saw a successful run at New York's Upright Citizens Brigade theater. Barry's first comedy album, "Medium Energy," released in 2001, garnered attention from fellow comedian David Cross, which led to its distribution by Subpop. By 2005, Comedy Central Records had picked up the album along with his second release, "Falling Off the Bone." Barry's laid-back stage presence, often misunderstood by club owners, has sometimes posed challenges in his career. Yet, he consistently emphasizes his ability to engage and amuse audiences. Within the comedy community, Barry is known for developing material directly on stage, frequently trying out new jokes in the myriad of small comedy venues in New York. He has also cultivated a playful rivalry with comedian Louis C.K., exchanging humorous and often exaggerated jabs at each other's performing style on forums like aspecialthing. Outside of stand-up, Todd Barry is recognized for his television and film roles, including his portrayal of Todd, the unwilling third Conchord on "Flight of the Conchords," and Wayne, the manager of Mickey Rourke's character in "The Wrestler."