World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, ''worldwide'', i.e. anywhere on Earth.

In a philosophical context it may refer to: (1) the whole of the physical Universe, or (2) an ontological world (''see world disclosure''). In a theological context, ''world'' usually refers to the material or the profane sphere, as opposed to the celestial, spiritual, transcendent or sacred. The "end of the world" refers to scenarios of the final end of human history, often in religious contexts.

World history is commonly understood as spanning the major geopolitical developments of about five millennia, from the first civilizations to the present.

World population is the sum of all human populations at any time; similarly, world economy is the sum of the economies of all societies (all countries), especially in the context of globalization. Terms like world championship, gross world product, world flags etc. also imply the sum or combination of all current-day sovereign states.

In terms such as world religion, world language, and world war, ''world'' suggests international or intercontinental scope without necessarily implying participation of the entire world.

In terms such as world map and world climate, ''world'' is used in the sense detached from human culture or civilization, referring to the planet Earth physically.

Etymology and Usage

The English word ''world'' comes from the Old English ''weorold (-uld), weorld, worold (-uld, -eld)'', a compound of ''wer'' "man" and ''eld'' "age," which thus means roughly "Age of Man." The Old English is a reflex of the Common Germanic ''*wira-alđiz'', also reflected in Old Saxon ''werold'', Old High German ''weralt'', Old Frisian ''warld'' and Old Norse ''verǫld'' (whence the Icelandic ''veröld'').

The corresponding word in Latin ''mundus'', literally "clean, elegant", itself a loan translation of Greek ''cosmos'' "orderly arrangement." While the Germanic word thus reflects a mythological notion of a "domain of Man" (compare Midgard), presumably as opposed to the divine sphere on the one hand and the chthonic sphere of the underworld on the other, the Greco-Latin term expresses a notion of creation as an act of establishing order out of chaos.

'World' distinguishes the entire planet or population from any particular country or region: ''world affairs'' pertain not just to one place but to the whole world, and ''world history'' is a field of history that examines events from a global (rather than a national or a regional) perspective. ''Earth'', on the other hand, refers to the planet as a physical entity, and distinguishes it from other planets and physical objects.

'''World''' can also be used attributively, to mean 'global', 'relating to the whole world', forming usages such as world community or world canonical texts.

By extension, a '''world''' may refer to any planet or heavenly body, especially when it is thought of as inhabited, especially in the context of science fiction or futurology.

'''World''', in original sense, when qualified, can also refer to a particular domain of human experience.

The ''world of work'' describes paid work and the pursuit of career, in all its social aspects, to distinguish it from home life and academic study.

The ''fashion world'' describes the environment of the designers, fashion houses and consumers that make up the fashion industry.

historically, the ''New World'' vs. the ''Old World'', referring to the parts of the world colonized in the wake of the age of discovery. Now mostly used in zoology and botany, as New World monkey.

Philosophy

In philosophy, the term world has several possible meanings. In some contexts, it refers to everything that makes up reality or the physical universe. In others, it can mean have a specific ontological sense (see world disclosure). While clarifying the concept of world has arguably always been among the basic tasks of Western philosophy, this theme appears to have been raised explicitly only at the start of the twentieth century and has been the subject of continuous debate. The question of what the world is has by no means been settled.

;Parmenides The traditional interpretation of Parmenides' work is that he argued that the every-day perception of reality of the physical world (as described in doxa) is mistaken, and that the reality of the world is 'One Being' (as described in aletheia): an unchanging, ungenerated, indestructible whole.

;Plato In his Allegory of the Cave, Plato distingues between forms and ideas and imagines two distinct worlds : the sensible world and the intelligible world.

;Hegel In Hegel's philosophy of history, the expression ''Weltgeschichte ist Weltgericht'' (World History is a tribunal that judges the World) is used to assert the view that History is what judges men, their actions and their opinions. Science is born from the desire to transform the World in relation to Man ; its final end is technical application.

;Schopenhauer ''The World as Will and Representation'' is the central work of Arthur Schopenhauer. Schopenhauer saw the human will as our one window to the world behind the representation; the Kantian thing-in-itself. He believed, therefore, that we could gain knowledge about the thing-in-itself, something Kant said was impossible, since the rest of the relationship between representation and thing-in-itself could be understood by analogy to the relationship between human will and human body.

;Wittgenstein Two definitions that were both put forward in the 1920s, however, suggest the range of available opinion. "The world is everything that is the case," wrote Ludwig Wittgenstein in his influential ''Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus'', first published in 1922. This definition would serve as the basis of logical positivism, with its assumption that there is exactly one world, consisting of the totality of facts, regardless of the interpretations that individual people may make of them.

;Heidegger Martin Heidegger, meanwhile, argued that "the surrounding world is different for each of us, and notwithstanding that we move about in a common world". The world, for Heidegger, was that into which we are always already "thrown" and with which we, as beings-in-the-world, must come to terms. His conception of "world disclosure" was most notably elaborated in his 1927 work ''Being and Time''.

;Freud In response, Freud proposed that we do not move about in a common world, but a common thought process. He believed that all the actions of a person is motivated by one thing: lust. This led to numerous theories about reactionary consciousness.

;Other Some philosophers, often inspired by David Lewis, argue that metaphysical concepts such as possibility, probability and necessity are best analyzed by comparing ''the'' world to a range of possible worlds; a view commonly known as modal realism.

Religion and mythology

Mythological cosmologies often depict the world as centered around an axis mundi and delimited by a boundary such as a world ocean, a world serpent or similar.

See also

Globe

List of sovereign states

Universe

References

External links

Category:Earth

ar:عالَم arc:ܥܠܡܐ (ܐܪܥܐ) ay:Pacha zh-min-nan:Sè-kài bg:Свят bi:Wol ca:Món ceb:Kalibotan cs:Svět de:Welt dv:ދުނިޔެ es:Mundo eo:Mondo ext:Mundu eu:Mundu fa:جهان fr:Monde (univers) gd:Cruinne-cè ko:세계 hi:जगत hr:Svijet io:Mondo ia:Mundo it:Mondo he:עולם ka:მსოფლიო kk:Дүние жүзі ht:Lemonn ku:Cîhan lv:Pasaule lmo:Mond ml:ലോകം mt:Dinja mr:जग mwl:Mundo nl:Wereld (Aarde) ne:विश्व ja:世界 nap:Munno nn:Verd uz:Dunyo pnb:دنیا ps:نړۍ km:ពិភពលោក tpi:Wol pt:Mundo qu:Kay pacha ru:Мир (Земля) sco:Warld stq:Waareld sq:Bota scn:Munnu simple:World ss:Úmhlâba sk:Svet sh:Svijet sv:Världen tl:Mundo te:ప్రపంచము tg:Ҷаҳон uk:Світ ur:دُنیا vi:Thế giới vo:Vol wo:Àdduna yi:וועלט yo:Àgbáyé bat-smg:Sviets zh:世界

name	Vasco da Gama
birth date	1465 or 1469
birth place	Sines or Vidigueira, Alentejo, Kingdom of Portugal
death date	23 December 1524 (aged 54-64)
death place	Kochi, India
signature	Vasco da gama signature.svg
occupation	Explorer, Governor of Portuguese India }}

Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira () (c. 1460 or 1469 – 24 December 1524) was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India. For a short time in 1524 he was the Governor of Portuguese India, under the title of Viceroy.

Early life

Vasco da Gama was born in either 1460 or 1469 in Sines, on the southwest coast of Portugal, probably in a house near the church of Nossa Senhora das Salas. Sines, one of the few seaports on the Alentejo coast, consisted of little more than a cluster of whitewashed, red-tiled cottages, tenanted chiefly by fisherfolk. Vasco da Gama's father was Estêvão da Gama. In the 1460s he was a knight in the household of the Duke of Viseu, Dom Fernando, who appointed him Alcaide-Mór or Civil Governor of Sines and enabled him to receive a small revenue from taxes on soap making in Estremoz.

Estêvão da Gama was married to Dona Isabel Sodré, daughter of João Sodré (also known as João de Resende). Sodré, who was of English descent, had links to the household of Prince Diogo, Duke of Viseu, son of king Edward I of Portugal and governor of the military Order of Christ.

Little is known of Vasco da Gama's early life. The Portuguese historian Teixeira de Aragão suggests that da Gama studied at the inland town of Évora, which is where he may have learned mathematics and navigation. It is evident that da Gama knew astronomy well, and it is possible that he may have studied under the astronomer Abraham Zacuto.

In 1492 King John II of Portugal sent da Gama to the port of Setúbal, south of Lisbon and to the Algarve to seize French ships in retaliation for peacetime depredations against Portuguese shipping - a task that Vasco rapidly and effectively performed.

Exploration before da Gama

From the early fifteenth century, the nautical school of Henry the Navigator had been extending Portuguese knowledge of the African coastline. From the 1460s, the goal had become one of rounding that continent's southern extremity to gain easier access to the riches of India (mainly black pepper and other spices) through a reliable sea route.

The Republic of Venice had gained control over much of the trade routes between Europe and Asia. Portugal hoped to use the route pioneered by Bartolomeu Dias to break the Venetian trading monopoly.

By the time da Gama was in his 20s, these long-term plans were coming to fruits. Bartolomeu Dias had returned from rounding the Cape of Good Hope, having explored as far as the Fish River (''Rio do Infante'') in modern-day South Africa and having verified that the unknown coast stretched away to the northeast.

Concurrent land exploration during the reign of João II of Portugal supported the theory that India was reachable by sea from the Atlantic Ocean. Pero da Covilhã and Afonso de Paiva were sent via Barcelona, Naples and Rhodes, into Alexandria and thence to Aden, Hormuz and India, which gave credence to the theory.

It remained for an explorer to prove the link between the findings of Dias and those of da Covilhã and de Paiva and to connect these separate segments into a potentially lucrative trade route into the Indian Ocean. The task, originally given to Vasco da Gama's father, was offered to Vasco by Manuel I on the strength of his record of protecting Portuguese trading stations along the African Gold Coast from depredations by the French.

First voyage

On 8 July 1497 Vasco da Gama led a fleet of four ships with a crew of 170 men from Lisbon. The distance traveled in the journey around Africa to India and back was greater than around the equator. The navigators included Portugal's most experienced, Pero de Alenquer, Pedro Escobar, João de Coimbra, and Afonso Gonçalves. It is not known for certain how many people were in each ship's crew but approximately 55 returned, and two ships were lost. Two of the vessels were ''as naus'' or newly built for the voyage, possibly a caravel and a supply boat. The four ships were:

The ''São Gabriel'', commanded by Vasco da Gama; a carrack of 178 tons, length 27 m, width 8.5 m, draft 2.3 m, sails of 372 m²

The ''São Rafael'', whose commander was his brother Paulo da Gama; similar dimensions to the ''São Gabriel''

The caravel ''Berrio'', slightly smaller than the former two (later re-named São Miguel), commanded by Nicolau Coelho

A storage ship of unknown name, commanded by Gonçalo Nunes, later lost near the Bay of São Brás, along the east coast of Africa

Journey to the Cape

The expedition set sail from Lisbon on 8 July 1497, following the route pioneered by earlier explorers along the coast of Africa via Tenerife and the Cape Verde Islands. After reaching the coast of present day Sierra Leone, da Gama took a course south into the open ocean, crossing the Equator and seeking the South Atlantic westerlies that Bartolomeu Dias had discovered in 1487. This course proved successful and on November 4, 1497, the expedition made landfall on the African coast. For over three months the ships had sailed more than 6,000 miles of open ocean, by far the longest journey out of sight of land made by the time.

By December 16, the fleet had passed the Great Fish River (Eastern Cape, South Africa) - where Dias had turned back - and sailed into waters previously unknown to Europeans. With Christmas pending, da Gama and his crew gave the coast they were passing the name Natal, which carried the connotation of "birth of Christ" in Portuguese.

Arab-controlled territory on the East African coast was an integral part of the network of trade in the Indian Ocean. Fearing the local population would be hostile to Christians, da Gama impersonated a Muslim and gained audience with the Sultan of Mozambique. With the paltry trade goods he had to offer, da Gama was unable to provide a suitable gift to the ruler and soon the local populace became suspicious of da Gama and his men. Forced by a hostile crowd to flee Mozambique, da Gama departed the harbor, firing his cannons into the city in retaliation.

Mombasa

In the vicinity of modern Kenya, the expedition resorted to piracy, looting Arab merchant ships - generally unarmed trading vessels without heavy cannons. The Portuguese became the first known Europeans to visit the port of Mombasa but were met with hostility and soon departed.

Malindi

In February 1498, Vasco da Gama continued north, landing at the friendlier port of Malindi - whose leaders were then in conflict with those of Mombasa - and there the expedition first noted evidence of Indian traders. Da Gama and his crew contracted the services of a pilot whose knowledge of the monsoon winds allowed him to bring the expedition the rest of the way to Calicut (Kozhikode), located on the southwest coast of India. Sources differ over the identity of the pilot, calling him variously a Christian, a Muslim, and a Gujarati. One traditional story describes the pilot as the famous Arab navigator Ibn Majid, but other contemporaneous accounts place Majid elsewhere, and he could not have been near the vicinity at the time. Also, none of the Portuguese historians of the time mention Ibn Majid.

Calicut, India

The fleet arrived in Kappad near Calicut, India on 20 May 1498. The King of Calicut, the Saamoothiri (Zamorin), who was at that time staying in his second capital at Ponnani, returned to Calicut on hearing the news of the European fleets's arrival. The navigator was received with traditional hospitality, including a grand procession of at least 3,000 armed Nairs, but an interview with the Zamorin failed to produce any concrete results. The presents that da Gama sent to the Zamorin as gifts from Dom Manuel—four cloaks of scarlet cloth, six hats, four branches of corals, twelve ''almasares'', a box with seven brass vessels, a chest of sugar, two barrels of oil and a cask of honey—were trivial, and failed to impress. While Zamorin's officials wondered at why there was no gold or silver, the Muslim merchants who considered da Gama their rival suggested that the latter was only an ordinary pirate and not a royal ambassador. Vasco da Gama's request for permission to leave a factor behind him in charge of the merchandise he could not sell was turned down by the King, who insisted that da Gama pay customs duty—preferably in gold—like any other trader, which strained the relation between the two. Annoyed by this, da Gama carried a few Nairs and sixteen Mukkuva fishermen off with him by force. Nevertheless, da Gama's expedition was successful beyond all reasonable expectation, bringing in cargo that was worth sixty times the cost of the expedition.

Return

Vasco da Gama set sail for home on 29 August 1498. Eager to leave, he ignored the local knowledge of monsoon wind patterns which were still blowing onshore. Crossing the Indian Ocean to India, sailing with the monsoon wind, had taken da Gama's ships only 23 days. The return trip across the ocean, sailing against the wind, took 132 days, and da Gama arrived in Malindi on 7 January 1499. During this trip, approximately half of the crew died, and many of the rest were afflicted with scurvy. Two of da Gama's ships made it back to Portugal, arriving in July and August of 1499.

Vasco da Gama returned to Portugal in September 1499 and was richly rewarded as the man who had brought to fruition a plan that had taken eighty years to fulfill. He was given the title "Admiral of the Indian Seas," and his feudal rights to Sines were confirmed. Manuel I also awarded the perpetual title of ''Dom'' (lord) to da Gama, as well as to his brothers and sisters and to all of their descendants.

The spice trade would prove to be a major asset to the Portuguese economy, and other consequences soon followed. For example, da Gama's voyage had made it clear that the east coast of Africa, the ''Contra Costa'', was essential to Portuguese interests; its ports provided fresh water, provisions, timber, and harbors for repairs, and served as a refuge where ships could wait out unfavorable weather. One significant result was the colonization of Mozambique by the Portuguese Crown.

However, da Gama's achievements were somewhat dimmed by his failure to bring any trade goods of interest to the nations of India. Moreover, the sea route was fraught with its own perils - his fleet went more than thirty days without seeing land and only 60 of his 180 companions, on one of his three ships, returned to Portugal in 1498. Nevertheless, da Gama's initial journey opened a direct sea route to Asia.

Second voyage

On 12 February 1502, da Gama commanded the 4th Portuguese ''Armada'' to India, a fleet of fifteen ships and eight hundred men, with the object of enforcing Portuguese interests in the east. On reaching India in October 1502, da Gama started capturing any Arab vessel he came across in Indian waters. While the Zamorin was willing to sign a treaty, da Gama made a preposterous call to the Hindu King to expel all Muslims from Calicut which was naturally turned down. He bombarded the city destroying several houses on the sea shore. He also captured several rice vessels and barbarously cut off the crew's hands, ears and noses. He then sailed south to Cochin, a small vassal kingdom of Calicut where he was given a warm welcome. Da Gama continued north on his return path. Once he had reached the northern parts of the Indian Ocean, da Gama waited for a ship to return from Mecca and seized all the merchandise on it. He then ordered the hundreds of passengers be locked in the hold and the ship - named ''Mîrî'', and which contained many wealthy Muslim merchants — to be set on fire.. Da Gama assaulted and exacted tribute from the Arab-controlled port of Kilwa in East Africa, one of those ports involved in frustrating the Portuguese. His ships engaged in privateer actions against Arab merchant ships. He returned to Portugal in September 1503 with silk and gold.

Third voyage

In 1519 he became the first Count of Vidigueira, a count title created by King Manuel I of Portugal on a royal decree issued in Évora on December 29, after an agreement with Dom Jaime, Duke of Braganza, who ceded him on payment the towns of Vidigueira and Vila dos Frades. This decree granted Vasco da Gama and his heirs all the revenues and privileges related, thus establishing da Gama as the first Portuguese count (earl) who was not born with royal blood.

Having acquired a fearsome reputation as a "fixer" of problems that arose in India, Vasco da Gama was sent to the subcontinent once more in 1524. The intention was that he was to replace the incompetent Eduardo de Menezes as Viceroy (representative) of the Portuguese possessions, but da Gama contracted malaria not long after arriving in Goa and died in the city of Cochin on Christmas Eve in 1524.

His body was first buried at St. Francis Church, which was located at Fort Kochi in the city of Kochi, but his remains were returned to Portugal in 1539. The body of Vasco da Gama was re-interred in Vidigueira in a casket decorated with gold and jewels.

The Monastery of the Hieronymites, in Belém was erected in honor of his voyage to India.

Pilgrim ship incident

Vasco da Gama inflicted acts of cruelty upon competing traders and local inhabitants. During his second voyage to Calicut, da Gama intercepted a ship of Muslim pilgrims at Madayi travelling from Calicut to Mecca. Described by the Portuguese historian Gaspar Correia as one that is unequalled in cold-blooded cruelty, da Gama looted the ship with over 400 pilgrims on board including 50 women, locked in the passengers, the owner and an ambassador from Egypt and burnt them to death. They offered their wealth which 'could ransom all the Christian slaves in the Kingdom of Fez and much more' but were not spared. Da Gama looked on through the porthole and saw the women bringing up their gold and jewels and holding up their babies to beg for mercy.'

After demanding the expulsion of Muslims from Calicut to the Hindu Zamorin, the latter sent the high priest Talappana Namboothiri (the very same person who conducted da Gama to the Zamorin's chamber during his much celebrated first visit to Calicut in May 1498) for talks. Da Gama called him a spy, ordered the priests' lips and ears to be cut off and after sewing a pair of dog's ears to his head, sent him away. The 19th century composer Louis-Albert Bourgault-Ducoudray composed an eponymous 1872 opera based on da Gama's life and exploits at sea.

The port city of Vasco da Gama in Goa is named after him, as is the crater Vasco da Gama on the Moon. There are three football clubs in Brazil (including Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama) and Vasco Sports Club in Goa that were also named after him. There exists a church in Kochi, Kerala called Vasco da Gama Church, and a private residence on the island of Saint Helena. The suburb of Vasco in Cape Town also honours him.

A few places in Lisbon's Parque das Nações are named after the explorer, such as the Vasco da Gama Bridge, Vasco da Gama Tower and the ''Centro Comercial Vasco da Gama'' shopping centre. The Oceanário in the Parque das Nações has a mascot of a cartoon diver with the name of "Vasco", who is named after the explorer.

South African musician Hugh Masekela recorded an anti-colonialist song entitled "Vasco da Gama (The Sailor Man)", which contains the lyrics "Vasco da Gama was no friend of mine". He later recorded another version of this song under the name "Colonial Man".

In fiction

Vasco da Gama appears as a villain like character in a Malayalam film titled ''Urumi''. The film is fully based on a fictional story about a young Indian named Kelu Nayanar who tried to kill Vasco da Gama. Eventhough the film was not a big success in kerala, it attracted audiance due to the elegant camera work of well known Indian film director and camera man Santosh Sivan. The movie was released on 31 March 2011.

See also

Chronology of European exploration of Asia

Count of Vidigueira

Ferdinand Magellan

Francisco de Almeida

Portuguese India

Spice trade

References

;Notes ;Sources Facsimile reprint of a 1869 edition by the Hakluyt Society, London. |pages= |url=http://www.archive.org/details/asiaandwesterndo009963mbp }} (reissued by Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1-108-01296-6)

External links

Vasco da Gama , prominentpeople.co.za

Vasco da Gama's ''Round Africa to India'', fordham.edu

Vasco da Gama web tutorial with animated maps, ucalgary.ca

Brief description of Vasco da Gama's journeys, sify.com

Urumi Malayalam Movie, expressbuzz.com

Category:1524 deaths Category:Portuguese explorers Category:Portuguese maritime history Category:Portuguese Roman Catholics Category:Explorers of Asia Category:Explorers of Africa Category:Viceroys of Portuguese India Category:Age of Discovery Category:Deaths from malaria Category:Infectious disease deaths in India Category:Maritime history of South Africa Category:15th-century Roman Catholics Category:History of Kerala Category:History of Goa

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name	Denis Leary
birth name	Denis Colin Leary
birth date	August 18, 1957
birth place	Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
medium	Stand up, Music, Television, Film
active	1987–present
genre	Observational comedy, Black comedy, Insult comedy, Satire, Musical comedy
subject	American culture, Current events, Libertarianism, Recreational drug use, Drinking culture
influences	Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks, Michael Gough, Sam Kinison
spouse	Ann Lembeck (1989–present; 2 children)
notable work	''No Cure for Cancer''''Lock 'n Load''''Gus'', in ''The Ref''''Michael McCann'', in ''The Thomas Crown Affair''''Diego'', in ''Ice Age''''Tommy Gavin'', in ''Rescue Me''''Bill'', in ''The Sandlot''
website	http://denisleary.com
footnotes	}}

Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, singer, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting comedic style and his chain smoking. He is the star and co-creator of the television show ''Rescue Me'', which began its seventh and final season in July 2011.

Early life

Leary was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, the son of Irish Catholic immigrants. His mother, Nora (née Sullivan), was a maid, and his father, John Leary, was an auto mechanic. As both of his parents are from Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, Leary holds both Irish and American citizenship. Through marriage, Leary is a third cousin of talk show host Conan O'Brien. He attended Saint Peter-Marian High School, in Worcester.

Leary is a graduate of Emerson College, in Boston. While at Emerson, he met fellow comic Mario Cantone, who to this day Leary considers his closest friend. Comedian Steven Wright and actress Gina Gershon also attended Emerson at the same time as Leary. At the school, he founded the Emerson Comedy Workshop, a troupe that continues on-campus as of 2011. After graduating with the Emerson Class of 1979, he took a job at the school teaching comedy writing classes and maintained the job for five years. Leary received an honorary doctorate and spoke briefly at his alma mater's undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 16, 2005; he is thus credited as "Dr. Denis Leary" on the cover of his 2009 book, ''Why We Suck''.

Career

Leary began working as a comedian in the Boston comedy scene of the 1980s, where he hosted his own show at the underground club "Play It Again Sam's". He also wrote and appeared on a local comedy series, ''Lenny Clarke's Late Show'', hosted by his friend Lenny Clarke and written by Boston comedy writer Martin Olson. Leary and Clarke both spoke about their early affiliations and influences in the Boston comedy scene in the documentary film ''When Standup Stood Out'' (2006). It was during this time that he developed his stage persona. He also appeared in skits on the MTV game show ''Remote Control'', playing such characters as Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, the "brother" of co-host Colin Quinn, and artist Andy Warhol.

Leary first earned fame when he ranted about R.E.M. in an early 1990s MTV sketch. Several other commercials for MTV quickly followed, in which Leary would rant at high speeds about a variety of topics, playing off the then-popular and growing alternative scene. He released two records of his stand-up comedy: ''No Cure for Cancer'' (1993) and ''Lock 'n Load'' (1997). In late 2004, he released the EP ''Merry F#%$in' Christmas'', which included a mix of new music, previously unreleased recordings, and some tracks from ''Lock 'n Load''.

In 1993, his sardonic song about the stereotypical American male, "Asshole", achieved much notoriety. It was voted #1 in an Australian youth radio poll (the Triple J Hottest 100). The song was used as part of the Holsten Pils series of ads in the UK, in which Leary was participating, with adapted lyrics criticizing a drunk driver.

Leary has appeared as an actor in over 40 movies, including ''The Sandlot'', as Scott's stepfather Bill, ''Monument Ave.'', ''The Matchmaker'', ''The Ref'', ''Suicide Kings'', ''Dawg'', ''Wag the Dog'', ''Demolition Man'', ''The Thomas Crown Affair'', and ''Operation Dumbo Drop''. He had a small part in Oliver Stone's ''Natural Born Killers'', playing a ranting inmate during a prison riot; his part was eventually cut, but can be seen on the Special Edition DVD. He has had the lead role in two television series, ''The Job'' and the FX cable-network series ''Rescue Me'', of which he is also co-creator. He plays Tommy Gavin, a New York City firefighter dealing with alcoholism, family dysfunction, and other issues in post-9/11 New York City. He received Emmy nominations in 2006 and 2007 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

In addition, Leary has provided voices for characters in animated films, such as a fire-breathing dragon named Flame in the series ''The Agents'', a prehistoric saber-toothed cat named Diego in the ''Ice Age'' film trilogy, and the pugnacious ladybug Francis in ''A Bug's Life''. He has produced numerous movies, television shows, and specials through his production company, Apostle; these include Comedy Central's ''Shorties Watchin' Shorties'', the stand-up special ''Denis Leary's Merry F#$%in' Christmas'', and the movie ''Blow''. As a Boston Red Sox fan, he narrated the official 2004 World Series film. In 2006, Leary and Lenny Clarke appeared on television during a Red Sox telecast and, upon realizing that Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis is Jewish, delivered a criticism of Mel Gibson's antisemitic comments. As an ice hockey fan, Leary hosted the National Hockey League video ''NHL's Greatest Goals''. In 2003, he was the subject of the ''Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary''.

Leary did the TV voiceover for MLB 2K8 advertisements, where he used his trademark rant style in baseball terms, and ads for the 2009 Ford F-150 pickup truck. He has also appeared in commercials for Hulu and DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket package. Leary was a producer of the Fox Broadcasting series ''Canterbury's Law'', and wrote and directed its pilot episode. ''Canterbury's Law'' aired in the spring of 2008 and was canceled after eight episodes.

On September 9, 2008, Leary hosted the sixth annual ''Fashion Rocks'' event, which aired on CBS. In December of the year, he appeared in a video on funnyordie.com critiquing a list of some of his "best" films, titled "Denis Leary Remembers Denis Leary Movies". Also in in 2008, Leary voiced a guest role as himself on the "Lost Verizon" episode of ''The Simpsons''.

On March 21, 2009 Leary began the "Rescue Me Comedy Tour" in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 11-date tour, featuring ''Rescue Me'' co-stars Lenny Clarke and Adam Ferrara, was Leary's first stand-up comedy tour in 12 years. The Comedy Central special ''Douchebags and Donuts'', filmed during the tour, debuted on American television January 16, 2011, with a DVD release on January 18, 2011.

On January 1, 2010, both Leary and Lenny Clarke sang the Neil Diamond song "Sweet Caroline" at the 2010 NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park, flanked by members of the Boston and Worcester Fire Departments. Nine days later, Leary sang at Road Recovery, on New York City's The Bowery, along with Peter Frampton, John Varvatos and Leary's band The Enablers.

He is currently writing the American adaptation of British comedy ''Sirens''.

Personal life

Leary has been married to writer Ann Lembeck Leary since 1989. They met when he was her instructor in an English class at Emerson College. They have two children, son John Joseph "Jack" (born 1990) and daughter Devin (born 1992). Ann Leary published a memoir, An Innocent, a Broad, about the premature birth of their son on an overseas visit to England. She has also written a novel, Outtakes From a Marriage, which was published in 2008.

Leary is an ice hockey fan and has his own backyard hockey rink at his home in Connecticut, with piping installed under the ice surface to help the ice stay frozen. His favorite National Hockey League team is the Boston Bruins. He is also a Boston Red Sox fan, as well as a fan of the Green Bay Packers.

Leary told Glenn Beck, "I was a life-long Democrat, but now at my age, I've come to realize that the Democrats suck, and the Republicans suck, and basically the entire system sucks. But you have to go within the system to find what you want." Leary supported Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

Leary has said of his religious beliefs, "I'm a lapsed Catholic in the best sense of the word. You know, I was raised with Irish parents, Irish immigrant parents. My parents, you know, prayed all the time, took us to Mass. And my father would sometimes swear in Gaelic. It doesn't get more religious than that. But, no, after a while, they taught us wrong. I didn't raise my kids with the fear of God. I raised my kids with the sense of, you know, to me, Jesus was this great guy...."

Leary Firefighters Foundation

On December 3, 1999, six firefighters from Leary's hometown of Worcester were killed in the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire. Among the dead were Leary's cousin Jerry Lucey and his close childhood friend Lt. Tommy Spencer. In response, the comedian founded the Leary Firefighters Foundation. Since its creation in the year 2000, the foundation has distributed over $2.5 million (USD) to fire departments in the Worcester, Boston, and New York City areas for equipment, training materials, new vehicles, and new facilities. Leary won $125,000 for the foundation on the game show ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire''. Leary has close ties with 107.3 WAAF-FM, which in 2000 released the station album ''Survive This!'' Part of the proceeds from this album were donated to the Leary Firefighters Foundation.

A separate fund run by Leary's foundation, the Fund for New York's Bravest, has distributed over $2 million to the families of the 343 firemen killed in the September 11 attacks in 2011 in addition to providing funding for necessities such as a new mobile command center, first responder training, and a high-rise simulator for the New York City Fire Department's training campus. This new fund was established because the families of the Worcester fire did not want to include New York families into the fund. As a result, Leary created a separate fund for New York.

As the foundation's president, Leary has been active in all of the fundraising, usually presenting large checks and donated equipment personally. The close relationship he has developed with the FDNY as well as with individual firefighters across the New York/New England area has resulted in Leary's most recent television show, ''Rescue Me'', a comedy-drama on FX. In the pilot episode of the show, he is seen wearing a Leary Firefighter Foundation 9-11 Memorial T-shirt.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Leary donated over a dozen boats to the New Orleans Fire Department to aid in rescue efforts in future disasters. The foundation also rebuilt entire NOLA firehouses.

Controversies

Statements concerning autism

In his 2008 book ''Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid'', Leary said:

In response to the controversy, Leary stated that the quote was taken out of context and that in that paragraph he had been talking about the trend of overdiagnosis of autism, which he attributed to American parents seeking an excuse for behavioral problems and underperformance. Later, he apologized to parents with autistic children whom he had offended.

Allegations of plagiarism

For many years, Leary had been friends with fellow comedian Bill Hicks. When Leary's comedy album ''No Cure for Cancer'' was released, many people believed Leary had stolen Hicks' act and material. The friendship ended abruptly as a result. Hicks once told an interviewer: "I have a scoop for you. I stole his [Leary's] act. I camouflaged it with punchlines, and to really throw people off, I did it before he did".

At least three stand-up comedians have gone on the record stating they believe Leary stole Hicks' material, comedic persona and attitude. One similar routine was about the band Judas Priest, during which Hicks says, "I don’t think we lost a cancer cure."

During a 2003 roast of Denis Leary, comedian Lenny Clarke, a friend of Leary's, said there was a carton of cigarettes backstage from Bill Hicks with the message, "Wish I had gotten these to you sooner." This joke was cut from the final broadcast.

The feud is also mentioned in Cynthia True's biography ''American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story'': }}

According to the book, True said upon hearing a tape of Leary's album ''No Cure for Cancer'', "Bill was furious. All these years, aside from the occasional jibe, he had pretty much shrugged off Leary's lifting. Comedians borrowed, stole stuff and even bought bits from one another. Milton Berle and Robin Williams were famous for it. This was different. Leary had, practically line for line, taken huge chunks of Bill's act and ''recorded'' it."

In a 2008 appearance on ''The Opie and Anthony Show'', comedian Louis CK claimed that Leary stole his "I'm an asshole" routine, which was then expanded upon and turned into a hit song by Leary. On a later episode of the same show, Leary challenged this assertion by claiming that he (Leary) co-wrote the song with Chris Phillips.

Awards

! Year	! Result	! Award	! Category	! Film/Show
2009		Golden Globe Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
2008		Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie	''Recount'' (2008)
2007		Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
2007		Satellite Awards	Best Actor in a Series, Drama	''Rescue Me''
2007		Prism Awards	Performance in a Drama Series, Multi-Episode Storyline	''Rescue Me''
2006		Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series	''Rescue Me''
2006		Satellite Awards	Best Actor in a Series, Drama	''Rescue Me''
2006		Prism Awards	Performance in a Drama Series, Multi-Episode Storyline	''Rescue Me''
2005		Emmy Awards	Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series	''Rescue Me''
2005		Golden Globe Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama	''Rescue Me''
2005		Satellite Awards	Best Actor in a Series, Drama	''Rescue Me''
2003		Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
2003		DVD Exclusive Awards	Best Actor
2002		Television Critics Association Awards	Individual Achievement in Comedy
2000		Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	Favorite Supporting Actor - Drama/Romance
1996		CableACE Awards	Best Directing: Comedy	''National Lampoon's Favorite Deadly Sins'' (1995)
1992		Edinburgh International Arts Festival	Critic's Award	''No Cure for Cancer'' (1992)
1992		BBC Festival	Recommendation Award	''No Cure for Cancer'' (1992)

Filmography

Films

''Strictly Business (film) ''The Sandlot'' ''The Ref'' Natural Born Killers#Alternate versions ''National Lampoon's Favorite Deadly Sins'' ''Underworld (1996 film) ''The Second Civil War'' ''Monument Ave.'' ''True Crime (1999 film) ''Sand (film) ''Double Whammy (2001 film) ''Dawg (film) ''When Stand Up Stood Out'' ''Ice Age: The Meltdown'' ''Recount (film) ''Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs'' ''The Amazing Spider-Man (2012 film)

Year
1987	Long Walk to Forever (short film)>Long Walk to Forever''	Newt
1991	Strictly Business'' ||	Jake	cameo appearance>cameo
rowspan="5"	1993	|	Bill
''Who's the Man?''	Sergeant Cooper
''Demolition Man (film)	Demolition Man''	Edgar Friendly
''Loaded Weapon 1	National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1''
''Judgment Night (film)	Judgment Night''	Fallon
rowspan="3"	1994	|	Gus
''Gunmen (film)	Gunmen''	Armor O'Malley
''Natural Born Killers''	Prison Inmate || director's cut, cameo
rowspan="3"	1995	|	Jake	TV-movie, also directed segment "Lust"
''Operation Dumbo Drop''	CW3 David Poole
''The Neon Bible (film)	The Neon Bible''	Frank
rowspan="2"	1996	Underworld'' ||	Johnny Crown/Johnny Alt
''Two If by Sea''	Francis "Frank" O'Brien
rowspan="7"	1997	|	Vinnie Franko	TV-movie
''Love Walked In (1997 film)	Love Walked In''	Jack Hanaway
''Subway Stories''	Guy in wheel chair
''Wag the Dog''	Fad King
''Suicide Kings''	Lono Veccio
''The Real Blonde''	The Real Blonde#Cast>Doug
''The Matchmaker (1997 film)	The MatchMaker''	Nick
rowspan="4"	1998	|	Bobby O'Grady	a.k.a ''Snitch'', also uncredited writer
''Wide Awake (1998 film)	Wide Awake''	Mr. Beal
''Small Soldiers''	Gil Mars
''A Bug's Life''	List of A Bug's Life characters#Francis>Francis
rowspan="4"	1999	True Crime'' ||	Bob Findley
''Jesus' Son''	Wayne
''Do Not Disturb (1999 film)	Do Not Disturb''	Simon
''The Thomas Crown Affair (1999 film)	The Thomas Crown Affair''	Det. Michael McCann
rowspan="3"	2000	Sand'' ||	Teddy
''Lakeboat''	The Fireman
''Company Man (film)	Company Man''	Officer Fry
rowspan="2"	2001	Double Whammy'' ||	Det. Raymond Pluto	also uncredited producer
''Final (2001 film)	Final''
rowspan="3"	2002	Dawg'' ||	Douglas "Dawg" Munford	a.k.a ''Bad Boy''
''Ice Age (film)	Ice Age''	List of characters in the Ice Age films#Diego>Diego
''The Secret Lives of Dentists''	Slater
rowspan="3"	2003	|	Himself	documentary film>documentary
''The Curse of the Bambino''	Himself
''Reverse of the Curse of the Bambino''	Himself
2006	|	List of characters in the Ice Age films#Diego>Diego	voice
2008	Recount'' ||	Michael Whouley	TV-movie
2009	|	List of characters in the Ice Age films#Diego>Diego	voice
rowspan="2">2012	The Amazing Spider-Man'' ||	George Stacy#Film>George Stacy	filming
''Ice Age: Continental Drift''	List of characters in the Ice Age films#Diego>Diego

TV shows

Title ''Remote Control (game show) ''Afterdrive'' ''Tonight with Jonathan Ross'' ''Mike & Spike'' ''Mike & Spike'' ''The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder'' ''Fantasy World Cup'' ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show'' ''The Job (TV series) ''Contest Searchlight'' ''Crank Yankers'' ''Rescue Me (TV series) ''The Charlie Rose Show'' ''Rachael Ray (TV series) ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' >''The Daily Show'' ''Late Show with David Letterman'' ''Conan (TV series)

Year	|	Role	Note(s)
1987	Remote Control'' ||	Various roles	All episodes
1990	|	Himself	Talk show
1992	|		2 episodes
1994	|	Charles S. Baby	Episode: "Person To Insect"
rowspan="2"	1995	|	Charles S. Baby	Episode: "Person To Shoe"
''Mike & Spike''	Charles S. Baby
1998	|	Himself	Episode dated 24 April 1998
1998	|	Himself	Episode #1.15
1998	|	Himself	Episode: "Waiting For Edward"
2001–2002	|	Himself	Guest at two episodes
2001–2002	The Job'' ||	Mike McNeil	Also writer and producer<	All episodes
2002	|	Fictionalized version of himself	All episodes
2002	|	Joe Smith (voice)	Episode: 1.2
2004–2011	Rescue Me'' ||	Tommy Gavin	nominated for Golden Globe and Emmyalso creator, producer and writer
rowspan="4"	2005	|	Himself	one episode
''Last Call with Carson Daly''	Himself
''The Tony Danza Show''	Himself
''The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch''	Himself
rowspan="5"	2006	Rachael Ray'' ||	Himself	1 episode
''Late Show with David Letterman''	Himself
''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''	Himself
''Live with Regis and Kathie Lee''	Himself
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992 TV series)	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''	Himself
rowspan="3"	2007	|	Himself	Episode dated 12 September 2007
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''	Himself
''The View (U.S. TV series)	The View''	Himself
rowspan="5"	2008	|	Himself	3 episodes (two of them in last seasons)
''The Simpsons''	Himself
''Family Guy''	Himself
	''The Bonnie Hunt Show''	Himself
	''Jimmy Kimmel Live!''	Himself
rowspan="2"	2009	|	Himself	14 episodes (1997–2011)
	''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien''	Himself
	2010	|	Himself	Episode dated 26 July 2010
	2011	Conan'' ||	Himself	Episode dated 12 January 2011

TV commercials

Quaker State Motor Oil

MTV promos (1991–93)

Lotus Notes

Holsten O'Pils beer

2009, 2010 Ford F-150 (voice only)

Hulu (2009)

Direct TV Sunday Ticket (2009)

Discography

1993: ''No Cure for Cancer''

1997: ''Lock 'n Load''

2004: ''Merry F#%$in' Christmas''

Bibliography

2008: ''Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid'', Viking ISBN 978-0-670-03160-3

2010: ''Suck on This Year : LYFAO @ 140 Characters or Less'', Viking ISBN 978-0-670-02289-2

References

External links

DenisLeary.com - Official Site.

Leary Firefighters Foundation

Category:1957 births Category:Actors from Massachusetts Category:American comedians Category:American comedians of Irish descent Category:American film actors Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Emerson College alumni Category:Emerson College faculty Category:Irish comedians Category:Irish film actors Category:Irish people of American descent Category:Irish stand-up comedians Category:Irish television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Worcester, Massachusetts

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