Stephen Tyrone Colbert, born May 13th 1964, is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits. He first performed professionally as an understudy for Steve Carell at Second City Chicago; among his troupe mates were comedians Paul Dinello and Amy Sedaris, with whom he developed the critically acclaimed sketch comedy series Exit 57. In 2005, he left 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' to host a spin-off series, 'The Colbert Report'. The Colbert Report is a parody of personality-driven political opinion shows such as 'The O'Reilly Factor'. Since its debut, the series has established itself as one of Comedy Central's highest-rated series, earning Colbert three Emmy Award nominations and an invitation to perform as featured entertainer at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in 2006. Colbert was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in 2006. His book 'I Am America (And So Can You!)' was No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. He was also nominated for three Emmys for The Colbert Report in 2006, including Best Performance in a Variety, Musical Program or Special. In 2008 Colbert won the Emmy award for writing again, this time as a writer for the Colbert Report. In January 2010, Colbert received the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for his album 'A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!'.