Jeffrey L. Gurian
American comedian
Jeffrey L. Gurian is an American dentist and comedian.
Early life
Jeffrey Gurian was born on December 29, 1946 in the Bronx borough of New York City to parents Raymond Gurian, a liquor salesman, and Marjorie Gurian. Gurian attended William Taft High School and Hunter College for post-secondary school. After college, Gurian graduated from the Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple University. There, according to The New York Times, he was "in constant trouble over his coiffure, his clothes and his laid-back lifestyle".
Dental career
After graduation, Gurian became a practicing dentist in the field of cosmetic dentistry, specializing in correcting misshapen teeth caused by birth defects, drugs such as tetracycline or conditions like obsessive teeth grinding. Until 1996, Gurian maintained a dental practice in New York City, in the neighborhood of Marble Hill.
Comedy career
Gurian has stated that: "From the age of 12, I wanted to be both a dentist and a comedy writer ... No one knows why, not even me, but it might have something to do with my parents who were the only Jewish couple in the Bronx who didn't want a doctor in the family." As a dentist he has toured the United States lecturing on the subject since the 1980s. When asked in 1992 about the balance of his two careers, he wrote: "I am indeed a serious dentist and a serious comedy writer."
Early in his career, Gurian wrote jokes performed by comedians including, Dick Capri, Freddie Roman, Dick Shawn, Jerry Lewis, Richard Belzer, Robin Williams, David N. Dinkins and Milton Berle.
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