?Mike & Molly? star Billy Gardell got his start in Florida

Billy Gardell is all Hollywood now, but his roots are in the Sunshine State.

The Mike & Molly star flew back home to Orlando to do standup for New Year?s Eve. It was payback: Bonkerz Downtown is where he got his start at just 17.

Gardell, now 42, got hired at the comedy club cleaning bathrooms, seating people and answering phones. In 1990, Gardell appeared in a Bonkerz special for Showtime, and the comic soon started playing clubs across the country. ?This is where I started,?? he said. ?It?s like playing on an old ball field.??

His resume now is full. He has many TV credits, including a regular role in the old FX series Lucky. He also has appeared on Desperate Housewives, CSI, Bones, Judging Amy, The Practice, Monk and Yes, Dear. His movie credits include Bad Santa and You, Me and Dupree.

But he still gets back when he can.

?I?ve got to take my kid to see the grandparents,?? Gardell said, referring to his 8-year-old son. ?I?ve got to pay for vacation. I thought I?d kill two birds with one stone. I?m not that big a star yet.??

Still, in two seasons of Mike & Molly, Gardell has become an audience favorite as Officer Mike Biggs, who has a fine and wacky romance with Molly Flynn ( Melissa McCarthy). Gardell marvels at the CBS show?s success. It?s averaging 13.6 million viewers and ranked No. 15 this season.

?It?s amazing. I think everybody?s breathed a sigh of relief,?? Gardell said. ?We feel we?ve settled into a spot. Our cast has magical chemistry. I believe it?s because most of us are over 40. We realize it?s a blessing, not an entitlement.??

Gardell?s easy rapport with McCarthy is the show?s central ingredient. She enjoyed a peak year, winning the Emmy for Mike & Molly as well as collecting rave views for stealing the movie Bridesmaids and for hosting Saturday Night Live.

Does Gardell ever fear being overshadowed by her?

?No, no. I root for her. The better she does, the better we do,?? he says. ?Our cast looks at it that way. I hope she wins every award. I hope she wins everything that film Bridesmaids deserved. She killed it. She did something unusual. She owned it, and everybody talked about it.??

Mike & Molly has been good for Gardell?s standup act. Now he headlines in casino showrooms.

?It?s insanity. It?s such a gift,?? he said. ?Twelve hundred people can?t wait to see my standup show. My average on the road was playing 300-seat rooms. The rest of the week, the late show was like 65 to 80 people. To walk in a showroom, with the spotlight hitting you, it?s mind-blowing. I should be living in an alley by a dumpster, and this has happened.??

Gardell says his act hasn?t changed, although his take on what happens in relationships has evolved.

?A very important thing is not to get disconnected from real life. I go to the same grocery store, I know the cost of gas,?? he said. ?Nobody gives a [expletive] that I fly first class. In my opinion, people want to forget their problems for an hour. They don?t want to be lectured. They want to hear gratitude. I?m from a working-class place. I feel I have responsibility to reflect that voice, to never diminish it, and to talk about things they go through: trying to be kind father, a good friend.??

Many comedians have jumped from standup to sitcoms, but Gardell acknowledges the challenges.

?I?m good at telling jokes. I had to work at vulnerability,?? he said. ?Because of the director, Jim Burrows, I was able to get there. It goes to trusting cast mates. I have it with Melissa. It?s about looking into another person?s eyes and letting emotion come through.??

Gardell has a simple explanation why Mike & Molly has clicked with viewers. ?It shows there?s somebody for everybody,?? he said. ?There are so many people to root for on our show. You might have a crazy sister or a passive-aggressive mother. You go, ?I know that person.???

Hal Boedeker

MCT Regional Features

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/03/2567197/mike-molly-star-billy-gardell.html

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