Perry Kurtz was a rapper act from Season 8 of America's Got Talent. He was eliminated in the audition round.
Background[]
Perry Kurtz was born in Philadelphia at 2:32am. at Doctors Hospital. As a 10 year old Cub Scout, he briefly entered the entertainment field when he threw his voice into a sock and began giving puppet shows at local playgrounds. Graduating from Northeast High School in 1968, he attended The Hussian School of Commercial Art in downtown Philly.
After graduating in 1972, he began freelancing for national label companies creating finished art for Pepsi, Tab, Sprite, Levi Strauss, Gerber, and Polaroid, including the design of the Seven Up "bubble pattern" logo in '74. In 1976, he became the art director of a religious publishing house just outside of Northeast Philadelphia. After 2 years of high pressure, a nervous breakdown from overwork, and people constantly asking, "What are you? A comedian?", his close friends advised that he should get into comedy.
He quit his directorship in 1977 and entered a talent show at The Crazy Horse Saloon in New Jersey, taking a $250 first prize for singing a parody of "Eleanor Rigby" as Jerry Lewis. He took a comedy workshop (cash was paid upfront) and lived on his savings until 1979. Then, with his last $500, a suitcase, electric guitar, and roller skates he equipped with headlights, he moved to San Francisco to become a comedian.
His first paying "gig" was as the emcee and manager at the now-closed, Off Broadway Male Burlesque Club on Broadway in North Beach working 6 nights a week. A few weeks later, at the request of screaming female patrons, he gave birth to his "Comic Strip Routine" parody.
In 1983, he left the "Broadway Scene" and pursued comedy in real comedy clubs. He spent a lot of time "working out" at the Holy City Zoo Comedy Club in San Francisco, where he had many opportunities to hang out and share the stage improvising with Robin Williams. (He has followed Robin 13 times at management request) A few years later, he was averaging 30 to 40 weeks a year headlining comedy clubs (and getting paid for it) across North America and Canada.
Just before his birthday in 1989, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he became a paid regular at The Comedy Store in Hollywood and Dangerfields in New York City. He actually met his wife "online" on an LA bulletin board. They talked "voice" for 40 hours over 3 days. Then she drove to his house and they instantly fell in love. He lives in Los Angeles, has been married 20 years to the same woman, has 4 kids, aged (at the time of his audition) 27, 26, 22, and an 8 year old, Bella, who also does stand-up comedy with her father using her own original material, as he continues to work as an Entertainer/Comedian, comedy consultant and instructor, Humor Motivator, voice-over artist, Hip Hop Dancer, Free-Lance Tonight Show Writer, and appears at comedy clubs, colleges, as well as public, private, and corporate events around the world.
Audition[]
Perry Kurtz's audition in Episode 806 consisted of rapping about the judges. Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, and Mel B all buzzed the act. All three judges (Howie Mandel was not present) voted "No", eliminating Perry from the competition.
Death[]
Kurtz would tragically pass away in 2024.[1]
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