Gary Owen

Gary Owen (; born July 26, 1974) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He has cultivated a large African-American following after headlining on cable channel BET and performing at targeted events, such as Shaquille O'Neal's All-Star Comedy Jam Tour. After being named "Funniest Serviceman in America", his big break came in 1997 on Black Entertainment Television's stand-up showcase Comic View. Owen followed this debut with featured roles in the films Daddy Day Care, Little Man, and College. In 2016, he was in a TV show on BET called The Gary Owen Show. Early life Owen was born Gary Owens in Cincinnati, Ohio to Barb and Gary Owens. He later dropped the s from his surname, adopting the stage name Gary Owen, to avoid confusion with television announcer Gary Owens. Owen's parents had been high school sweethearts and his mother was 18 years old at the time of his birth. Owen's parents separated a few years after his birth, and his mother remarried shortly after. Owen's family struggled financially during his childhood. His mother worked in a factory making electrical connectors and his stepfather was chronically unemployed. Owen spent the majority of his childhood in a trailer park in Oxford, Ohio along with mother, stepfather, step sister and three younger half-siblings. He graduated from Talawanda High School in Oxford, Ohio in 1991.