Paul E. Dinello, born on November 28, 1962, in Oak Park, Illinois, is an American comedian, actor, writer, and director known for his collaborations with comedy icons Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert.
Raised in a middle-class Midwestern family, Dinello’s early life was shaped by his parents, Frank Anthony Dinello, head of DePaul University’s Mental Health Clinic, and Ann Lee Dinello (née Zeiler).
Dinello attended Oak Park River Forest High School, where he admitted to causing trouble for amusement, such as setting off fireworks in the student center.
He later enrolled at DePaul University, majoring in Communications and English while taking film classes, though he found the major uninspiring.
After graduating in 1985, he briefly worked at Allstate before quitting to pursue stand-up comedy, supporting himself as a cabbie and selling newspapers and office art.
Dinello’s career took off when he joined Chicago’s improv scene, leading to a prolific journey in television, film, and theater.
Siblings
Paul is the fourth of five siblings; his siblings are Donna, Lori, Linda, and David.
While little public information exists about their personal lives or careers, Dinello has described his upbringing as an “average middle-class Midwestern” experience, suggesting a typical family dynamic of the era.
Career
Dinello’s comedy career began in Chicago’s vibrant improv scene after college, where he took classes at The Players Workshop and formed an improv group called The Yardstick Boys with classmates, performing for “beer money.”
Inspired by a Second City performance, he joined their touring company in the late 1980s, where he met Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert.
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Despite initial tensions—Dinello found Colbert pretentious, while Colbert saw him as a “semi-literate thug”—the trio bonded over their shared comic sensibility.
They collaborated on the Comedy Central sketch show Exit 57 (1995–1996), which earned critical acclaim and CableACE nominations.
Their next project, Strangers with Candy (1999–2000), a cult classic parody of after-school specials, featured Dinello as Geoffrey Jellineck, a self-absorbed art teacher.
He co-wrote, directed, and starred in the 2005 film adaptation, which premiered at Sundance. Dinello also co-authored the satirical novel Wigfield (2003) with Sedaris and Colbert, promoting it with a traveling play.
From 2005 to 2014, he served as a writer and supervising producer for The Colbert Report, occasionally appearing as Tad, the building manager.
He later contributed to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and co-created At Home with Amy Sedaris (2017–2020) for truTV.
Other credits include directing Gym Teacher: The Movie (2008) for Nickelodeon, appearing in films like Be Kind Rewind (2008), and guest-starring in Oddities (2010) with Sedaris.
Accolades
Dinello’s work on The Colbert Report garnered five Primetime Emmy Awards, reflecting his skill as a writer and producer.
He also received three Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards and two Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards for his contributions to the show.
Exit 57 was nominated for five CableACE Awards, including best writing, performing, and comedy series, highlighting Dinello’s early impact.
Dinello’s collaborative projects, including Wigfield and At Home with Amy Sedaris, further demonstrate his versatility, with the latter earning two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.
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