Sympathy vote for George Burns.
That’s 1960 BC, right? 
I’ll say Aristophanes. Who else can consistently raise a laugh 2500 years later?
I really miss “Mark Twain.”
No! Seriously!
Could he rip the current admin a new one or not?
Well, if we’re going back in time, the late, great Bert Savoy.
Madeline Kahn - Crap, just seeing her name on this list makes me cry.
Possibly, but I’m British and have never heard of him.
At one time, I would have nominated Eric Morecambe, but his stuff seems terribly dated these days. So I have nothing to offer.
Let’s see, most of the comedians I would’ve listed (Bill Hicks, John Candy, Phil Hartman, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, etc.) have already been mentioned.
Agreed. Kovacs died before I was born but that doesn’t stop me from thinking that we still missed out on a lot in terms what he would’ve done on television. I sometimes wonder if–like his TV contemporaries Mel Brooks and Woody Allen–he would’ve branched out into movies and explored the possibilities in that medium as well.
I’d also like to add Peter Sellers to the “gone before their time” list. It’s true he already had the Goons, Dr. Strangelove, Inspector Clouseau, and Being There on his resume` by the time he died, but he was only 55 and his career was on the upswing again. I would’ve liked to have seen him perform with people like Robin Williams, Mike Myers, and others who’ve acknowledged his influence on their work.
What’s he doing here? He’s not deceased.
“Lost” without a comedian? Get a grip!
In approx order:
Spike Milligan
Peter Cook
Douglas Adams
Peter Sellers
Hicks had good taste. He was also known to rant about a worthless hack by the name of Carrot Top.
He was definitely more popular in Europe than he was in his home state of Texas or anywhere else in the U.S., despite several successful (but watered-down) Letterman appearances and three HBO specials.
He gets my vote for the OP, hands down.
Here, here Avalonian…
Poor Douglas.
When I first opened this thread, Bill Hicks was (obviously) the first person that came to mind. The world could really use his voice right now, because he was more than just a comedian (I’m looking at you astorian…).
Just take the Bush rants from 1990 and transfer them to today’s situation… so much is still relevant it’s scary. And Guantanamo Bay would most likely be his new Waco.
But on a personal level, Douglas (DNA) Adams was my favorite. Here’s hoping we keep Pratchett around for a while longer to fill the void.
Another vote for Lenny Bruce.
How could I forget Spike Milligan? A personal hero. Read his war diaries, they’re superb.
One lonely vote for Bob Hope. Trust me, he was a lot funnier in person than that pap they let you see on TV.
Douglas Adams comes to mind first.
Steve Lubetkin?
sorry.
I think what NDP was referring to (and I think he had his tongue planted firmly in cheek) is that there are people out there who think Andy Kaufman faked his own death as part of an elaborate hoax, and that one day he will show up saying, “Ha! Fooled you!” They believe this is the type of ultimate practical joke that only Kaufman could pull off. They are not convinced by this.
I’d say Belushi.
Sure, I miss Benny, Hope, Burns & Allen, etc., but they each “had a good run”.
But Belushi died stupidly young, and we missed what might have been.
Sure, Phil Hartman was funny, but he was best as a member of an ensemble, never a leading light. Andy Kaufman was funny as Latka, but was annoying as hell doing his other stuff.
All these votes for Andy Kaufman and Phil Hartman…I’m surprised ** Marty Feldman** hasn’t been mentioned yet.