Printable Biography of Roy Firestone

---

Roy Firestone, host of ESPN\'s Up Close, is one of America\'s most versatile and original talents. He is well recognized and honored for his multiple abilities as an interviewer, journalist, commentator, and stage performer.

"The best interviewer in the business," is how Sports Illustrated describes Firestone. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Jim Murray calls Firestone, "the best interviewer I\'ve ever seen. That\'s not the best interviewer in sports, that\'s the best interviewer period." Critically acclaimed for his work, he has interviewed over 3000 people, including nearly every major sports figure.

Curiosity and passion drive Firestone to interview people beyond the realm of sports and of the worlds of art, music, politics, and popular entertainment. His interview subjects are an eclectic mix ranging from President Richard Nixon to legendary actor James Stewart, jazz great Miles Davis to pop icon Madonna.

Firestone\'s work has earned him seven Cable ACE Awards and six Emmy Awards to date. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Northeastern University Award for Broadcast Journalism.

Firestone is also an accomplished singer, impressionist, and humorist. He\'s performed countless comedy gigs since age 15. His multi-media review includes impressions of more than a dozen entertainers, sports figures, and assorted personalities, and he has shared the bill with Frank Sinatra, Loretta Lynn, and Gladys Knight, to name a few. He wows audiences of all types with his dynamic personality and hilarious comedy.

His appearances on such shows as Late Night with David Letterman, The Arsenio Hall Show, Nightline, and Married With Children have showcased his talents. He wrote the book Up Close And In Your Face With the Greats, Near-Greats, And Ingrates Of Sports, and appeared in the hit movie Jerry Maguire.

If Firestone has a philosophy, he says it\'s to "take every talent you have and explore it, and see what happens." In pursuit of that goal, he\'s constantly developing new material for his act and honing his existing routine. He performs between seventy-five and 100 stand-up acts worldwide per year, a quarter of them for charity, the rest for a variety of business, sports, and social organizations. He has performed for hundreds of corporate clients, including Prudential, Northwest Airlines, and Frito-Lay.

A native of Miami Beach, Florida, Firestone began his career as a sports reporter and anchor there before moving to Los Angeles as a sports anchor for KCBS from 1977 until 1985. Prior to his work for ESPN\'s Up Close, he was host of ESPN\'s SportsLook for a decade.