Notorious for his thoughts on controversial subject matter and rants including roasting the city of Philadelphia. Bill Burr has established himself as a seasoned comedian and actor. The Massachusetts native started in comedy in 1992 and later reached the realms of acting and podcasting. During his nearly 30-year career, he has also served as a writer, co-series creator, and producer. Burr's sharp-wit and blunt demeanor has earned him recognition and is considered one of the best comedians of his generation with The New York Times dubbing him, "one of the funniest, most distinctive voices in the country for years."
Meanwhile, as an actor, he has consistently delivered riveting and multi-faceted performances from the tormented product of his generation, Frank Murphy, in F is For Family or the gruff, but outgoing firefighter Ray Bishop in The King of Staten Island. These and more accumulate Burr's top-ranked roles on IMDb.
The Heat (6.6)
The Heat co-starring Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock as loose-cannon cop Mullins and prickly FBI agent Ashburn are forced to work together to bring down a drug lord. Burr plays Mark, McCarthy's character's foul-mouthed brother. While the part was relatively small Burr took advantage of his limited screentime and remained as one of the funnier characters in the film. A memorable part including Mark berating his girlfriend to hurry up while they were escaping with the rest of the family.
Kroll Show (6.8)
Kroll Show featured various segments of ludicrous scenarios and characters. One of the few sober and straight-laced characters was Detective Smart. Smart regularly investigated bizarre and hilarious crime scenes including a murder that was obviously committed by Dr. Armond (Nick Kroll) who kept dropping hints about it. Burr played Smart accordingly and he pulled it off brilliantly. Even on-screen, Burr consistently sustained a stoic demeanor and rarely, if ever cracked. Overall, Burr appeared in six episodes.
The King of Staten Island (7.2)
The King of Staten Island is a semi-autobiographical film co-written by and starring Pete Davidson. Davidson portrays an aspiring tattoo artist named Scott who is still coping with his father's death and acts like a man-child. Burr portrays Ray Bishop, a firefighter (just like Scott's dad) who starts dating Scott's mother (Marisa Tomei) much to his disapproval. However, throughout the course of the movie, they learn to get along and gradually face their problems head-on. As Bishop, Burr effectively evoked a brutal cadence and genuine hilarity.
Crashing (7.5)
Crashing is an HBO comedy that follows a fictional version of New England comic Pete Holmes (played by himself) starting a new life after his wife leaves him. Holmes encounters other comedians including Burr in the episode "Bill Burr."
Similar to Holmes, Burr portrayed a fictional version of himself. In the episode, Burr offers a homeless Holmes his guest room and they become friends. The story featured Burr having memorable interactions with Holmes and other characters and also featured an appearance from Burr's real-life wife Nia Hill.
Maron (7.7)
Maron stars comedian and podcaster Marc Maron in a fictionalized version of himself. Similar to the premise of Crashing. In the episode "The Joke", Bill Burr appears as himself alongside Conan talk show host Conan O'Brien and co-host Andy Ritcher. The story follows Maron stealing a joke from a fellow, unknown comic which is regarded as a no-no in the comedy world. He faces his sin when hilariously approached by Burr who makes him realize the severity of his action.
New Girl (7.7)
New Girl centers on Jess (Zooey Deschanel) who moves in three single guys of varying personalities following a breakup. Burr portrayed Nick (Jake Johnson)'s cousin Bobby, an obnoxious TSA agent who worked at Boston's Logan Airport. Burr appeared in a couple of episodes, one of them prominently featuring Bobby and his wife Carol (Lennon Parham) who ask Nick to be their sperm donor. While Bobby's moments are laden with humor his shining moments came in that episode, further proving why Burr needs to be on more TV shows.
F is for Family (8)
F is For Family centers on the dysfunctional Murphy family whose patriarch Frank is a well-meaning, but troubled rageholic in '70s America. Burr gets to show off his acting chops as Frank. His performance is so profound and devastatingly genuine that despite his voice naturally being Burr's, the viewers only hear Frank. During the four seasons of the series, Burr has to been to hell and back with the character, and with season five hopefully being announced in the future there is more to come. On a side note, Burr also plays Father Donavan.
The Mandalorian (8.7)
The Mandalorian follows bounty hunter Din Djarin a.k.a. Mando (Pedro Pascal) who protects The Child, a younger being of Yoda's species who is being pursued by other bounty hunters. Burr plays Mayfield, a mercenary who was previously an Imperial sharpshooter.
Despite appearing in one episode (so far), Burr won over viewers with his sardonic portrayal and humor. Ironically, Burr was previously outspoken about his distaste for Star Wars which prompted creator Jon Favreau to offer him the part.
Chapelle's Show (8.8)
Chapelle's Show was a sketch comedy series that was created by and starred Dave Chapelle. Burr among others appeared in a variety of skits. He was prominently featured in the second season and his comedic prowess was exemplified. Nearly twenty years later, Chapelle, Burr and some guest stars reunited for a virtual performance of the Chapelle Show hosted at the Comedy Store in April 2020. Funny enough, similar to Kroll Show, Burr also acted as a detective in one of the skits.
Breaking Bad (9.5)
Breaking Bad centered on high-school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) who after learning of his terminal cancer diagnosis enlists his former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) to cook up and sell crystal meth to ensure his family is financially well-off before he dies. Burr plays Patrick Kuby, who initially helped White's wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) and was one of Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk)'s henchmen. Kuby became a fan favorite and audiences enjoyed his presence. Burr was due to appear on the spinoff series Better Call Saul but had to back out.