William "Bill" Maher, Jr. born January 20, 1956, is an American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author, and actor. Before his current role as the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late-night talk show called Politically Incorrect originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC.

His father was Catholic, a newsman with a sense of humor who told jokes around the house. His mother is Jewish. Bill is an Agnostic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Maher