November 1, 1999
Web posted at: 5:00 p.m. EDT

(CNN) --Bob Smith is the author of the best-selling "Openly Bob," winner of a 1998 Lambda Literary Award, and "Growing Up Gay," written with the Funny Gay Males: Jaffe Cohen and Danny McWilliams. He is the first openly gay comedian to appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" as well as to star in his own HBO half-hour comedy special.

He tours extensively, performing across the country, and has appeared on television programs including Politically Incorrect, Comedy Central's 'Out There,' the MTV Video Awards and Roseanne’s Saturday Night Special. Smith has written for several publications including The Advocate, OUT and The Los Angeles Times.

Smith is set to star in a new gay sketch-comedy series, coproduced by the CBC and Showtime, for which he will write and perform. Smith grew up near Buffalo, lived in New York for 10 years after college, and now resides in Los Angeles.

About his books

Bob Smith's observations on life as a happily adjusted gay man offered a refreshingly witty dose of nineties reality. Now, after breaking up with his longtime boyfriend, Tom, Bob takes us back to figure out where all the trouble began--his hilarious, hyper-normal (and hyper-strange) family life. Here you'll meet Bob's comically unsympathetic grandmother, who treats his carsickness by stuffing him between his brothers in the backseat: "Bob only throws up because he's near a window and he can." You'll read about his first teacher crush and other experiences growing up along with comical anecdotes about his family and friends.