See a young Bill Maher in his ‘70s high school yearbook photos and get to know the ‘Politically Incorrect’ and ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ television host better.
Full Name: William Maher
Birthdate: January 20, 1956 (age 69)
High School: Pascack Hills High School, Montvale, New Jersey
Who is Bill Maher?
It is impossible to discuss politics, pop culture, and late night television without mentioning Bill Maher’s name. Who could forget his constant stream of entertainment on his shows ‘Politically Incorrect’ and ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’?
William Maher is a massively influential television host, comedian, actor, and political commentator who is best known for hosting the political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher (2003-present). Maher began his career in the late ‘70s as a stand-up comic and actor, eventually gaining recognition for his comedic material on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman.
TheOffShoot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Maher dominated the late-night talk show scene in the ‘90s in his role as host of Politically Incorrect (1993-2002), and continued to make a name for himself throughout the remainder of his career for his hosting of Real Time and a number of other endeavors. Maher is a constant reminder of pop culture throughout the decades, and brings fans back to the happenings of their early years.
What Should You Know About Bill Maher?
- Bill Maher Education & Early Years: Maher spent his childhood in River Vale, New Jersey and attended Pascack Hills High School (Class of ’74) before earning a dual degree in English and History from Cornell University.
- Family & Upbringing: He was raised by his father, William Aloysius Maher Jr., and his mother, Julie. He has one sister, Kathy, and discovered his Hungarian-Jewish heritage as a teenager despite being raised in his father’s Irish-Catholic faith.
- Late-Night Pioneer: He revolutionized the political talk show format with Politically Incorrect (1993–2002) before launching the long-running HBO hit Real Time with Bill Maher in 2003.
- Prolific Stand-Up Career: With over 13 HBO specials, Maher remains one of the most consistent voices in observational and political comedy.
- Film & Media Impact: Beyond TV, Maher wrote and starred in the 2008 documentary Religulous and has appeared in dozens of films, ranging from 80s cult classics to modern blockbusters like Iron Man 3.
Where Did Bill Maher Go to School?
Where Did Bill Maher Go to Elementary & Middle School?
A young Bill Maher’s educational background began at Ranney School in Tinton Falls, New Jersey where he attended both elementary and middle school.
Where Did Bill Maher Go to High School?
Bill Maher attended high school at Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, New Jersey, where he graduated from in 1974.
Where Did Bill Maher Go to College?
Following high school, Maher attended Cornell University, graduating in 1978 with a dual-degree in English and History.
Bill Maher: Then vs. Now
Bill Maher has always stood out with his sharp looks and witty humor. From the ‘70s to today, here’s how he looked from his teenage years vs. now.
Angela George, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Politically Incorrect Career of Bill Maher
‘70s, ‘80s, and Early ‘90s Stand-Up and Acting Career
Prior to hosting the popular political talk shows Politically Incorrect and Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill Maher began his career working as a stand-up comedian and actor. He began performing stand-up in the late ‘70s following his graduation from Cornell, and hosted at the New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star in 1979.
Starting in 1982, Maher made appearances on both The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman performing his stand-up material. These performances earned him significant attention and acclaim, allowing him to land his later hosting positions that defined his career.
National Broadcasting Company, Inc., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Maher acted in a number of films and television shows throughout the ‘80s and early ‘90s, making his film debut in the comedy film D.C. Cab (1983). He also appeared in the films Ratboy (1986), House II: The Second Story (1987), Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1988), and Pizza Man (1991). He made minor appearances on a number of television shows, including the drama Murder, She Wrote in 1989 and 1990, and the sitcoms Sara (1985), Newhart (1988), Married…with Children (1993), and Roseanne (1993).
Hosting Career in the ‘90s, 2000s, and Onward
In 1993, Maher began hosting the late-night political talk show Politically Incorrect. The show aired on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997, and on ABC from 1997 to 2002. Each episode began with a comedic opening monologue from Maher that addressed current events and political figures in a satirical fashion, followed by a topical discussion between Maher and four guests of diverse backgrounds.
The show received significant critical acclaim over the years, and earned a number of awards, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Direction. The show remained on air until 2002, when ABC officially announced its cancellation.
In 2003, Bill Maher assumed the role of host on a new political talk show, Real Time with Bill Maher, which he also co-wrote and produced. The show’s format was similar to Politically Incorrect, but had more serious and well-informed guests, rather than the celebrities and comedians Maher had on his previous show. The new show also featured a one-on-one interview with a single guest in between the monologue and discussion segments.
Real Time is still going strong today, and has received significant praise throughout the many years it has been on television. The show has been nominated for more than ten Primetime Emmy Awards and six Writer’s Guild awards.
Other Career Ventures
Maher has made cameos in several films and television shows in his later career, including voicing himself in Family Guy (2010-2017) and The Boondocks (2010), and appearing as himself on The Chris Rock Show (2000), House of Cards (2013), Iron Man 3 (2013), and The Interview (2014). In 2008, he collaborated with Larry Charles on the documentary Religulous, in which he traveled to various religious locations and challenged the religion of each region.
Maher started his Club Random podcast in 2022, which consists of one-on-one interviews with guests in his at-home bar. The interviews veer away from his usual politically charged content, and he instead discusses the lives and careers of each celebrity guest.
Who Has Bill Maher Dated?
Earlier Relationships
Maher has never been married, but has had several girlfriends, including flight attendant Coco Johnsen, whom he dated from June of 2003 until November of 2004. Maher dated author and former hip-hop music video model, Karrine Steffans, in 2005.
More Recent Relationships
From 2009 to 2011, he dated adjunct science professor and co-host of the podcast Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe (2005-present), Cara Santa Maria. Maher has been in a relationship with Canadian R&B singer Anjulie Persaud since 2014.
Who is Bill Maher’s Family?
New Jersey Upbringing
Maher was raised in River Vale, New Jersey by his father, William Aloysius Maher Jr., who was a network news editor and radio announcer, and his mother, Julie Maher, who was a nurse. He has one sister, Kathy.
Maher was raised Catholic for part of his childhood, but his family stopped attending church when he was 13, and he has been critical of religion of any kind for much of his life. Maher’s mother is Jewish, which he did not discover until his early teens.
Late Night Legend
Bill Maher has been and continues to be an essential contributor to American pop culture, and will always be known as a crucial figure in modern entertainment. His creative and humorous approach to world events allows fans to associate events from when they were growing up with light-heartedness and laughter.
His legendary television contributions include:
- Alice (1985)
- Sara (1985)
- Hard Knocks (1987)
- Newhart (1988)
- Murder, She Wrote (1989-1990)
- One Night Stand (1989-1992)
- Married… with Children (1993)
- Roseanne (1993)
- Politically Incorrect (1993-2002)
- The Larry Sanders Show (1997)
- Dharma & Greg (1997)
- Spin City (1999)
- The Chris Rock Show (2000)
- Real Time with Bill Maher (2003-present)
- MADtv (2004)
- True Blood (2008)
- The Sarah Silverman Program (2010)
- The Boondocks (2010)
- Family Guy (2010-2017)
- House of Cards (2013)
- Vice (2013-2018)
- Blackish (2015)
He has released the following hilarious comedy specials:
- Bill Maher: Stuff that Struck Me Funny (1995)
- Bill Maher: The Golden Goose Special (1997)
- Bill Maher: Be More Cynical (2000)
- Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home (2003)
- Bill Maher: I’m Swiss (2005)
- Bill Maher: The Decider (2007)
- Bill Maher: … But I’m Not Wrong (2010)
- Bill Maher: Crazy Stupid Politics (2012)
- Bill Maher: Live from D.C. (2014)
- Bill Maher: #WhinyLittleBitch (2016)
- Bill Maher: Live from Oklahoma (2018)
- Bill Maher: #Adulting (2022)
- Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This? (2025)
His film credits consist of:
- D.C. Cab (1983)
- Ratboy (1986)
- House II: The Second Story (1987)
- Out of Time (1988)
- Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989)
- Pizza Man (1991)
- Primary Colors (1998)
- EDtv (1999)
- John Q. (2002)
- Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003)
- The Aristocrats (2005)
- Heckler (2007)
- Swing Vote (2008)
- Religulous (2008)
- The Campaign (2012)
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- Delivery Man (2013)
- A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)
- The Interview (2014)
- Ted 2 (2015)
- Late Night (2019)
Find Yearbooks From Iconic Celebrities
The Classmates® yearbook collection features over 480,000 yearbooks that include Bill Maher high school photos, and many other of your favorite celebs’ yearbook pictures!
Or search and see if old yearbooks featuring you, your friends, and your family in elementary, middle, high school, or college are also available. Register for Classmates® today!
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