Terry Fator
Terry Wayne Fator (/ˈfeɪtər/) is an American ventriloquist, impressionist, stand-up comedian, and singer. Born in Dallas, Texas, he developed an interest in ventriloquism from a young age, developing both this and a talent for singing. After initially performing with two bands, Fator eventually conducted solo performances, combining ventriloquism and singing with comedy. He gained national recognition for his talent when he won the second season of America's Got Talent, which helped to boost his career.[1]
Terry Fator
Terry Wayne Fator
- Stand-up
- Television
1975–present
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Melinda Fator(m. 1991; div. 2010)
-
Taylor Makakoa(m. 2010; div. 2015)
-
Angie Fiore(m. 2015)
His success led to him receiving a five-year multi-million dollar contract to headline shows in Las Vegas, Nevada.[2] From 2009 to 2020, he was the headliner at Mirage Las Vegas. Since 2021, he performs regularly at New York-New York Hotel and Casino. He has used his performances and talent to help contribute to charitable causes. Fator is consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid comedians.[3][4][5]
Early life[edit]
Terry Fator was born in Dallas, Texas. Terry Fator says in his audio commentary of Terry Fator: Live from Las Vegas (2009) that he went to college at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. The beginning of Fator's ventriloquism career dates back to when he was in fifth grade.[6][7] While searching for a book for an assignment on Valentine's Day, he came across a book about ventriloquism[7] titled, Ventriloquism for Fun and Profit, by Paul Winchell.[8] Fator checked out the book and started learning about ventriloquism.[6] A few weeks later, Fator purchased a Willie Talk dummy from Sears[6] and soon won a $25 prize for a performance at a church picnic.[7][8]
Fator got his first ventriloquism dummy when he was ten years old.[9] Throughout his childhood, Fator entertained family and friends with his ventriloquism and did impersonations of singers and actors.[6] Fator's mother saved up her money for three years and bought him his first puppet when he was 18 years old.[10] Fator says he found he had the ability to impersonate singers by practicing ventriloquism while driving his car. "One of the reasons I learned how to sing as a ventriloquist was because I like singing in the car," Fator says. "I’d see other people singing in the car, and they looked goofy, so I’d do it without moving my lips."[9]