'Deal Or No Deal's' Howie Mandel Plays Staten Island's St. George Theatre, 10/17

Get ready for the double "fist pound" and comedy as Howie Mandel of NBC's "Deal or No Deal" takes the stage at the St. George Theatre on Saturday, October 17th.

Mandel was a class clown growing up. He was especially fond of staging pranks on friends and family. His antics got him expelled from three high schools. After earning a high school equivalency diploma, Mandel started out as a door-to-door carpet salesman. He was good at his work and grew the business, turning it into a successful retail operation with two stores.

On a business trip to Los Angeles in 1979, however, his life changed forever. Mandel decided to put his comic talents to the test at the Comedy Store's amateur night. He did well enough to impress a television producer, who hired him to appear on the comedy game show Make Me Laugh. His appearance on the show led to talk show appearances, a stint as Diana Ross' opening act and eventually to the television series, "St. Elsewhere," where Mandel spent six seasons as Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the award-winning NBC drama.

In addition to working on St. Elsewhere, Mandel continued to do stand-up comedy as well as voiceover work. He was the voice behind the creature Gizmo in the hit film Gremlins (1984) and its sequel Gremlins II: The New Batch (1990). Mandel also voiced several characters in the animated children show Muppet Babies.

Mandel's versatile career has encompassed virtually all aspects of the entertainment spectrum, including television, film and stage. From his work on the Emmy-Award winning "St. Elsewhere," to the international (and also Emmy nominated) "Bobby's World," Mandel has become a mainstay of the American comedy scene.

Howie Mandel, one of Comedy Central's Top 100 Comedians of All Time, comes to the St. George Theatre, 35 Hyatt Street, Staten Island on Saturday, October 17th. Showtime is 8 pm. Tickets start at only $29. The St. George is only two blocks from the Staten Island Ferry and a short ferry ride from Manhattan or a short drive from New Jersey and Brooklyn. Valet parking is available at the theatre. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (718) 442-2900 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.