Sarge

He is an extraordinary entertainer. A quadruple threat. A musical savant. SARGE is a film, television and stage entertainer who has performed worldwide to adoring audiences. His sidesplitting comedy, natural acting skills, touching vocals and stunning display of dexterity as a pianist have wowed crowds for decades. But SARGE's road to success has not been smoothly paved. He was born in Miami Beach, Florida during the Civil Rights Movement to a Jewish mother and black father, but given up for adoption soon after birth. Fortunately, he was quickly adopted by a couple who then raised him in Great Neck, Long Island. SARGE was brought up by his parents in a middle to upper middle class environment, attending the best prep schools in the region. All the while, he lived with some sense of confusion because his adopted parents raised him in a Jewish household without much exposure to his black heritage. This led to some internal conflict as a child and young adult - feelings he tried to numb with alcohol, drugs and gambling. He spent part of his young adult life as a homeless man, severely addicted to several vices, and copping drugs at his hangout under the Manhattan Bridge in New York City. With a wealth of talent unrealized, on December 26, 1990, he had an epiphany that would change his life forever. As strange as it may sound, on that day he made a decision to commit himself to sobriety - cold turkey - and never looked back. SARGE has been clean and sober since then, and he has dedicated himself to assisting others who are facing the same battle by serving as a mentor for many who are in recovery. SARGE is also a spokesman and strong supporter of the Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Foundation. In dealing with his son's developmental challenges, Sarge and his family were led to the STAR Center in Denver, CO where it was determined that his son has moderate level Sensory Processing Disorder. SARGE was so inspired by the work done at the center, as well as The Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation, that he wanted to help change the world for all of those affected by the disorder. Knowing that there is a great need for research funding and centers across the country, SARGE will be performing at events to benefit the SPD Foundation. His artistic talents surfaced on his 6th birthday after his parents took him to see "The Sound of Music" on Broadway. When they returned home from the show, and without any prompting, SARGE sat down at the family piano and began to play songs from the show entirely "by ear". He did this without ever having touched a piano before, and it was at this point that his parents knew they had something special on their hands. At the fresh age of seven, SARGE would entertain in between hands of his grandpa Herman's card games by doing impressions and jokes on cue. It was also at this time that his grandfather took him to shows in the Catskill Mountains, which was the live entertainment capital of New York State at the time. One night while Don Rickles was killing the crowd, SARGE watched the audience's reaction to the comedian's barbs and scathing monologue. At that moment, he set his sights on becoming a professional comedian one day. Ironically, today he is often compared to Rickles largely due to his rapid fire, off the cuff style of hilarious observational comedy. As has been proven hundreds of times, SARGE has the rare ability to create an uproarious and moving 90-minute comedic performance on the spot by just walking into a room.