Ronn Lucas

Ronn Lucas, born in 1954, is an American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian who appeared on Broadway in 1982 in Sugar Babies. He grew up in El Paso, Texas, where he attended Eastwood High School, graduating in 1972. By age ten, Lucas had developed the ability to speak without moving his mouth.

Lucas launched his performing career at Saint Timothy's Lutheran Church in El Paso before beginning to tour nationally at age twenty-one. His first touring work came through a contract with the Billy the Kid Clothing Company, which hired him to travel the country with a Billy the Kid puppet for one year. He later gained national recognition by winning the Showtime cable network's "Laff-Off" competition.

Among his most notable career achievements is his distinction as the first ventriloquist in Las Vegas history to headline a long-running show. Lucas headlined six separate engagements across five different Las Vegas hotels. His stint at the Rio Hotel ran from some point prior to 2003 through the fall of 2006, and in December 2006 he signed a five-year deal at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, though that show closed partway through 2007. His puppets have included Buffalo Billy, Chuck Roast, and Scorch, the last of whom served as the central character in the sitcom Scorch. Lucas also performs a routine in which an audience member serves as a live dummy.

His television work has spanned both American and British markets. From 1990 to 1995, he hosted The Ronn Lucas Show on Thames Television in the United Kingdom. He appeared as a semi-regular on the 1990 revival of Match Game and the 1988 revival of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. His other television credits include guest appearances on Night Court, L.A. Law, Silk Stalkings, Super Dave, Nip/Tuck, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, America's Funniest Home Videos, Xuxa, and Circus of the Stars. He also released a DVD of the Disney Channel special Who's In Charge Here?

Lucas has performed at presidential events, including CBS specials at the Kennedy Center for President Ronald Reagan and at Ford's Theatre for both President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush. He additionally performed at the London Palladium for Queen Elizabeth. In September 2004, he received a standing ovation on the Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon, prompting host Jerry Lewis to remark that it does not get any better. In 2005, the Smothers Brothers presented Lucas with the Askins Achievement Award at the ninth annual Vegas Ventriloquist Festival. He is also the co-author of the book Better Living Through Ventriloquism: How to Say What You Shouldn't And Get What You Want.