Denis Leary

Nominated For Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

(CBS)  Comedian and actor Denis Leary plays troubled firefighter Tommy Gavin on the FX show "Rescue Me," which he co-created.

Leary was born and raised in Worcester, Mass. He attended Emerson College in Boston, where he founded the Emerson Comedy Workshop. He holds an honorary doctorate from the school.

He started attracting interest in the 1990s for his rapid-fire monologues on MTV and his standup comedy recordings.

Leary has acted in several movies, including "Wag The Dog" and "Demolition Man," and has voiced characters for the animated films "Ice Age" and "A Bug's Life.

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Photos: Denis Leary

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Leary is devoted to helping firefighters and their families through his Leary Firefighters Foundation. He created the foundation in response to a warehouse fire in his hometown that took the lives of six firefighters, including a cousin and a childhood friend.

He also created the Fund for New York's Bravest to help the families of firefighters who died on Sept. 11, 2001