Mr. Bruce Dennis Pelkin

Final Curtain Closes for Comedian Bruce Pelkin, aka Hank McGill

Bruce Pelkin, age 53, passed away on September 5, 2010. He was born on October 23, 1956, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Bruce graduated from Ben Davis High School in 1975.

After working at Union Carbide in Speedway for twelve years, Bruce made a career as a stand-up comedian under the stage name, Hank McGill. His first foray on the comedy stage was on a dare in 1986, and was successful enough that he began writing material and developing an act. His first professional performance was at Crackers Comedy Club, in Indianapolis, in November 1987.

From that point Bruce began traveling to perform at comedy clubs across the nation, appearing with some of the top performers in the country including Tim Allen, Ray Romano, Chris Rock, Jeff Foxworthy and Dennis Miller. He headlined at clubs from Anchorage, Alaska, to Miami, Florida, but preferred working in the Midwest, close to his Indianapolis home.

The zenith of Bruce's comedy career came in 1993 when he won the NBC Tonight Show Comedy Club Challenge, beating out over 10,000 comedians nationwide. As the winner, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, on March 24, 1993, guesting with John Goodman and Lyle Lovett. Bruce also appeared briefly in the movies, 'Hoosiers' and 'Eight Men Out', and had a prominent role in the indie film, "Open Mic'r's" that held its premiere in Indianapolis in 2006.

Bruce is survived by his parents, Lyle and Joyce Pelkin; his brother Chris and sister-in-law, Karen Pelkin; nephew Alex Pelkin, dear friend Patty Hines and numerous cousins. He will be sadly missed by his family, his cat, Ethel, and a very large and loving contingent of fans and friends. More than anything else in life, Bruce loved to make people laugh. To that end, those whose lives he touched will all laugh a lot less with his passing. Memorial services will be held at 1:00 PM Friday October 8, 2010 in Crown Hill Funeral Home 700 West 38th Street Indianapolis, IN 46208. Friends may call one hour prior to services. Inurnment will be in Crown Hill Cemetery. Online condolences may be shared at www.crownhill.org