Franken, Al, 1951-

Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, author, and actor. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, he served as U.S. Senator from Minnesota between July 2009 and his January 2018 resignation.

Born in New York City, he moved with his family to Minnesota at the age of four, first settling in Albert Lea and later moving to the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park. After graduating from the Blake School and earning a B.A. from Harvard University, Franken became involved in show business, specializing in political satire with friend and writing partner Tom Davis. An original writer and occasional performer with Davis on Saturday Night Live, he worked on the show between 1975 and 1980 and again from 1985 to 1995. After decades as an entertainer, he wrote four best selling books and became a prominent liberal political activist, hosting The Al Franken Show on Air America Radio from 2004 until 2007. In 2003, Franken served as a Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government at the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy.

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