Educated at Mary Washington College & North Carolina School of the Arts; performed at various regional theatres, including Burt Reynolds' Dinner Theater in Jupiter, Florida before getting national exposure on TV in the 1970s.
His father nicknamed him "Judge" when he was just two weeks old. Lived with Carrie Frazier for five years before they married. Is an accomplished whistler, and crooned a western tune for his monologue when he hosted SNL 25 in the late 1980s. In 1993, was engaged to Kaitlin Hopkins. Once worked in a frozen yogurt shop in Brentwood and served yogurt to Angie Dickenson. Also drove a hearse.