Mike “Egg Foo” Young
1967-2006
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Accomplished improv comedian, producer, and director
Mike grew up in Shaker Heights, OH, a suburb of Cleveland. He moved to Philadelphia when he attended The University of Pennsylvania where he earned his BA in English.
Mike was inducted into Penn’s acclaimed musical comedy sketch group, The Mask & Wig Club, where he sang, tap-danced, and wrote hilarious sketches. He was also a member of Penn’s improv group, Without a Net, where he quickly rose in the ranks to “Head Moron”; (Artistic Director). In 1990, Mike joined a then fledgling comedy group, ComedySportz, that was trying their hand at entertaining Philly audiences. After two years of fits and starts, Mike and three pals from Penn (Kevin Dougherty, Bobbi Block, and Jim Carpenter) took over the company and transformed it into Philly’s premiere improv comedy destination. Mike was Artistic Director from the start and served for 13 enormously successful years of personally training Philly’s funniest performers. Mike was a rigorous, compassionate, and lead-by-example coach. He was an improviser with exceptional skills, with an ability to play characters of all types, a gifted story-teller, singer, rapper, quick-witted, and joyous. He was a consummate Ref, with a wry approach that could switch to giddy at any moment. He made thousands upon thousands of people laugh. Mike’s legacy, ComedySportz, is the longest running live show in Philadelphia.
A skilled artist, Mike also developed CSz’s visual aesthetic, drawing on his graphic design skills from his day job as a Director of Graphic Services with Disc Makers. He was also a writer and performer in the sketch comedy troupe Bad Hair, which grew from the ranks of ComedySportz in March 2002 and performed many shows around town and in the Philly Fringe Festival for years.
It was through these venues as well as so many others that Mike, through laughter and kindness, harvested a large circle of caring and amazing friends. He married ComedySportz player, Danna Goldthwaite Young, and they had a son, Baxter. Baxter was one year old when Mike passed. Mike enjoyed cooking, baking, fantasy baseball, both creative and nerdy pursuits, and spending time with Danna and Baxter in their New Jersey home.
