Bill Burr

He played a recurring role on “Breaking Bad” and can be seen in several recent movies, including “The Heat,” “Black and White” and “Stand Up Guys.” A rant about Yoko Ono has more than 500,000 views on YouTube. His third standup special – “You People Are All The Same” – came out last year. He guest-starred on Fox TV’s “New Girl.” His podcast has more than 250 episodes.

“It’s been a slow roll over the past decade,” his agent, Michael Berkowitz, told Pollstar. “Every year he’s sold a few more tickets, which means a few more people told a few more people. It’s been a word-of-mouth thing that’s been compounded by a podcast that’s another word-of-mouth thing. Plus the DVD specials.

“He’s gone from selling 300 tickets in London to 3,000 tickets and, of course, selling out theatres in Finland and Denmark and all over Ireland. He’s thrilled about it.”

Berkowitz also discussed Burr’s famous rant in Philadelphia, where Burr took on a hostile, drunk audience and held his own until they gave him a standing ovation. Fellow comedian Joe Rogan has called it one of the most amazing things he has ever seen in comedy.

“Bill handled himself as cool as he could have, and it shows how quick he is and it shows how funny he can be without having anything prepared,” Berkowitz said. “He’s going to be doing two Tower Theatres (in Upper Darby, Pa.) this year because people loved him. It’s funny how he turned being heckled into something that benefited him.

“I’ll be with him at the Beacon Theatre (in New York), between two sold-out shows, sitting backstage and it’s going to be wild. We’ll be thinking about the first time that I booked him at a Funny Bone or a Yuk-Yuk’s in 2002. It’s just the greatest. It’s a thrill to talk about it; it reminds me why I love my job.”