Jimmy Tingle was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The social, political and economic diversity of that city laid the groundwork for his development as a performer and satirist.  He started performing in 1980 during the early stand-up comedy scene in Boston and quickly rose through the ranks from open-mike performer to paid engagements, headlining at comedy clubs, theaters and colleges nationwide.  He is now regarded as one of the top social commentators and humorists in the country.  Jimmy was the American correspondent for Sir David Frost’s show for PBS and the BBC, The Strategic Humor Initiative.

He completed two seasons with 60 Minutes II on CBS as the humorist /commentator in the Andy Rooney spot.  He worked as a contributor and satirist for MSNBC and has appeared on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, The Tonight Show, Larry King Weekend, The Late Show with Conan O'Brien, The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder, The American Comedy Awards , as well as his own HBO comedy special.  Tingle recently appeared as a television talk show host in Chris Rock’s film, Head Of State.  Other film credits include the role of the neighborhood bartender in Next Stop Wonderland, a priest in Boondock Saints, and a restaurant owner in By The Sea.

Jimmy also starred in the Emmy Award-winning documentary on art censorship, "Damned in the USA" produced by Channel Four in England in partnership with Channel Thirteen in New York .  He co-starred in the PBS "Travels" series special "America with the Top Down" and appeared in "But Seriously" and "But seriously 94", Showtime documentaries featuring prominent social satirists from Lenny Bruce to the present.  Jimmy’s theatrical credits include writing and starring in his own one man show " Jimmy Tingle's Uncommon Sense, The Education of an American Comic".  Directed by Larry Arrick, the play received stellar reviews during a nine-week engagement at the American Place Theater in New York City and continued to succeed brilliantly at the Hasty Pudding Theater in Cambridge, MA becoming the longest-running one person show in that theater's history.

Jimmy Tingle 's Uncommon Sense made its Los Angeles debut at the Coast Playhouse in 1998 and was nominated by The L.A. Weekly for "best male solo performance" for their 20th Annual Theater Awards.  His one-man show, Jimmy Tingle In The Promised Land, debuted at Jimmy Tingle’s OFF BROADWAY Theater in Somerville, MA in 2002.

His newest one-man show, Jimmy Tingle’s American Dream, opened at OFF BROADWAY Fall 2005, and has been seen by over 10,000 people.  The show is now in its final Boston area run,  just through the end of June 2007. The acclaimed production travels to the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland this August.  Jimmy's latest venture is that of theater mogul.  He recently opened Jimmy Tingle's OFF BROADWAY Theater in Somerville, MA, where he serves as artistic director and presents a wide variety of entertainment programming.  The theater celebrated its 4 th anniversary this past November.