Rich was born in Frankfort, New York. He attended the local high school, and caught the acting bug performing in high school musicals and doing stand-up comedy. He took graphic design courses at Mohawk Valley Community College,[2] but moved to Chicago to study at the famed Second City Theatre.
In 1992, Talarico moved to Chicago, took his first improv class with Stephen Colbert at The Second City,[3] and earned a position with Second City's National Touring Company. Talarico went on to co-create five original sketch comedy revues for the company's ETC. and Main stages.[4]
While in Chicago, Rich was also involved at Improv Olympic (now iO), under the direction of Charna Halpern and the late Del Close.[5] At iO he played on house teams "Mr. Blonde" and "Faulty Wiring," and co-created the long-form improv shows "Strap Heads," "Trio," "Close Quarters," and "Dasariski." He also played with the early casts of the long-running "Armando Diaz Experience, Theatrical Movement, and Hootenanny."
In 2001 Talarico relocated to Los Angeles to write and produce for the sketch comedy series Mad TV. His work at Mad TV earned him three Writers Guild Award nominations.
Rich has directed dozens of short films, many of which have appeared in festivals like the L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival,[8] and the Just for Laughs Shorts Festival[9] at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. He wrote and directed a corporate video series for the company Geek Eyewear, and most recently directed CC Social Scene, a sketch/comedy improv series for Comedy Central Digital, which is hosted by Paul Scheer.
Rich Talarico performs and teaches long-form improv comedy and sketch writing in festivals and at theaters all over the country. He can be seen performing live improv regularly at the iOWest in Los Angeles as a part of the fan and critically acclaimed improvisation trio, "Dasariski."[10]
