I found the writing arena to be much less competitive.

As an actor, I felt I couldn't compete. I wasn't as cute as the leading man; I wasn't as brilliant as Robin Williams.

Even at Westchester High in West LA, I was class clown.

I could do John Wayne, Jack Benny, Jack Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and entertain my friends. But I never seriously considered it as a career choice.

I was 36, and I had decided to quit acting because it was so disappointing.

I've succeeded beyond my wildest dreams - financially and the amount of fun I have in my life.

The one thing I could do was voices and impersonations and weird characters, and there was really no call for that, except on Saturday Night Live.

One of the remarkable things about my career is that it has been marked by steady, incremental progress. No sudden spikes up, and no sudden downfalls, either.