Larry David started out in the 1970s doing stand-up in comedy clubs such as Catch a Rising Star, where if he came out on stage and did not like the audience he would stare at them deadpan … and walk off. Lee Siegel
"A sex and violence weekend?" "That's two weekend ideas, actually," Derbin replies deadpan. Judith Miller
Adjective he delivered the joke in such a deadpan voice that we thought at first that he was serious Noun He tells the joke in his best deadpan. She's a master of deadpan. Verb “I went back to doing push-ups again, and this time I almost completed one,” he deadpanned.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
With able deadpan support from The State and Reno 911! Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 3 Sep. 2022 Typically, there are 100 to 125 conventioneers, united in their devotion to the deadpan actor known as the Great Stone Face.Detroit Free Press, 1 Sep. 2022 According to the State House News Service account of the incident — a deadpan tour de force — Devaney said Kennedy threw the dime at her.BostonGlobe.com, 20 Aug. 2022 And when his protective shell of forgetting eventually cracks wide open, like a walnut, the memories — and the pain — flood back, in a way that’s achingly apparent, even on this deadpan actor’s face. Michael O'sullivan, Washington Post, 28 June 2022 In conversation, Carpenter, now seventy-four, is terse in a way that might seem hostile if it weren’t accompanied by hints of deadpan comedy. Adam Nayman, The New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2022 Fielder's deadpan comedy style is unlike your typical show, and perfectly complements the concept of the series: using HBO's backing and budget to help real people practice difficult conversations and scenarios. Steven Vargas, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2022 Horgan’s Eva — especially when paired with Greene’s scene-stealing Bibi — is shrewd and dryly deadpan. Caroline Framke, Variety, 19 Aug. 2022 Kat, the assistant to the chain’s founder, is played by Mr. Baena’s wife, Aubrey Plaza, with her trademark level of free-floating deadpan hostility, this time with a hint of lurking menace. Kyle Smith, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022
Noun
Posing in front of a wooden wall and studio equipment, the photo sees Dre, 57, grinning ear-to-ear in an all-black outfit next to a deadpan-appearing Eminem, 49, sporting a gray hoodie, black baseball cap, graphic tee and black jeans. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2022 Acquiring a taste for Wes Anderson's signature deadpan isn't easy. Deanna Janes, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 July 2022 For the most part, Gorr simply gives Thor another chance to play the hero, which Hemsworth does with a stellar deadpan and appreciable suppleness.New York Times, 7 July 2022 Binnie’s deadpan, offhand narration makes clear how little the plot is the point. Stephanie Burt, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022 In Seasons 1 and 2, his attempts to fit in among plucky Millennial thespians showcased Hader’s impressive deadpan and elastic face. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 15 June 2022 What Nikou shares with Duprat and Cohn is a penchant for the deadpan. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 17 June 2022 Burnham and Macdonald are from different generations and have clashing styles, one theatrical and flamboyantly satirical, the other deadpan and folksy.New York Times, 1 June 2022 Eggers peppers in these supernatural interludes throughout, with bracing deadpan; this world blends the gritty realism of warfare with intricate myth. David Sims, The Atlantic, 20 Apr. 2022
Verb
Audiences catch a glimpse of this version—the real Quinta—whenever Janine shoots the camera a fourth-wall-breaking, deadpan aside on Abbott’s mockumentary-style set.ELLE, 13 Apr. 2022 Would the British public, used to deadpan interviews or excessively comedic conversations, enjoy Oprah-style interviews? Ronke Lawal, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2021 Those comments were typically Tuukka: deadpan and dry.BostonGlobe.com, 11 June 2021 The prize, Brady deadpans, is two weeks in Dayton, Ohio, which the 51-year-old concedes sounds a little like a Vaudeville punchline. Nancy Shohet West, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Feb. 2020 Grant deadpans of the annual invitation for a Love Actually reunion. Julie Miller, HWD, 17 Mar. 2017 Grant deadpans of the annual invitation for a Love Actually reunion.vanityfair.com, 17 Mar. 2017 See More