Joel Hodgson

Joel Hodgson, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter

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Born: February 20, 1960
Age in 2026: 66
Zodiac sign: Pisces
Birth year: 1960

About Joel Hodgson

Joel Gordon Hodgson is an American writer, comedian, and television actor. He is the creator and star of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). In 2007, MST3K was listed as "one of the top 100 television shows of all time" by Time. Hodgson was the first choice to portray "Philo" in the "Weird Al" Yankovic film UHF, but at the time of the filming in 1988, he had begun the production of a new form of television program for KTMA. Building on his gift for designing toys and other gizmos, Hodgson built three robot puppets and created MST3K in 1988. He won the Campus Comedy Contest in 1981 and the first annual Twin Cities Comedy Invitational in 1982.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Joel Hodgson timeline

1981He won the Campus Comedy Contest in 1981 and the first annual Twin Cities Comedy Invitational in 1982.
1988Hodgson was the first choice to portray "Philo" in the "Weird Al" Yankovic film UHF, but at the time of the filming in 1988, he had begun the production of a new form of television program for KTMA.
1988Building on his gift for designing toys and other gizmos, Hodgson built three robot puppets and created MST3K in 1988.

The world when Joel Hodgson was born

Joel Hodgson was born in 1960. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1960

#1 song"The Twist" – Chubby Checker
Top movieThe Apartment
Top TV showGunsmoke
Best-selling bookTo Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentCassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) wins Olympic gold in boxing
Top headlineJFK elected as youngest US president
Technology milestoneFirst working laser demonstrated
Defining fadThe Twist dance craze
Notable inventionLaser
World population3.03 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderDwight D. Eisenhower
Sports championPittsburgh Pirates (World Series)
Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
U.S. population180.7M

1960 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Joel Hodgson's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1960	2026
Gas	$0.31	$3.45/gal
Average home	$12,700	$435,000
Average income	$7,400	$67,500
Minimum wage	$1.00	$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket	$0.69	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.04	$0.73
Population	180.7M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.