The one and only Gary Austin, the founder of The Groundlings, passed away yesterday at the age of 75. 

Austin and his company literally built The Groundlings from the ground up with their own hands and made into a world famous comedy institution that provided SNL with some of its most celebrated cast members. You can get a timeline of how the company, theatre, and school came to be here.

Austin’s legacy in comedy, as you probably already knew, is forever secured.