About

Gene Mitchener was known nationally as the “sit-down comic” who, under the veil of comedy, educated audiences about the “can do” attitude of people with disabilities.

A motivational speaker and comedian on handicapped issues, Gene began his professional comedy career in 1978 when some musician friends lifted him, in his wheelchair, onto a stage to entertain the audience during a break.

After briefly attending business school in Toledo, Ohio, Gene married his wife Julie and a year later had his son Jason. The Mitcheners moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1972. After Gene and Julie divorced in the mid-70s Gene moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he recorded a comedy album, “I’ve Never Heard of You Either.” He wrote and shared material with numerous comics who assisted him in fund-raising projects for the disabled and physically challenged, including muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries, spinal-muscular atrophy, cerebral palsy, Spastic Children’s Foundation and other volunteer foundations. His work in motivational and humor therapy is still used in several California-based motivational institutes and training programs.

At the suggestion of “Happy Days” producer Garry Marshall, Gene moved to California to train for his career in comedy. He worked every available open-mike opportunity and played many comedy clubs and college campuses across the country. He entertained in Vienna, Austria, for a convention of travel agents who specialized in travel for the disabled.

He made more than 100 television appearances, including featured segments on “Entertainment Tonight” and “Hour Magazine.” He was featured in more than 200 print articles, including a five-page spread in People Magazine.

He co-authored “Autobiography of a Wheelchair Comic: When Things Get Heavy … Lighten Up!”, a cartoon strip called “Gene” and a coloring book for disabled children. Rolling Productions published several motivational booklets based on his life.

Gene performed the lead role in a musical, “My How You’ve Changed!” that ran for eight weeks on stage in Los Angeles. He hosted a pilot episode of “The Gene Mitchener Show” for Group W cable television, was affiliated with a series of Family Channel comedy specials and hosted a two-hour variety show at The Horn nightclub in Santa Monica, Calif.

In his later years, as a successful motivational speaker, he was featured on The Hour of Power and spoke to hundreds of groups across the country. He was appointed humor therapist at Northridge Hospital in Northridge, Calif., and conducted weekly humor sessions for patients.

Gene passed away in 2002.