Swinging for the fences: Danny Gans, "the Man of Many Voices," tells how he overcame a bad break to realize his dreams - Cooldown - former baseball player turned entertainer - Brief Article - Interview

Men's Fitness, June, 2002 by Allan Donnelly

Life throws you a curveball. What do you do? If you'd asked Danny Gans that question 24 years ago, the then 20-year-old third baseman likely would've responded by blasting a shot over the right-field fence or dropping a run-scoring single into shallow center. But that was a long time ago, when dreams of playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers weren't that far, off. Gans' curveball came, though, in the form of a severed Achilles tendon that ended his dreams of making the majors while playing AA ball for a minor league team in the L.A. organization. Although it took him a few years, Gans has since taken the pitch and hit a dinger of Mark McGwire-esque proportions.

Try this stat line on for size: six years in Las Vegas, six Entertainer of the Year awards, and a recent 10-year, $100-million contract. Numbers Alex Rodriguez would scoff at, but Rodriguez doesn't perform in an arena that bears his name. Gans does, showcasing his comedic/musical/ impersonating skills five nights a week at the Danny Gans Theater at the Mirage Hotel.

The father of three who found his calling after accompanying his father to see Sammy Davis Jr. perform hasn't forgotten his roots, though. Gans, who stands 6 feet and weighs in at a muscular 200 pounds--and has a repertoire of 300 or so voices--adheres to a strict five-day-a-week workout regimen that helps him get through his high-octane, 90-minute act, in which audiences hear more voices than Sybil, Charles Manson and the Son of Sam combined.

Q: When did you realize you had a talent for what you're doing now?

A: My dad loved the Ed Sullivan Show. I remember as a little kid ... I would do an impression of Ed Sullivan for my dad and he would just fall out. As the year went by, I started doing impressions of the acts that were on the show.... I'd stand up and turn the TV off and re-create the show. It was the funniest thing. So it was something that I knew I could do.

Q: How has your background in athletics helped you in show business?

A: In sports, you have to be disciplined because of the practice that's involved. When I played baseball ... I would take 500 ground balls a day, so that when I'd get the one or two in the game I didn't think about it--it was just automatic. In show business, there's so much that goes on to make it look like it's effortless, [but] all of that is a lot of hard work.

Q: What can others learn from your success?

A: You have to put the work in. If you're going to go for something and believe in yourself, whether you're coming out of one career or going into another, nobody's going to hand it to you. Sure, you need some breaks along the way, but when those breaks come you've got to be ready.

Q: How hard was it for you to switch gears after your career-ending injury?

A: When the accident happened it was a reflective time of, Well, what do I want to do with the rest of my life? My dad taught me at a very young age that success is not making a lot of money; it's being happy every day of your life in what you do, what you've chosen. So if you can make a million dollars a year at something you hate, or make $50,000 and you can't wait to get to work, choose the $50,000 job. I thought, If I can't play baseball, what's the next closest thing? And I figured, well, that would be show business. And I've never looked back.