Submitted photo Pete Correale is shown performing on stage at Laugh Boston Comedy Club in Boston. He is an accomplished comedian and writer, and lives in Fredonia with his wife and daughter.

From sold out shows in New York City, a famous podcast, multiple comedy specials, and writing credits on network television, Pete Correale has done it all in the world of comedy and show business.

But rather than live in Hollywood or New York City, Correale chooses to reside in the village of Fredonia.

Correale took the stage at the Fredonia Opera House on Friday night in front of a sold out crowd to put on a show for the area he calls home. The show sold out well in advance of the evening performance.

“I’m happy to do a show locally. I wanted to bring people an affordable show without having to go all the way to Buffalo,” Correale said.

Correale grew up on Long Island, but he moved to Fredonia in college when he was recruited to play on the SUNY Fredonia basketball team. During his senior year, Correale took an acting class in the theatre department and knew immediately he wanted to be in show business. He graduated from SUNY Fredonia in 1992.

After college, Correale moved to New York City and began going on casting calls. He didn’t find much success early on, but he connected with an improv group and started working with them at comedy clubs around the city. After their performances, Correale often stuck around to watch the comedy shows to follow, which is what ignited his passion. “Instantly my jaw dropped. I thought this is what I want to do,” he said.

From then on, Correale did everything he could to get on stage. He would mop and sweep the floors before shows in exchange for stage time. Though it was a long and arduous road to initially find success, eventually that hard work evolved into the career he has today.

Correale later met his wife, Jackie, when he was back in town for a wedding. The couple now lives in Fredonia with their 9-year-old daughter Sadie.

“Although I went to school here and I loved it, I never thought I’d be back,” Correale said. “When I lived in New York City all those years, it felt like anyone who doesn’t live in the city seems like a fool. Now when I go for a quiet walk in the village, I realize I was the fool.”

Correale has appeared on the Jay Leno Show and the Late Show with David Letterman, and even performed at Super Bowl Weekend the same year Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson had their infamous wardrobe controversy.

Correale was also named one of the top 10 comics to watch by Entertainment Weekly in 2008. Correale has three hour-long comedy specials available on Amazon Prime Video, including his latest “For Pete’s Sake” in 2020.

In addition to his own solo work, Correale was an accredited writer on the CBS sitcom “Kevin Can Wait,” starring Kevin James.

He is currently working on a series starring Michael Rapoport titled “Flagrant,” set to film in Toronto. Correale is excited to begin filming “Flagrant” because it is the first time he has been the lead writer on a major project.

But out of all the work he has done in his career, the thing that gets Correale noticed the most is the podcast he hosts weekly with Sebastian Maniscalco titled The Pete and Sebastian Show. “My podcast is something I’m extremely proud of,” Correale said.

Since the podcast began recording video along with audio, Correale says he has been recognized much more often – although his wife and daughter might not actually believe him. “What’s been really fun is we started doing the podcast on video a few years ago, so now I get recognized out and about,” Correale said. “It’s kind of neat when people come up to you and know you.”

Correale recalls times when he used to park at Tim Hortons down near the Dunkirk Pier to record his podcast because his home WiFi was so poor. “There I was, just sitting there at Tim Hortons parked in the parking lot talking to big Hollywood stars,” he said.

It goes to show you that you never know who you might run into. People driving down a Fredonia street that see a guy raking leaves in his yard, or see a car parked at Tim Hortons in Dunkirk, could cross paths with a star in show business and not even know it.