Maurice Alberto Rocca, was born on Jan. 28, 1969 in Washington, DC. One of three boys, he attended Georgetown Preparatory School, a Jesuit boys’ school in North Bethesda, MD. He earned a degree in Literature in 1991 from Harvard University (where he was a member of the esteemed Hasty Pudding Theatricals comedy group, eventually becoming its president).
Rocca earned his first industry stripes as a writer (and producer) for children's television, starting with the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning “Wishbone” (PBS, 1995). He went on to write for several other kids’ shows, but at the same time, served as a consulting editor for the adult men's magazine Perfect 10.
In 1998, Rocca became a correspondent for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” staying with the show for the next five years. His mock-serious persona, combined with a bowtie and thick glasses, quickly became his trademark. Although he frequently covered off-beat topics such as a man who hated President Garfield for once ridiculing polka music, Rocca was part of the much-lauded “Indecision 2000” coverage that marked the show’s transition from sheer farce into deeper political satire and commentary.
Although, early “Daily Show” alumni struggled to remain in the public eye after leaving the show, Rocca was among the first to stay in the limelight. Unlike fellow alum Steve Carell, who transitioned into a pure comic actor in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005) and “The Office” (NBC, 2005- ), Rocca stayed true to the tongue-in-cheek persona he had cultivated on “The Daily Show,” playing a reporter in “Bewitched” (2005) and Dr. Francis H. Flenderman PhD in 2006’s “First Time Caller.”
Rocca made himself into a cottage industry, appearing as a regular on more than half a dozen VH1 nostalgia shows, including “I Love the 70s” (2003), “I Love the 80s” (2002) and “I Love the 90s” (2004), as well as a regular snarky commentator on the weekly series, “Best Week Ever” (2004- ). He indulged both the “faux” and the “news” in his “faux-news” background, serving as a correspondent and commentator for news shows like “Larry King Live” (CNN, 1985- ) – most particularly with his coverage of the 2004 Democratic and Republican National Conventions – and humorous programs like “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (NBC, 1992-). Rocca also found time to write a satirical “tell-all” entitled All the President’s Pets in 2004.