Howie Michael Mandel II was born on November 29, 1955 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As a comedian and actor, Mandel came to national attention in the United States during a six-year stint on St. Elsewhere. He was also the creator and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated children's animated series, Bobby's World, which ran for eight seasons on Fox Broadcasting Company and is now widely syndicated. Mandel also supplied the voices of the title character and his father. He also played the lead role of the professor in the short-lived tv series The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys.

More recently, Mandel is known for his frequent appearances as a stand-up comedian and for his hidden camera segments on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In April 2004, he was selected by Comedy Central as one of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time, coming in at number 82. In October 2005, he was named to be the host of the U.S. version of Deal or No Deal, which debuted on December 19, 2005, on NBC.

Mandel is a notable alumnus of Beth David B'nai Israel Beth Am's Hebrew School located in Toronto, Ontario, as well as three other Toronto high schools.