Funnyman Stephen Colbert is under the spotlight again as he hosts the Emmy awards on Sunday night. Here is a look back at Mr Colbert’s career.

Since his time as a correspondent on satirical news program the Daily Show, the 53-year-old Mr Colbert has been a fixture in the realm of television that blends comedy and current events. He parlayed his role as a fake right-wing host into a coveted late night gig which he has used to savage Donald Trump.

The Daily Show has regularly launched wider comedy careers, and that was the case for Mr Colbert (his partner in a humorous debate feature called Even Stevphen, Steve Carrell, has also ascended to stardom).

After years of complementing then-host Jon Stewart on the Daily Show, Mr Colbert secured a lead role playing the blowhard conservative host of the Colbert Report. Channeling the rally-around-the-flag conservatism that helped define the Bush era and animated ratings juggernauts on Fox News, Mr Colbert’s parody created an enduring comedy persona.

He rarely slipped in his portrayal of a proudly patriotic (and self-obsessed) conservative, to the point that he was tapped to host the White House Correspondents dinner during the floundering presidency of Republican George W Bush - whom Mr Colbert promptly skewered in a now-legendary live broadcast.

After nearly a decade at the helm of the Colbert Report, Mr Colbert landed one of the most high-profile spots in television comedy by succeeding David Letterman as host of the Late Show on CBS.

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No longer bound to the conservative caricature of the Colbert Report, Mr Colbert has become a ferocious critic of Mr Trump.

“The biggest TV star of this year is undoubtedly Donald Trump. No one's close,” Mr Colbert said in an interview with CBS.

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Comedy and tragedy have both run through Mr Colbert’s life. His father and two brothers died in a plane crash when Mr Colbert was 10.