Gerry Dee

Gerry Dee
Dee in February 2012
Born Gerard Francis Donoghue
(1968-12-31) December 31, 1968
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Occupation Actor, comedian
Website http://www.gerrydee.com Official website

Gerry Dee (born December 31, 1968 in Scarborough, Ontario) is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian.[1]

Early life

Dee, born Gerard Francis Donoghue[2][3] is of Irish and Scottish descent. He was a university varsity hockey and golf player during his college years. He attended St. Gabriel's (Bayview/Sheppard) and De La Salle College, Oaklands, where he later worked as a physical education teacher and hockey coach. He studied Kinesiology and Athletic Therapy at York University and Education at St. Francis Xavier University. His father was a bus driver for the TTC in Toronto for over 20 years.

Comedy career

Dee was already relatively successful long before being on Last Comic Standing. He had already had his own comedy special on The Comedy Network in Canada, appeared on the Comedy Network special "The Nubian Disciples", and performed at the world-famous Montreal Just for Laughs International Comedy Festival, having his segment aired on Just For Laughs. He has appeared in television commercials and has performed at many comedy clubs, including Just For Laughs and Yuk Yuks. Dee also had a role in the 2006 film Trailer Park Boys: The Movie, where he played the role of Donny. That same year, Dee also played former Boston Bruins player Wayne Cashman in the CBC miniseries Canada Russia '72.

Dee might be best known for placing third on the fifth season of Last Comic Standing. Gerry Dee had tried out for Last Comic Standing during the second and fourth seasons, but never advanced to the finals. He missed the birth of his daughter while appearing on the show. Since late 2007, Dee has had his own segment on Canadian cable channel The Score. These segments, entitled Gerry Dee: Sports Reporter, have Dee conducting humorous interviews and segments. The interviews have included such sports personalities as Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Cito Gaston, Randy Couture, and Chris Bosh.

Dee appeared in television commercials for Rogers, Wisers, KFC and Nissan, and is currently making guest appearances on CBC's The Hour. He won a 2008 Canadian Comedy Award in the Best Male Stand-Up comic category.[4]

In January 2012, his sitcom Mr. D premiered on CBC Television. Created, written by and starring Dee, the show is based on his experience as a high-school teacher. Dee’s daughters, Alyce and Faith Donoghue are also a part of the cast. Alyce played "Amanda-Susan/Basketball Fan #1/Girl at Fountain/ Little Lost Girl’s Sister" for 6 episodes between 2012 and 2016. Faith played "Basketball Fan #2/Faith/ Little Lost Girl" for 3 episodes between 2012 and 2016.

Publishing career

In October 2012, Doubleday Canada published Dee's Teaching: It's Harder Than It Looks. Like Dee's sitcom Mr. D, Teaching is based on his ten years as a teacher, containing numerous anecdotes and "tongue-in-cheek" advice to other teachers. A national bestseller, the book came out in paperback in May 2013.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Comic Gerry Dee will be a stand-up guy kicking off the Henry Burris All-Star Weekend". Calgary Sun. May 3, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  2. ↑ Profile, oct.ca; accessed February 23, 2015.
  3. ↑ Dee's Twitter page
  4. ↑ 2008 Canadian Comedy Award recipients Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine., Canadian Comedy Award website; accessed February 25, 2010.
  5. ↑ , Random House website; accessed March 9, 2015.
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