Rick Green

Rick Green
CM OOnt
Rick Green, founder of TotallyADD
Born Richard Green
(1953-11-04) November 4, 1953
Istanbul, Turkey
Nationality Canadian
Alma mater University of Waterloo
Occupation Actor, writer, comedian, satirist
Years active 1975–present
Website https://www.TotallyADD.com

Richard "Rick" Green, CM OOnt (born November 4, 1953) is a Canadian comedian, satirist, actor, writer, and advocate for awareness of adult ADD. He is most well-known as co-creator of The Red Green Show and co-founder of comedy troupe The Frantics.


Early Life

Green holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo. at the Ontario Science Centre. His first job was as a demonstrator at the Ontario Science Centre, where he worked as a presenter from 1975 until 1979.[1] As well as presenting shows on lasers, electricity, and cryogenics, Green developed numerous original programs, science plays and exhibits that combined information, humour and entertainment.

Comedy

In 1979, Green plunged into show business full-time when he helped found the Toronto-based comedy troupe The Frantics.[2]

For the next eight years they created and performed hundreds of live appearances, 150 episodes of radio including their CBC Radio show Frantic Times, several albums, a half dozen hit stage shows, and the groundbreaking but short-lived television series series Four On The Floor. In 2003, the Frantics came out of retirement and again performed on stage and television.

As a writer, Green's material has been performed by talented actors such as Jim Carrey, Gordon Pinsent, David Steinberg, Graham Chapman, Colin Mochrie, Graham Greene, Eric Stoltz, and Martin Short. In 2004 he wrote Kim Cattrall's HBO special, Sexual Intelligence.

Television

In 1989, Green became ‘Commander Rick’, the writer and host of TVO's speculative fiction news magazine series Prisoners of Gravity.

At the same time, Green joined Steve Smith to co-create The Red Green Show, which ran for many years and became a hit both in Canada and in the United States, where it was shown on local PBS affiliates. Rick Green wrote and performed in the show for 11 seasons as the bumbling outdoorsman Bill Smith. The Red Green Show has spun off books (which Green co-wrote and illustrated), DVDs, CDs and more. It remains Canada's longest-running comedy series.

In 1999, Green created History Bites. That show's special, "The Separatists", was nominated for a Canadian Screenwriters Award. In 2004, Green was named by the Ontario History Teachers as their "Person of the Year". Based on the success of History Bites, Green was invited to become a member of the advisory board for the Histori.ca foundation in 2003.

ADD/ADHD and advocacy

Green was diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder, after one of his children was found to have it.[3][4] In 2009 Green wrote and directed a documentary about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in adults, entitled ADD & Loving it?! The film, featuring fellow comedian Patrick McKenna, won a New York Festivals Silver Award and earned Green the CAMH Foundation Transforming Lives Award for 2009.[3] The two largest ADHD advocacy groups in America, CHADD and ADD, both endorsed the film, something they had never previously done with any book, film or program.

Green co-wrote a book with Dr. Umesh Jain of CAMH, entitled ADD Stole My Car Keys.

Awards and Honours

Green's projects have won Gemini Awards, ACTRA Awards, New York Festival Awards, and various educational awards. In 2004, Green was named by the Ontario History Teachers as their "Person of the Year". In September 2007, Green was honoured by the University of Waterloo as one of the top 50 alumni of the past 50 years. On February 3, 2015, he was inducted into the Order of Ontario, the province's highest civilian honour.

On June 30, 2017, the Governor General of Canada announced Green's appointment as a Member of the Order of Canada for "his contributions to Canadian television as a comedian, actor and writer, and for his efforts to raise awareness and understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)."[5]

References

  1. ↑ Read, Nicholas (1 June 1984). "Frankly, it's all getting a bit frantic". The Sun. Vancouver. p. B1. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  2. ↑ Skinner, Justin (28 November 2009). "Frantic reunion promises big laughs". City Centre Mirror. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  3. 1 2 Goddard, John (12 May 2009). "Comic turns attention to disorder". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012.
  4. ↑ "The Team". TotallyADD.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012.
  5. ↑ General, The Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "The Governor General of Canada". Retrieved 2017-07-01.
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