Gerry Dee (born Gerard Francis-John Donoghue;
[Profile](_blank)
, oct.ca; accessed February 23, 2015. December 31, 1968) is a Canadian actor,
stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up.
Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...
, game show host, director, producer, and writer. He is currently the host of ''
Family Feud Canada''. He placed third on the fifth season of ''
Last Comic Standing
''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...
'', and he wrote and starred in the sitcom ''
Mr. D
''Mr. D'' is a Canadian television series starring comedian Gerry Dee. The series follows the misadventures of an underqualified schoolteacher named Gerry Duncan, nicknamed Mr. D. It debuted on CBC on January 9, 2012 and concluded after eight s ...
'', which aired on
CBC Television.
Early life
Dee was born Gerard Francis-John Donoghue, and is of Irish and Scottish descent. He was born in Scarborough and raised in Toronto. He was a university varsity hockey player and golfer. 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
York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...
and education at
St. Francis Xavier University
St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada.
History
St. Franc ...
. His father was a bus driver for the
TTC in Toronto for over 20 years.
Career
Dee was relatively successful long before being on ''
Last Comic Standing
''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...
''. He had already had his own comedy special on
The Comedy Network
CTV Comedy Channel (often shortened to CTV Comedy and formerly known as The Comedy Network) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Bell Media which focuses primarily on comedy programming. The channel first launched on Octo ...
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 played former
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
player
Wayne Cashman
Wayne Cashman (born June 24, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played seventeen seasons for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) and helped them win the Stanley Cup twice, and was the last ac ...
in the
CBC miniseries ''
Canada Russia '72
''Canada Russia '72'' is a 2006 Canadian documentary-style miniseries about the 1972 Summit Series. The two-part miniseries was directed by T. W. Peacocke and written by Barrie Dunn and Malcolm MacRury. ''Canada Russia '72'' first aired on cons ...
''.
Dee placed third on the fifth season of ''
Last Comic Standing
''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...
''. He 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
Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons ...
,
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...
,
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
,
Cito Gaston
Clarence Edwin "Cito" Gaston (; born March 17, 1944) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. His major league career as a player lasted from 1967 to 1978, most notably with the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. He spent his en ...
,
Randy Couture
Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former United States Army, U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman ...
, and
Chris Bosh
Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft. Bos ...
.
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
The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000.
The ...
in the ''Best Male Stand-Up'' comic category.
In January 2012, his sitcom ''
Mr. D
''Mr. D'' is a Canadian television series starring comedian Gerry Dee. The series follows the misadventures of an underqualified schoolteacher named Gerry Duncan, nicknamed Mr. D. It debuted on CBC on January 9, 2012 and concluded after eight s ...
'' premiered on
CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...
. Created, written by and starring Dee, the show is based on his experience as a high-school teacher. Dee’s children, Alyce, Faith, and Breton Donoghue, are also a part of the cast. Alyce played "Amanda-Susan" as well as some background characters, Faith played "Faith" as well as some background characters, and Breton played "John".
On July 8, 2019, it was announced that Dee would be the host of ''
Family Feud Canada''.
Publishing career
In October 2012, Doubleday Canada published Dee's ''Teaching: It's Harder Than It Looks''. Like Dee's sitcom ''
Mr. D
''Mr. D'' is a Canadian television series starring comedian Gerry Dee. The series follows the misadventures of an underqualified schoolteacher named Gerry Duncan, nicknamed Mr. D. It debuted on CBC on January 9, 2012 and concluded after eight s ...
'', ''Teaching'' is based on his ten years as a teacher. A national bestseller, the book came out in paperback in May 2013.
Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
website; accessed March 9, 2015.
Personal life
Dee is the son of Scottish immigrant parents. He is a former high school physical education teacher. He was the first Canadian ever to win the prestigious San Francisco Comedy Competition. He played varsity hockey at St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Dee and his wife Heather have two daughters Alyce and Faith, as well as one son, Breton. His daughters played recurring roles on his comedy show ''Mr. D'' as Amanda-Susan (Alyce) and Faith (Faith), while his son appeared in the series finale as John. Gerry is a supporter of Celtic Football Club.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
"Gerry Dee Sports Reporter" page on TheScore.com
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dee, Gerry
1968 births
Living people
21st-century Canadian comedians
21st-century Canadian male actors
Best Actor in a Comedy Series Canadian Screen Award winners
Canadian Comedy Award winners
Canadian game show hosts
Canadian male comedians
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male television actors
Canadian people of Irish descent
Canadian people of Scottish descent
Canadian stand-up comedians
Canadian television sportscasters
Comedians from Toronto
Last Comic Standing contestants
Male actors from Toronto
People from Scarborough, Toronto
St. Francis Xavier University alumni
St. Francis Xavier X-Men ice hockey players
York University alumni