Anthony Kavanagh (born September 26, 1969) is a Canadian

stand up comedian Stand-up comedy is a 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-liners, stories, ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

and

TV presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garner ...

. After a successful career on the francophone stand-up scene in Quebec, he became a major star in France and is now a popular television host.

Early life

Anthony Kavanagh was born to Haitian parents on September 26, 1969. He made his stage début in a high school talent show at the age of 14. In 1989, he won the Best New Comic Award of the Juste pour rire Festival ("Just for Laughs") in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

. This award propelled him onto the

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

show business scene. Kavanagh charmed English and French speaking audiences alike. In 1992, Kavanagh opened for touring artists such as

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...

and

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

and spent two years as

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

's opening act across

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, in French and in English. Kavanagh got his own television talk show in 1993 "''…et Anthony''", becoming the youngest

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...

host in Quebec at age 23. He co-starred on the French Canadian comedy radio show ''Les Midis fous'' on CKOI (No.1 in their time slot), then in a recurring role on the television series '' Super sans plomb'' and a starring role in the made-for-TV movie "''Voodoo Taxi''" for

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

(CBC).

Career

Stand-up comedy

Kavanagh presented his first stand-up comedy show, "''Kavanagh!''" across

in 1995. The one-man show was a success and garnered rave reviews. That same year, he received the Outstanding New Talent award at the Montreux Comedy Festival in Switzerland. In December, Kavanagh once again opened for

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

at the Paris-Bercy and Zenith arenas. In 1998, after taking a year to adapt and prepare his show "''Kavanagh!''" for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

with famous French comedian Pascal Légitimus, Kavanagh debuted in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

right in the middle of the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

. Nevertheless, the show drew sold-out crowds, even turning away more than 150 people a day. In the fall, he took up residence at Theâtre Trévise in Paris for seven months to sold-out audiences. After less than one year in France, Kavanagh was asked to do four shows at the Olympia, the most prestigious theater in France. After 5 years, in 2003, his ''Kavanagh!'' Tour ended after 500 shows in 7 countries and 250,000 DVDs sold. In 2008, after a five-year break from stand-up comedy, Kavanagh returned to the comedy stage with a new one-man show "''Anthonykavanagh.com''" touring in Canada, France and Switzerland. The following year, he returned to Théâtre du Gymnase with another new comedy show called "''Ouate Else''". Kavanagh took this show on tour across France and Switzerland in 2010. Kavanagh has since performed the one-man show "''Anthony Kavanagh fait son coming out''" at Bobino Theater in Paris and is on tour throughout France and the French-speaking world. Every year, since 2010, Kavanagh has hosted the "''Grand Gala at the Festival Grand Rire de Québec''" , a Quebec comedy festival which airs on

Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

Acting career

Following in the footsteps of

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

on film and Usher on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, Kavanagh was chosen in 2003 to play lawyer Billy Flynn in the French version of the musical comedy ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'' in Montreal and Paris. In 1998, Kavanagh voiced the character Mushu for the French-Canadian dub of the Disney animated film ''

Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...

''. He also provided voice work in French for ''

Home on the Range "Home on the Range" is a classic cowboy song, sometimes called the "unofficial anthem" of the American West. Dr. Brewster M. Higley (also spelled Highley) of Smith County, Kansas, wrote the lyrics as the poem "My Western Home" in 1872 or 1873 ...

'' (2004) by Disney : Buck (French voice); ''

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

'' 1 (2005), 2 (2008) & 3 (2012) by DreamWorks: Marty the zebra (French and French Canadian voice); ''

Happy Feet ''Happy Feet'' is a 2006 computer-animated jukebox musical comedy film directed, produced, and co-written by George Miller. It stars the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, and ...

'' 1 (2006) and 2 (2011) by Warner Bros: Memphis and Lovelace (French voice); ''

The Princess and the Frog ''The Princess and the Frog'' is a 2009 American animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 49th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the ...

'' by Disney (2010): Ray (French and French Canadian voice). In 2006, Kavanagh launched the show " Les démons de l'Arkange" accompanied by the album by the same name. The show was a musical, a concert, and standup comedy show all rolled into one. The show debuted at the

Grand Rex Le Grand Rex is a Parisian cinema and concert venue. Location and access It is located at , boulevard Poissonnière in the 2nd arrondissement, on the grands boulevards. Its facades and roofs, as well as its hall and its decor have been lis ...

in Paris, and then moved to Théâtre des Variétés. French filmmaker

Étienne Chatiliez Étienne Chatiliez (born 17 June 1952) is a French film director. He was born in Roubaix, France. After starting out directing many advertising clips, he is now a well-known director of feature-length films with some success. Filmography * ...

gave him the leading male role in his 2008 film " Agathe Clery" in which he played Quentin Lambert, a French businessman. Kavanagh played American GI Gary Larochelle in the Philippe Niang made-for-TV movie " Les amants de l'ombre" in 2009. It was a huge hit, attracting over four million viewers. Kavanagh took a supporting role in the mini-series " La Fille au Fond du Verre à Saké" by Emmanuel Sapolsky which aired on Canal Plus in 2009, playing a gay French Canadian car designer living in Paris. This year for the new season of " Fais pas ci, fais pas ça", (French hit TV series), Kavanagh guest starred as the new neighbour, sports agent Chris Lenoir.

Television

Since 2001, TF1, the biggest television network in Europe and the most popular in France, has invited him to MC the "

NRJ Music Awards An NRJ Music Award (commonly abbreviated as an NMA) is an award presented by the French radio station NRJ to honor the best in the French and worldwide music industry. The awards ceremony, created in 2000 by NRJ in partnership with the televisio ...

" (equivalent to the

MTV Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

) six years in a row welcoming major French and international stars like

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...

, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Britney Spears, U2, Black Eyed Peas, Usher,

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...

, Madonna.Kavanagh's charisma, outstanding presence, and combined North American and French culture helped make this show a must-see annual showcase to this day. In 2006, Kavanagh hosted numerous primetime French TV shows on

France 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 A ...

television network – "The Dancing Show", " Fête de la Musique" and the "Symphonic Show" and the renowned «Night of Proms» orchestra. Kavanagh also returned to television in 2010 as host of a show he co-wrote and co-produced called "Nous avons les images", broadcast on Comédie Channel in France and Super Écran in Canada. In late 2014 he became a contestant on the fifth season of TF1's '' Danse avec les Stars''.

Various Shows

* 2010 : ''Anthony Kavanagh fait son coming out'' * 2009 : ''Ouate Else'' * 2008 : ''Anthonykavanagh.com'' * 2006 : '' Les Démons de L'Arkange'' * 2003 : ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'', the musical - Billy Flynn * 1995-99 : ''Kavanagh !''

Filmography

* 2021 : ''

Fatherhood A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

'' - ER doctor * 2019 : '' Aladdin'' : Genie (French and Quebec voice) * 2016 : '' Moana'' : Maui (French and Quebec voice) * 2010 : ''

'' : Ray (French and Quebec voices) * 2008 : ''

Agathe Cléry ''Agathe Cléry'' is a 2008 French comedy film directed and co-written by Etienne Chatiliez, with co-writer Laurent Chouchan. Plot Agathe Cléry is a marketing manager for a line of cosmetics for people with pale skin. She is also racist, part ...

'' - Quentin Lambert * 2008 : ''

Madagascar 2 ''Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa'' (also known as ''Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa'') is a 2008 American computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to ''Madaga ...

'' - Marty le zèbre (French voice) * 2005 : ''

'' - Marty le zèbre (French voice) * 2004 : ''

'' - Buck (French voice) * 2000 : '' Antilles sur Seine'' * 1998 : ''

'' - Mushu (Quebec voice)

Television

Movies

* 2011 : '' Fais pas ci, fais pas ça'' - Chris Lenoir * 2011 : '' Oggy et les cafards'' (voices) * 2009 : '' Les Amants de l'ombre'' - Gary Larochelle * 2008 : '' La Fille au fond du verre à saké'' - Maxime Leroy * 2005 : '' Le cœur a ses raisons'' - Brock Steel * 1989 - 1991 : ''Super sans plomb'' * 1991 : '' Voodoo Taxi''

Shows

* 2010 : ''Nous avons les images'' on Comédie channel ! * 2006 : ''Shymphonic Show'' on

. * 2006 : ''Dancing Show'' on France 2. * 2001 à 2006 :

NRJ Music Award An NRJ Music Award (commonly abbreviated as an NMA) is an award presented by the French radio station NRJ to honor the best in the French and worldwide music industry. The awards ceremony, created in 2000 by NRJ in partnership with the televisio ...

Radio

* 1994 : ''Midis Fous'' de CKOI, on CKOI-FM

Video games

* 2011 : '' Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure'' - Kaos (Quebec French) * 2012 : '' Skylanders: Giants'' - Kaos (Quebec French)

External links

Official website of Anthony Kavanagh
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kavanagh, Anthony 1969 births Living people Haitian Quebecers Canadian male soap opera actors Canadian male voice actors Comedians from Quebec People from Longueuil Male actors from Quebec Participants in French reality television series Canadian expatriates in France Black Canadian male actors Black Canadian comedians Canadian stand-up comedians Canadian male comedians

Early life

Career

Stand-up comedy

Acting career

Television

Various Shows

Filmography

Television

Movies

Shows

Radio

Video games

See also

External links