Brent Leroy Butt (born August 3, 1966) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Brent Leroy on the CTV

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

Corner Gas ''Corner Gas'' is a Canadian television sitcom created by Brent Butt. The series ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. Re-runs still air on CTV, CTV2, CTV Comedy Channel, Much, MTV, E! and are streaming on Crave and Amazon Prime. The seri ...

'', which he created. He also created the television series ''

Hiccups A hiccup (scientific name ''singultus'', from a Latin word meaning "to catch one's breath while sobbing"; also spelled hiccough) is an involuntary contraction ( myoclonic jerk) of the diaphragm that may repeat several times per minute. The hi ...

'' and wrote the 2013 film ''

No Clue ''No Clue'' is a 2013 Canadian dark comedy film written by Brent Butt and directed by Carl Bessai, starring Butt, Amy Smart and David Koechner. Plot Advertising salesman Leo (Butt) unwittingly assumes the role of a private investigator to help ...

''.

Early life and education

Born on August 3, 1966, in Tisdale,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

, Butt attended Tisdale Unit Composite School. After graduating, Butt briefly attended

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Sheridan College Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology) is a public polytechnic institute of technology located in the west- Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Founded i ...

before returning to his home in Saskatchewan.

Career

While working as a

drywall Drywall (also called plasterboard, dry lining, wallboard, sheet rock, gypsum board, buster board, custard board, and gypsum panel) is a panel made of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum), with or without additives, typically extruded between thic ...

er, Butt and a friend started a publishing company, Windwolf Graphics. His comic, ''Existing Earth'', was nominated for an Eagle Award. They published two issues before running out of money. In February 1988, Butt performed stand-up comedy for the first time at an amateur night at a

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

comedy club A comedy club is a venue—typically a nightclub, bar, hotel, casino, or restaurant—where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, impressionists, magicians, ventriloquist ...

. He then began performing in the

Yuk Yuk's Yuk Yuk's is a national comedy club chain in Canada, founded by former stand-up comedian Mark Breslin and established in 1976 by Breslin and long-time friend Joel Axler. The company is currently run by Breslin and his long-time partner and presi ...

chain in

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

, before moving to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

in 1989, where he lived in a Cabbagetown apartment with two other comedians, and performing at Yuk Yuk's there. Butt presented stand-up performances for CTV, CBC Television,

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

's ''

Definitely Not the Opera ''Definitely Not the Opera'' (or simply ''DNTO'') was a magazine-style radio program focusing on aspects of pop culture and storytelling, that aired on CBC Radio One on Saturday afternoons from 1994 until 2016. The show's running time varied ov ...

'', and

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 Octob ...

in Canada, as well as A&E in the United States and the

Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...

in Australia. He composed a number of prairie-oriented funny and/or "folksy" songs, including "Nothing Rhymes with Saskatchewan" and "Hairy Legs". In 2003, through his production company Prairie Pants, Butt co-created the CTV television series ''

'', set in his home province of Saskatchewan. He starred in the show from 2004 to 2009 On May 19, 2005, Butt hosted a

Royal Command Performance A Royal Command Performance is any performance by actors or musicians that occurs at the direction or request of a reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Although English monarchs have long sponsored their own theatrical companies and commis ...

gala for Queen Elizabeth II and

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

, held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to celebrate the Canadian province's centennial. He performed his song "Nothing Rhymes with Saskatchewan" and traded jokes with

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

. That year, he also hosted the Juno Awards. In 2008, Butt and Prairie Pants made the decision to end ''Corner Gas'' after its sixth season, which aired during the 2008–2009 season. At the World Television Festival in Banff,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Butt was given the Comedy Network Sir Peter Ustinov Award which is presented in recognition of a significant body of comedic work. Past recipients include John Cleese,

Bob Newhart George Robert Newhart (born September 5, 1929) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery style. Newhart came to prominence in 1960 when his album of comedic monologues, ''The Button-Down Mi ...

John Candy John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian known mainly for his work in Hollywood films. Candy rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its '' SCTV'' seri ...

, and Eugene Levy. Butt also wrote and produced a comedy series for CTV, from 2010 to 2011, entitled ''

''. The series starred Nancy Robertson as Millie Upton, a children's author who begins seeing a

life coach Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...

to deal with her

anger management Anger management is a psycho-therapeutic program for anger prevention and control. It has been described as deploying anger successfully.Schwarts, Gil. July 2006. Anger Management', July 2006 The Office Politic. Men's Health magazine. Emmaus, PA: ...

issues. On July 25, 2010, Butt had a one-hour comedy special titled ''The Brent Butt Comedy Special''. It was shown on The Comedy Network. Guest stars were

Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series '' Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part o ...

Dave Foley David Scott Foley (born January 4, 1963) is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer and writer. He is known as a co-founder of the comedy group The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of television, stage and ...

, and Jully Black. In 2014, Butt co-wrote and co-executive produced the film, '' Corner Gas: The Movie'', which was released in theatres and on CTV on December that year."Brent Butt interview: ‘Corner Gas Animated’ star talks about his hit TV revival"
''Pop Journalism''. Robert Ballantyne, April 8, 2018. He also reprised the role of Brent LeRoy. The film included cameo appearances by several Canadian TV personalities as well as

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominee

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

and

Will Sasso Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and wil ...

. In April 2018, Brent's follow-up series ''

Corner Gas Animated Corner may refer to: People *Corner (surname) * House of Cornaro, a noble Venetian family (''Corner'' in Venetian dialect) Places * Corner, Alabama, a community in the United States *Corner Inlet, Victoria, Australia *Corner River, a tributary o ...

'' premiered on The Comedy Network.

Personal life

Butt is married to his ''

'' and ''

'' co-star Nancy Robertson. The two have been married since 2005.

Awards and nominations

Butt has won four

Canadian Comedy Awards 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. T ...

, for Best Male Stand-up (2001), Best Male TV Performance (''Corner Gas'', 2004–05), and Best Writing – TV Series (''Corner Gas'', 2004). The Comedy Network Sir Peter Ustinov Award was awarded to Butt at the

Banff World Television Festival The Banff World Media Festival (formerly known as the Banff World Television Festival) is an international media event held in the Canadian Rockies at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The festival is dedicated to world ...

in 2008.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Brent Butt on ComedyNightLife.com
*
Brent Butt article
in Canadian Encyclopedia

Brent Butt as guest on comedy podcast Stop Podcasting Yourself
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butt, Brent 1966 births 20th-century Canadian comedians 21st-century Canadian comedians Canadian male comedians Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian stand-up comedians Living people Male actors from Saskatchewan Male actors from Vancouver People from Tisdale, Saskatchewan Sheridan College alumni Comedians from Saskatchewan Comedians from Vancouver Canadian Comedy Award winners Television show creators