Jack Dee

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Jack Dee
Jack Dee during Jack Dee Live at the Apollo
Born 1962-09-24
England Petts Wood, Kent, England.
Occupation Stand-up comedian

Jack Dee (born September 24, 1962 in Petts Wood, Kent[1]) is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer known for his sardonic, deadpan style.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Stand up

Dee's first public act was an open-mike gig in 1988[1] after which he was encouraged to write additional material and to tour the circuit. Since the 1990s he has performed sell-out acts at many high-profile venues (including the London Palladium and the Hammersmith Apollo).

After he scooped the British Comedy Award for Best Stage Newcomer in 1991, Dee was offered his own show; The Jack Dee Show first went out on Channel 4 in February 1992, bringing him to a wider audience. His combination of stand-up routines on television continued with Jack Dee's Happy Hour in 1997 and later Jack Dee Live at the Apollo in 2004.

[edit] Acting

   
Jack Dee
 In order to tell stories in stand-up there always comes a point when acting is essential and it is one of the aspects I enjoy most. I love being part of a group of actors who are all conspiring to achieve the same goal — telling a tale.[2]
   
Jack Dee

Aside from his successful stand-up career, Dee has played starring roles and guest appearances in television series. He played the part of Doug Digby in the pilot of The Grimleys (1997) before the role was recast for the series and made guest appearances on such programmes as Silent Witness, Dalziel and Pascoe and Jonathan Creek. In 2004 he played the role of Steven Sharples MP alongside Warren Clarke and Dervla Kirwan in The Deputy. Dee's performance was praised, though the film itself received a lukewarm response.[3]

Later that year he starred in another one-off drama, Tunnel of Love. His most recent series, which he also co-wrote, began on BBC Four on October 4, 2006. Described as "Britain's answer to Curb Your Enthusiasm,"[4] Lead Balloon sees Dee play the semi-biographical role of Rick Spleen. The first series concluded on November 8 and a second series was commissioned with the run extended to eight episodes. The new series will be filmed in Spring 2007 for broadcast on BBC Two in the autumn.[5]

In September 2006, Dee expressed interest at a guest appearance as a villain in an episode of Doctor Who.[6]

[edit] Stage appearances

Dee made his stage debut in 1998, playing Yvan in Yasmina Reza's Olivier award-winning 'Art'. He later returned as Serge for a 13-week run at the request of the director.[1]

[edit] Miscellaneous roles

[edit] Presenting

Dee also makes frequent appearances on the panel show Have I Got News For You, which he has guest-presented four times. In 2004, he was the celebrity advocate in Britain's Best Sitcom for Fawlty Towers and presented an hour-long documentary about the series.

He hosts segments of the BBC's biennial Comic Relief telethon and in 2005 hosted Comic Aid, a one-off gathering of comedians that aimed to raise money for the Asian Tsunami Appeal.

[edit] Big Brother

In 2001, he won Celebrity Big Brother (then linked to fundraising for Comic Relief). During evictions, he dressed up in a tweed jacket and cap and held his packed suitcase, hoping to be voted out. During the eviction of another housemate he briefly absconded to sneak a quick kiss with his wife. He also escaped for several hours at night-time.

He has subsequently said that he dislikes the treatment of the housemates by the show and its producers, and has refused all permission for any of the clips to be shown again.[7]

[edit] List of Awards

  • 1991 - British Comedy Award for Best Stage Newcomer (won)
  • 1991 - Perrier Comedy Award (nominated)
  • 1997 - British Advertising Award (for John Smith's bitter commercials) (won)
  • 1997 - British Comedy Award for Best Stand-up Comedian (won)
  • 2006 - BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance (for Jack Dee Live at the Apollo) (nominated)
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Biography

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[edit] Education

He was educated in Winchester at The Pilgrims' School, Montgomery of Alamein School (now called Kings' School [1]) and Peter Symonds' College. He wanted to go to drama college but his grandparents had been not very successful actors and his mother persuaded him to get a vocation, and so he entered the catering industry.

[edit] Family

Dee was the youngest of three children; his sister is eight years older than him, his brother five years older. Dee met his wife, Jane, when they were both working as waiters. Together they have four children; Hattie, Phoebe, and twins, Miles and Charlie.[8]

[edit] Trivia

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c BBC Comedy Guide: Jack Dee, URL last accessed 2006-08-14
  2. ^ BBC Press Office The Deputy — Jack Dee plays MP Steven Sharples, URL last accessed 2006-08-14
  3. ^ Flett, Kathryn, (2004-02-29) The ups and downs of pros and cons. The Observer, URL last accessed 2006-08-14
  4. ^ Byrne, Ciar, (2006-01-26) Dee writes BBC's answer to "Curb Your Enthusiasm", The Independent, URL last accessed 2006-08-14
  5. ^ Oattes, Joanne, (2006-12-01) 'Lead Balloon' gets another series, Digital Spy, retrieved 2006-12-02
  6. ^ Thomas, Liz, (2006-09-20) Jack Dee reveals Doctor Who desire. The Stage, URL last accessed 2006-10-04
  7. ^ Jack Dee, Mark Lawson. (2006-10-03). Jack Dee Talks to Mark Lawson [TV-series]. BBC Four.
  8. ^ Jones, Amanda, (March 2002), Master of the dour, theinsight.co.uk, URL last accessed 2006-08-14

[edit] External links

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[edit] Articles

Celebrity Big Brother UK winners
Season 1 (2001) - Jack Dee | 3 (2002) - Mark Owen | 5 (2005) - Bez | 6 (2006) Chantelle Houghton
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