| Michael McIntyre | |
|---|---|
McIntyre at the British Academy Television Awards 2009 |
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| Birth name | Michael Hazen James McIntyre |
| Born | 21 February 1976 Merton, London, England |
| Medium | Stand-up, television |
| Nationality | British |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Genres | Social satire, observational comedy |
| Spouse | Kitty McIntyre (m. 2003–present) |
| Notable works and roles | Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow Britain's Got Talent |
| Website | [1] |
Michael Hazen James McIntyre (born 21 February 1976) is a British stand-up comedian. As well as his stand-up, he has performed on programmes such as Live at the Apollo and has his own programme, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. McIntyre has also appeared on panel shows including Mock the Week, 8 out of 10 Cats and Have I Got News for You. He has guested on several radio talkshows.
McIntyre has released two stand-up DVDs; Live and Laughing in 2008 featured material from his first nationwide tour, while Michael McIntyre: Hello Wembley was released in November 2009 following a set at Wembley Arena. The former was the fastest selling debut stand-up DVD ever, and Hello Wembley is the fastest selling stand-up DVD in UK chart history, selling over a million copies.[1] In 2009 McIntyre performed live to half a million people and won Best Live Stand-up at the British Comedy Awards.
In 2010, McIntyre released his autobiography, Life and Laughing: My Story, and also became the youngest-ever host of the Royal Variety Performance.[2] He started as a judge on the fifth series of Britain's Got Talent in April 2011.[3] He is to embark on his second nationwide tour in 2012.[4]
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McIntyre was born in Merton, southwest London, and raised in Hampstead.[5] McIntyre's parents were both in show business: his Canadian father, Ray Cameron (19 April 1938 – 27 December 1993), né Thomas Cameron McIntyre, was a writer on The Kenny Everett Television Show, and his Hungarian mother, Kati, was a dancer. McIntyre has some Eastern European Jewish heritage on his mother's side.[6][7] His parents divorced when he was seven; both his parents remarried and went on to have other children with their new spouses. Ray Cameron relocated to Los Angeles, where he died of a heart attack in 1993, aged 55.
McIntyre went to Arnold House Prep School and then attended Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood for three years before transferring to local state school Woodhouse College for financial reasons.[8] McIntyre later attended Edinburgh University for one year before dropping out to pursue a career in script writing.[9] He has said that he cannot remember whether it was biology or chemistry that he studied while there.[5][9]
McIntyre's first DVD, Live & Laughing, is the fastest-selling debut stand-up DVD.[1] In 2008 he was the fastest-selling comedian at the Edinburgh Festival[10] and sold out five nights at London's 3,600 capacity Hammersmith Apollo.
He was nominated in the Comedy category of the 2009 South Bank Show Awards. In 2009 he won Best Live Stand-up at the British Comedy Awards, having also been nominated in that category the previous year.
McIntyre performed for an estimated total of 500,000 people on his first tour of the United Kingdom that included a record-breaking six nights at Wembley Arena and four at The O2 Arena. His second DVD, Hello Wembley, was another hit. 58 dates have been announced for his second tour in the autumn of 2012, at arenas in ten UK cities as well as Dublin.[4]
McIntyre has appeared three times on BBC One's Live at the Apollo and also on the Royal Variety Performance, in 2006, 2008 and 2010. While performing on stage in Wolverhampton in 2008, as he was running back onto stage for his encore, McIntyre tripped, fell over and dislocated his shoulder. Many of the audience believed this to be part of his act and started to laugh; only after his manager came on stage to assist did they realise it was real.[11]
McIntyre's routine on We Are Most Amused, staged at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 12 November 2008 in aid of The Prince's Trust was televised. This comedy gala celebrated the 60th birthday of Prince Charles, and was performed in the presence of the Prince of Wales and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall.
Among McIntyre's many comedy panel show appearances are Chris Moyles' Quiz Night, Mock the Week, 8 out of 10 Cats, Have I Got News for You, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, Would I Lie To You?, and The Apprentice: You're Fired!. On 13 February 2009, he was a guest on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. On 21 February 2009, McIntyre appeared live as a guest judge alongside head judge Anton du Beke and fellow guest Emma Bunton in the first round of Let's Dance for Comic Relief. He appeared on the show again in the final on 14 March.
From 6 June 2009, McIntyre began hosting Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, aired on Saturday nights on BBC One. On 5 July 2009, McIntyre appeared on the BBC show Top Gear as the "star in a reasonably priced car", driving around the Top Gear test track in one minute and 48.7 seconds. During his lap of the track he almost rolled the car while going around the final corner.
In December 2009, McIntyre cancelled a stand-up show at short notice after discovering that he would be performing to debt collectors. He had revealed only weeks earlier how he had struggled with substantial debt only a few years before breaking through in to the mainstream. McIntyre stated that he would have gone against his principles by performing the show.[12]
On 30 March 2010, McIntyre took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital, filmed live at London's O2 Arena. Also in 2010 he appeared on the year's edition of The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, partnered with Alan Carr. The other participants were Richard Ayoade, Noel Fielding, Jonathan Ross and Ruth Jones.
On 14 December 2010, it was announced that McIntyre would join the Britain's Got Talent judges' panel in 2011, alongside David Hasselhoff and Amanda Holden.[13] On 18 March 2011 he was among the hosts of the BBC's Red Nose Day.
McIntyre's radio appearances have included:
McIntyre lives in Hampstead, London[15] with his aromatherapist wife Kitty, a daughter of actor Simon Ward. The couple married in 2003 and have two sons, Oscar and Lucas.
He is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur.[16]
| Title | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Live & Laughing | 17 November 2008 | Live at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo |
| Live 2009: Hello Wembley! | 16 November 2009 | Live at London's Wembley Arena |
| Live 2012 | 12 November 2012 |
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