Jack Dee
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| Jack Dee | |
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| Jack Dee in 2007. Photo: David Johnson | |
| Born | 24 September 1962 Petts Wood, Kent, England |
| Years active | 1989 – present |
| Spouse | Jane Dee (1989-) |
| Notable works and roles | The Jack Dee Show (1992–1994) Just For Laughs (1992) 'Art' (1998) Jack Dee Live at the Apollo (2004–2006) Lead Balloon (2006–present) |
| British Comedy Awards | |
| Best Stage Newcomer 1991 Best Stand-up Comedian 1997 |
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Jack Dee (born James Andrew Innes Dee, 24 September 1962) is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer, best known for his sardonic, dead-pan style.
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[edit] Early life
Dee was the youngest of three children; his sister is eight years older than he is, and his brother, five years older. He was born in Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent (now in Greater London)[1] but his family moved to Winchester when he was young. His father was a printer and his mother the daughter of two unsuccessful repertory actors. His education meandered from fee-paying to state. His first school was The Pilgrims' School, a prep school. His parents moved him to the state Montgomery of Alamein School for his secondary education.
He took his A-levels at Peter Symonds' College, and walked away with a D and an F grade. Following this, he planned to attend drama college, but his plans were scuppered when his mother persuaded him to get a vocation, so he entered the catering industry and became a waiter.[2] In his twenties he worked at the Ritz and started drinking heavily. He attended church and attempted to become a priest. After being rejected, he quit drinking and attended AA meetings. He would later state his condition was "alcohol abuse" rather than alcoholism, which it was reported as at the time.[3] Since then he has gone on to advertise John Smith's Bitter.
[edit] Career
Dee's first public act was an open-mike gig in 1986 at the Comedy Store, which he went to one evening after work.[4] 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 Saturday Night on ITV, Jack Dee's Happy Hour in 1997 and later Jack Dee Live at the Apollo in 2004 on BBC One.
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 Grimleys pilot (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 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.[5]
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.[6] Later that year he starred in another one-off drama, Tunnel of Love. He was the celebrity advocate in Britain's Best Sitcom for Fawlty Towers and presented an hour-long documentary about the series.
In 2005 he co-hosted Comic Aid, a one-off gathering of comedians that aimed to raise money for the Asian Tsunami Appeal. In May of the same year he appeared on the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment of the BBC Two series Top Gear, achieving a lap time of 1:53.5 (52nd on the Suzuki Liana leader board). His most recent series Lead Balloon, which he also co-wrote, began on BBC Four on 4 October, 2006. Described as "Britain's answer to Curb Your Enthusiasm",[7] Lead Balloon sees Dee play the semi-biographical role of Rick Spleen. A second series of eight episodes was commissioned and was broadcast on BBC Two in 2007, with a third series debuting on Thursday 13 November 2008.
Dee also makes frequent appearances on the panel shows I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, and Have I Got News for You, which he has guest-presented seven times, and he hosts segments of the BBC's biennial Comic Relief telethon. He starred in advertisements for John Smith's Bitter in the 1990s, becoming known as "the midget with the widget".
He 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]
In 2008 Dee took part in the 15th anniversary special of Shooting Stars where he replaced Will Self as captain of Team A. The show aired on 30th December 2008 on BBC2.
In February 2009, it was announced that Dee is to be one of a trio of hosts to replace Humphrey Lyttelton on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (the others being Stephen Fry and Rob Brydon).[8]
[edit] Personal life
Dee met his wife, Susan (Jane) Hetherington, in 1986 when he was working as a waiter in Fulham and she was a receptionist at a nearby hotel. They married in Winchester, Hampshire, in 1989. Together they have four children: Hattie Jane (born 1992, Wandsworth, London),[citation needed], Phoebe Jane (born late 1994/early 1995, Westminster, London) and twins, Miles Lionel and Charles Lionel 'Charlie' (born 1998, Westminster)[9] and live in Wandsworth.
He abused alcohol heavily in the 1980s. Following his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother he had a relapse, though did not attend AA meetings because he did not want paparazzi photographing him leaving the meetings.[10]
In 2007, the Daily Express reported that he was in negotiations with publishers to release his autobiography.[11] He signed with Doubleday in 2008 and the book, Thanks For Nothing: The Jack Dee Memoirs, will be released in October 2009, along with an audiobook of the same title which he narrates.[12]. According to Dee, "it's really the story of how I got into comedy... It's kind of an autobiography but isn't, as it stops about 25 years ago. It goes right up to the first time I do stand up."[13]
In February 2009 Dee and several other entertainers wrote an open letter to The Times of London supporting Bahá'í leaders then on trial in Iran.[14]
[edit] Awards and nominations
| Year | For | Award/Category | Result |
| 1991 | – | British Comedy Award for Best Stage Newcomer | Won |
| – | Perrier Comedy Award | Nominated | |
| 1997 | John Smith's Bitter Commercials | British Advertising Awards | Won |
| – | British Comedy Award for Best Stand-up Comedian | Won | |
| 2006 | Jack Dee Live at the Apollo | BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance | Nominated |
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b BBC Comedy Guide: Jack Dee, URL last accessed 2006-08-14
- ^ Cavendish, Lucy (2006-10-23). "Now I don't need to be drunk to be happy". Evening Standard (at Find Articles). http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4153/is_20061023/ai_n16798798. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.[dead link]
- ^ Wark, Penny (2002-08-03). "Jack Dee: a seriously funny man". The Times.
- ^ Different sources give different dates for the open-mike gig, with some saying 1986, some 1987 and some 1988. An interview with The Times in 2004 states 1987. Chortle gives 1986 and 1988 on the same page. His biography at Off The Kerb, which represents him, gives it as 1986.
- ^ Jack Dee, Mark Lawson.. Mark Lawson Talks to Jack Dee. [TV-series]. BBC Four.
- ^ Flett, Kathryn (2004-02-29). "The ups and downs of pros and cons". The Observer. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1158696,00.html. Retrieved on 2006-08-14.
- ^ Byrne, Ciar (2006-01-26). "Dee writes BBC's answer to "Curb Your Enthusiasm"". The Independent. http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article341031.ece. Retrieved on 2006-08-14.
- ^ Digital Spy: Fry, Brydon, Dee to host 'Clue' return
- ^ Staff writer (2001-03-25). "The girl who kept Jack Dee alive". Sunday People.
- ^ Billen, Andrew (2004-02-17). "Politics? I'd rather talk about God". The Times.
- ^ Spencer, Kathryn (2007-01-04). "Jack's back in bid to sell his life story". Daily Express.
- ^ "It's his autobiograph-Dee". Chortle. 2008-12-04. http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2008/04/12/6626/its_his_autobiograp-dee.
- ^ Thair, David (2009-05-08). "HIGNFY Guest Host interview: Jack Dee". BBC Comedy Blog. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/comedy/2009/05/hignfy-guest-host-interview-ja.shtml.
- ^ "Stand up for Iran’s Baha’is - Voices from the arts call for the imprisoned Baha'i leaders in Iran to receive a fair trial", The Times, 2009-02-26, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/letters/article5804284.ece
[edit] External links
- Jack Dee at Off The Kerb Productions
- Jack Dee at the bbc.co.uk Guide to Comedy
- Jack Dee at the British Film Institute
- Jack Dee at the BFI's Screenonline
- Jack Dee at the Internet Movie Database
| Preceded by None |
Celebrity Big Brother UK Winner Series 1 (2001) |
Succeeded by Mark Owen |
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