Rhys Darby
Rhys Darby | |
|---|---|
 Darby performing with Flight of the Conchords at Gramercy Theatre in New York, June 14, 2007 | |
| Born | 21 March 1974 |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Occupation(s) | stand-up comedian and actor |
| Spouse | Rosie Carnahan |
| Children | Two sons |
| Website | www.rhysdarby.com |
Rhys Montague Darby (born 21 March 1974) is a stand-up comedian from New Zealand, known for his energetic physical comedy routines, telling stories accompanied with mime and sound effects[1] of things such as machinery and animals.[2] Darby was nominated for the Billy T Award in 2001 and 2002.[3]
Darby is probably best known for playing the band manager of Flight of the Conchords in the BBC radio series (as Bryan Nesbitt)[4] and HBO television series (as Murray Hewitt), as well as Jim Carrey's manager, Norman, in Yes Man.
Life and career
A former soldier (signaller trained in morse code), he left the New Zealand Army in 1994 and began studies at the University of Canterbury.[5] In 1996 he formed a comedy duo, Rhysently Granted, with Grant Lobban.[6] After winning an open mic contest at Southern Blues Bar in Christchurch they began performing at local venues.[7] Rhysently Granted performed at two international comedy festivals which led to Darby moving up to Auckland to seek more solo stand-up experience.[8] After performing his first solo show at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Darby moved to the UK to pursue his career further.[3] At the same time, fellow Kiwis and friends Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement were dipping their toes in the waters at the Edinburgh Fringe.
In 2004 he appeared in the Flight of the Conchords BBC radio series as the band's manager Brian Nesbit alongside comedy stars such as Rob Brydon, Andy Parsons and Jimmy Carr.
Darby plays Murray, the band's manager, on Flight of the Conchords TV show. He also provided vocals for the track Leggy Blonde on their self-titled first album and also in the second series of the show on the track "Rejected" during the episode "A Good Opportunity".
Darby played the role of Norman, the boss of Jim Carrey's character in the film Yes Man.[9] In July 2008 he appeared in a Nike advertisement featuring Roger Federer, he played an impostor posing as Federer's coach.[10][11]
He appeared on a British children's television program The Slammer during the first season of the show. He is also doing several advertisements for the mobile phone company 2degrees. He appeared on Soccer AM on the 18th of October 2008 and on Never Mind The Buzzcocks on the 23rd.
The DVD of his live performance Imagine That! has gone platinum in New Zealand.
He regularly returns to New Zealand to appear in comedy shows such as Pulp Sport, 7 Days and The Jaquie Brown Diaries.
Rhys Darby's hair colour is self-described as Electric Copper in the episode of Flight of the Conchords entitled Murray Takes It to the Next Level. He also refers to this in his stand-up show It's Rhys Darby Night which he performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 6–15 August 2009,[12] The Bloomsbury Theatre in London from the 27 July-1 August and toured around New Zealand with in October and November that year.
Darby played the role of Angus in the Richard Curtis film The Boat That Rocked[13] released in the UK on the 1st of April 2009. This film was released in some countries in November 2009 under the name Pirate Radio.
Lately, he has been in New Zealand filming T.V. ads for NZ's new mobile network 2degrees and appearing in NZ shows Rocked the Nation 2, Jaquie Brown Diaries and Intrepid Journeys. He has also branched out in to producing live comedy with his wife and their company Awesomeness International. At the NZ International Comedy Festival they produced shows for local legends Brendhan Lovegrove, Jeremy Corbett and Paul Ego. He became a climate ambassador for Greenpeace in its Sign On climate campaign[14] and published a poem on Youtube in support of the campaign.
As of October 2009, Darby is co-hosting a Cryptozoology themed radio show with New Zealand journalist David Farrier on New Zealand radio station 95bFM called the Cryptid Factor.
The pilot episode of Darby's show "The Amazing Dermot" was aired on Channel 4 in 2009. [15]
In January 2010, Rosie announced the birth of their second son, Theo.[16]
From March 2010, Darby is helming in a recurring character role as an enthusiastic interviewer in a series of ads by Hewlett-Packard Company.
On 10 August 2010, Entertainment Weekly claimed that Darby was in consideration to have a part in the television series The Office replacing Steve Carell's character when the actor leaves at the end of the upcoming season.[17] Darby confirmed on The Kevin and Bean Show that NBC did not negotiate further for the role and he is now involved in a pilot for CBS.
Filmography
Television
| Year | Titles | Role |
| 2001–2002 | Billy T Award | Himself |
| 2005 | Mighty Truck Of Stuff | Himself |
| 2006 | The Slammer | Himself |
| 2007–2009 | Flight of the Conchords | Murray Hewitt |
| 2007–2008 | Sounds Like a Laugh | Himself |
| 2008 | Yo Gabba Gabba | Himself |
| 2008 | The Comedy Store Live | Himself |
| 2009 | Rocked the Nation 2: 100 NZ Pop Culture Moments | Himself |
| 2009 | Spicks and Specks | Himself |
| 2009 | Thank God You're Here | Himself |
| 2009 | ROVE | Himself |
| 2009 | Intrepid Journeys | Himself |
| 2009-2011 | 7 Days | Himself |
| 2009 | The Jaquie Brown Diaries | Terence Ben’et |
| 2009 | Comedy Showcase The Amazing Dermot | Dermot Flint |
| 2010 | RadiRadiRah | Multiple Characters |
| 2010 | The Qantas TV and Film Awards | Host |
Films
| Year | Titles | Role |
| 2008 | Yes Man | Norman |
| 2009 | The Boat That Rocked(Pirate Radio) | Angus 'The Nut' Nutford |
| 2009 | Diagnosis: Death | 'Specialist' |
| 2010 | Coming and Going | Lee Leonetti |
| 2011 | Love Birds | Doug |
References
- ^ "Rhys Darby's review : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ Monday (2007-08-13). "Inside With: Rhys Darby By: Keith Huang". The Apiary. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ a b Rhys Darby Biography[dead link]
- ^ "Radio 2 Comedy". BBC. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Performance in University Comedy Show". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ ""Mrs Whippy" song by Rhysently Granted". Youtube.com. 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Rhysently Granted performance in Christchurch bar 1997". Youtube.com. 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "May 2000 Stand-up Performance". Youtube.com. 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Darby joins Jim Carrey movie : News 2007 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. 2007-09-24. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ Brown, Rich (2008-07-02). "Roger Federer's coach 'revealed' in Nike advert". Telegraph. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ Video of Darby's Nike advertisement
- ^ "Rhys Darby: It's Rhys Darby Night | Edinburgh Festival Guide". Edinburghfestival.list.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "The Boat That Rocked" complete cast list
- ^ Sign ON campaign
- ^ http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/the_amazing_dermot/details/
- ^ "Rhys Darby Welcomes Baby Boy Theo!".
- ^ http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEtg7oMlsMl0ww
External links
