Russell Peters

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Not to be confused with Russell Peterson or Peter Russell.
Russell Peters
Just for Laughs Street Festival in Toronto
Birth nameRussell Dominic Peters
Born1970
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Mediumstand-up, television, film
NationalityCanadian
Years active1989–present
GenresSatire, Improvisational comedy, Observational comedy
Subject(s)racism, race relations, stereotypes, human sexuality, multiculturalism, Indian culture
Notable works and rolesRussell Peters: Outsourced

Russell Dominic Peters[4] (born 1970 in Toronto, Ontario[5]) is a Canadian stand-up comic and actor of Anglo-Indian[5] heritage.

Early life

Peters' parents, Eric and Maureen, are from Mumbai and Kolkata, India, respectively.[1][6] However, he was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and his family moved to nearby Brampton, Ontario in 1975.[5] He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

His work

Peters began performing in Toronto in 1989[4]. He has since also performed in the UK, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Denmark, South Africa, the Caribbean, Vietnam, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India, UAE and the United States.

He has been nominated for four Gemini Awards,[7] the Canadian television awards. He has also been nominated for Best Male Comic at the Canadian Comedy Awards. [citation needed] Peters has been featured at such shows as Montreal's Just for Laughs (Juste Pour Rire) Comedy Festival, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and the Edinburgh Festival. He hosted the Canada Day Comedy Festival 2006.

Peters' comedy focuses largely around his Indian upbringing and racial stereotypes, as he often parodies his parents and South Asian culture. Much of his material explores the cultural divides between many different ethnicities and upbringings in a way that includes many impressions. One reason for his popularity is that he engages the audience at his shows, by talking to individuals and making some sort of remark at, or about them.

His most recent comedy special Russell Peters: Outsourced, aired on Comedy Central on August 26, 2006. Outsourced is also available on DVD and CD in stores from August 29, 2006. The DVD version features his uncensored performance. The DVD has been popular, especially in Canada, selling over 80,000 copies. Outsourced is Russell's first DVD release and remains on the National DVD Chart over one year after its release.

Outsourced

Russell Peters: Outsourced is a stage act dedicated to the memory of Peters' father. It showed lots of new material to his viewers. Topics ranged from different types of Asians, the English accent, terrorists, racists, Africans and his own adventures with the Chinese in KFC, Beijing. Some of these acts were criticized as being racist. But the show remained typical of his style. Two of his most popular catchphrases are "be a man" and "somebody gonna get a hurt real bad". During the encore for the show, before doing the famous line, he mentions that he would be retiring that joke/line after that show. Many viewers misunderstood this message and believed that Peters was retiring his career as a comedian. The official reason is that his father recently passed away before the release of the DVD and many jokes were based on him. From then on, Peters would be focusing on different material.[citation needed]

Peters' comments about mixed relationships, beige kids and Indians following the British back to London were perceived by some as spot on. They typified his sharpness regarding observational comedy. Another favourite comment is, "Catherine and Vincent from the Bay area." This is especially amusing as Catherine and Vincent are clearly of Chinese descent; again showing how Peters incorporates the audience into the show.

He has also acted in the film Quarter Life Crisis.

Monsoon House

Monsoon House is a radio play that Peters performed for CBC Radio One in 2006. It stars Peters as Russell Page, a Hollywood producer.

New sitcom on FOX

In September 2007, it was confirmed that Peters made a deal with FOX to develop a new sitcom, based on his experience of living in Canada. Peters says, "It's really a snapshot of where my family maybe was ten years ago.", and he ensures that the sitcom is "Something that will be funny and honest."[8][9]

USO tour

Image:Russell Peters in Afghanistan on a USO tour in November 2007.

Peters participated in a USO tour in November 2007 with Wilmer Valderrama and Mayra Veronica.[10]

Popularity

Peters' popularity extends to several countries. In Canada, Peters became the first comedian to sell out at Toronto's Air Canada Centre[11]. More than 15,000 tickets in two days for that single show. He ended up selling over 30,000 tickets nationally over the two-day sales period. A total of over 50,000 tickets were sold across six cities. [citation needed]

Awards and recognitions

  • 2004 - Nomination for the Gemini Award in the category "Best Individual Performance in a Comedy Program or Series". This was for Show Me The Funny, from the TV-series Comedy Now! (1997)[12]

Achievements

  • First North American based comedian to perform in India (Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata)

Trivia

  • Russell Peters also appeared on Canadian TV Drama Series, Metropia as himself, a comedian.
  • Attended North Peel Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario, Canada
  • Used to headline at the Yuk Yuk's comedy club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

References

  1. ^ a b "Russell Peters Official Bio Press". Russell Peters Official Bio Press.
  2. ^ Comedy Preview: Russell Peters won't a hurt you real bad. Gauntlet Entertainment.
  3. ^ Riz Khan - Russell Peters - 07 Jun 07. YouTube.
  4. ^ a b "Russell Peters IMDB profile". IMDB Profile.
  5. ^ a b c "Russell Peters Official FAQ". russellpeters.com - FAQ FAQ.
  6. ^ Russell Peters in Bangalore. Live Journal.
  7. ^ "http://www.helpms.ca/russellpeters.htm". {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  8. ^ Russell Peters Scores Script Deal with FOX. News Blaze.
  9. ^ Russell has a new gig. Metro International.
  10. ^ "USO visits Bagram". United States Department of Defense. November 21 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Russell Peters' Homecoming Tour SELLS OUT Across Canada!". News Blaze.
  12. ^ "Russell Peters IMDB profile - awards". IMDB Profile - Awards.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Russell Peters.


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