Howard Busgang

Last updated

Howard Busgang is a Canadian comedian and television producer. [1]

Contents

Comedy career

Originally from Montreal, Quebec, he studied political science at McGill University [2] before beginning to perform as a stand-up comedian in 1979. [3] He had some supporting roles in film and television, including the film Terror Train and guest roles in the television series The Edison Twins and Check It Out! , before he and Shawn Thompson created the short-run comedy series We Don't Knock, in which they performed improvised pranks on real people, for CBC Television in 1986. [4] In the same year, he was one of the performers in The Young Comedians All Star Reunion, a stand-up comedy special on HBO that also included Howie Mandel, Harry Anderson and Robin Williams. [5]

Following the end of We Don't Knock's run, Busgang and Dale Martindale became cohosts of CBC Television's youth series Switchback . [6] After leaving that show, he moved to Los Angeles where he continued to perform comedy, including an appearance on An Evening at the Improv and touring as an opening act for Mandel. [7] He also appeared in the comedy film A Man Called Sarge . [7]

Television writing and production

In the early 1990s Busgang began working as a writer, story editor and producer, working on television series such as Good Advice , Boy Meets World and The Closer . [8] He later returned to Canada, working in television as creator, writer and producer of series such as The Blobheads, An American in Canada , [9] The Tournament , [10] Sophie , [11] Single White Spenny and Working the Engels .

Current activity

In 2018, Busgang opened a Montreal-style delicatessen, Buzzy's Luncheonette, on Saltspring Island. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just for Laughs</span> Comedy festival held in Montreal, Canada

Just for Laughs was a comedy festival that was held every July in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1982, it was the largest international comedy festival in the world. In addition to the festivals themselves, Just for Laughs also developed, produced, and distributed other forms of comedy entertainment, such as television programming.

Dave Broadfoot was a Canadian comedian and satirist. He is best known for his performances as a member of the Royal Canadian Air Farce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howie Mandel</span> Canadian actor and comedian (born 1955)

Howard Michael Mandel is a Canadian comedian, television personality, actor, and producer. Mandel is known for voicing Gizmo in the 1984 film Gremlins and the 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch, playing rowdy ER resident Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere, and creating and starring in the Fox children's cartoon Bobby's World. He has also been a judge on NBC's America's Got Talent since 2010, and Citytv's Canada's Got Talent since 2022. He hosted the American NBC and later CNBC game show Deal or No Deal, as well as the show's daytime and Canadian-English counterparts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maury Chaykin</span> American-Canadian actor (1949-2010)

Maury Alan Chaykin was an American-Canadian actor. Described as "one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian cinema," he was best known for his portrayal of Rex Stout's detective Nero Wolfe on the television series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001-02), as well as for his work as a character actor in many films and television programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Boris</span> Canadian comedian (born 1980)

Trevor Boris is a Canadian comedian, writer and television producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Comedy Awards</span> National awards for performed comedy

The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000.

Patrick Huard is a Canadian actor, writer and comedian from Quebec.

Steve Patterson is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, writer, television and radio host. He is also a television producer and known for his satire and observational comedy.

Shawn Alex Thompson is a Canadian actor, screenwriter, television producer, and television director, as well as a professional magician. Notably, he is one of the producers of Puppets Who Kill, which aired on Canada's The Comedy Network.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Dramatic Series. Formerly presented as part of the Gemini Awards program, since 2013 the award has been presented as part of the expanded Canadian Screen Awards.

Eric Tunney was a Canadian writer, comedian and television host from Windsor, Ontario who hosted several television shows produced in both Canada and the U.S. and was a regular on the North American live comedy performance circuit.

The Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role is an annual Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best leading performance by an actor in a Canadian television series. Previously presented as part of the Gemini Awards, since 2013 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonny Harris</span> Canadian actor and comedian

Jonathan Harris is a Canadian actor and comedian from Newfoundland and Labrador. Harris is best known for his roles in the television series Murdoch Mysteries, Still Standing and Hatching, Matching and Dispatching, as well as the films Young Triffie, Moving Day, and Grown Up Movie Star.

The Vestibules, formerly known as Radio Free Vestibule, is a Canadian comedy troupe composed of Terence Bowman, Paul Paré, and Bernard Deniger.

Howie Mandel's Sunny Skies is a sketch comedy television series, which aired in 1995. Produced by Atlantis Communications for Showtime in the United States and CBC Television in Canada, the series starred comedian Howie Mandel alongside a supporting cast of comedians including Stephen Furst, Tim Bagley, Deborah Theaker, Jennifer Butt and Rob Cohen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Hassan (comedian)</span> Canadian comedian

Ali Hassan is a Canadian comedian and actor, known as the host of CBC Radio One's weekly comedy program Laugh Out Loud and as the moderator of CBC Radio's annual Canada Reads competition since 2017. He also played "Delivery Doug" from the PBS/TVO Kids series "Odd Squad".

D.J. Demers is a Canadian stand-up comedian, best known for his television appearances on season 11 of America's Got Talent and on the late night talk show Conan. Originally from Kitchener, Ontario, Demers was diagnosed with hearing loss in childhood, and focuses his comedy largely but not exclusively on his experiences as a person who wears hearing aids.

Martha Chaves is a Nicaraguan-Canadian comedian, actress, activist and playwright. She performs standup in English, Spanish, French and Italian. She is a regular in the comedy circuits in Canada, the United States and Latin America, at Just for Laughs and other major festivals, and on CBC Radio.

Michael Boncoeur was the stage name of Michael Vadeboncoeur, a Canadian sketch comedian, most noted as one half of the comedy duo La Troupe Grotesque with Paul K. Willis in the 1970s and 1980s.

Paul Kenneth Willis was a Canadian sketch comedian, most noted as one half of the comedy duo La Troupe Grotesque with Michael Boncoeur in the 1970s and 1980s.

References

  1. 1 2 "A comic with chutzpah: He opens a Montreal-style deli in B.C". Montreal Gazette , August 25, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Howard Busgang". The Globe and Mail , November 8, 1986.
  3. ↑ "Hide the welcome mat when Busgang and his gang are in the neighborhood". Montreal Gazette, July 12, 1986.
  4. ↑ "Clowning around down east". The Globe and Mail, October 15, 1986.
  5. ↑ "Howard Busgang is competing with himself this evening". Montreal Gazette, October 18, 1986.
  6. ↑ "Show's format dims Busgang's bright light". The Globe and Mail, April 11, 1987.
  7. 1 2 "Comic says opening for Mandel beats being bait". Toronto Star , May 12, 1990.
  8. ↑ "Comic Busgang's ship has finally come in - literally; N.D.G. native is triple threat: stand-up, TV scriptwriting and Mexican cruises". Montreal Gazette, April 2, 1993.
  9. ↑ "Please pick An American In Canada ; CBC really wants your input on new comedy output". Toronto Star, January 17, 2002.
  10. ↑ "With hockey-dad TV series The Tournament, life imitates art imitating life". Journal Pioneer , January 19, 2005.
  11. ↑ "Sophie shakes up her life; CBC's new sitcom is a French-to-English adaptation. Will it cross cultures easily?". Montreal Gazette, November 20, 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.