Paul Zerdin

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Paul Zerdin
Born (1972-08-21) 21 August 1972 (age 52)
London, England
NationalityEnglish
Occupation(s)Ventriloquist, comedian
Years active
  • 1993
  • 1996
  • 2008
  • 2015–present
Agent https://intertalentgroup.com/
Notable work America's Got Talent (season 10) (Winner)
Television See list
Website www.paulzerdin.com

Paul Zerdin (born 21 August 1972) is a British comedian and ventriloquist from London. He was the winner of the 10th season of America's Got Talent . [1]

Contents

Early life

When Zerdin was 10, a family friend made him a puppet theatre which he used to put on shows. Having failed his GCSEs, Zerdin got a job in a magic shop, developing his magic skills along the way. Simultaneously, he was also developing a sideline as a children's entertainer.[ citation needed ]

Career

Zerdin made his TV debut as a magician on the BBC's Tricky Business . Shortly afterwards, at the age of 20, Zerdin landed a two-year contract presenting the Disney-produced children's programme Rise and Shine for GMTV. [2]

In 1996, Zerdin was the first outright winner – by over 100,000 votes – of LWT's The Big Big Talent Show, hosted by Jonathan Ross.[ citation needed ] Lythgoe secured Zerdin a spot on The Prince's Trust Gala Show in 1997. [3]

During the 2016-17 Christmas season, Zerdin played Cinderella's sidekick Buttons in the London Palladium production of the pantomime Cinderella , leading the Radio Times to dub him "inspired casting." The magazine added that "His quick wit, rapport with the crowd and astonishing skills with puppet Sam turn the often toe-curling audience participation bits (don't sit in the front row) into genuinely hilarious moments." [4]

Got Talent

In 2015, Zerdin auditioned for the tenth season of America's Got Talent , successfully earning a place in the live rounds of the contest, before eventually winning the finals on 16 September 2015. Alongside winning $1 million, Zerdin was given his own headline show in Las Vegas. Entitled Mouthing Off, it ran for four months in 2016, between 14 May and 4 September, at Planet Hollywood, before closing due to low attendance figures. [5] In 2019, Zerdin returned to partake in the programme's spin-off contest, America's Got Talent: The Champions , in January, and the spin-off contest, Britain's Got Talent: The Champions , [6] in July later that year, but failed to reach the final of either show.

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1993Rise and ShinePresenterGMTV (Kids)
1996The Big Big Talent ShowHimselfWinner
Sooty & Co. Little Cousin Paul ITV
2008 The Convention Crasher Himself Channel 4
2015 America's Got Talent Winner
2016Himself and Guest NBC
Newzoids Himself ITV
2017 Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? Himself and Guest ABC
2019 Britain's Got Talent HimselfITV
Tenable All Stars
2021 Justin's House CBeebies

Stage

YearTitleRoleVenue/ PlaceNotes
1998Paul Zerdin in ParadiseHimself Blackpool Pleasure Beach Paradise Room in The Casino (11 July - 7 November)
2017, 2018, 2020Paul Zerdin LIVE Butlins (Minehead, Bognor and Skegness) School summer holidays only and February half term (2018 only) [7]
2016 Cinderella Buttons The London Palladium
2017Paul Zerdin All MouthHimselfUK Tour
Dick WhittingtonIdle JackThe London Palladium
2018 Snow White Muddles
2019 Goldilocks & the Three Bears Silly Billy
2022 Jack and the Beanstalk Silly Simon

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018Karts in SuzukaSam Zerdin

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Paul Zerdin | 11/22/24". Channel 13 Las Vegas News KTNV. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  2. ↑ "British ventriloquist Paul Zerdin wins America's Got Talent". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  3. ↑ Paul Zerdin's biography – Paul Zerdin
  4. ↑ "Cinderella review: Paul O'Grady and Julian Clary are spectacularly bonkers ★★★★". RadioTimes. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "Zerdin's 'Mouthing Off' to go silent at Planet Hollywood". 24 August 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  6. ↑ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  7. ↑ "February Half Term Breaks - UK Holidays 2019 - Butlins". Butlins. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
Preceded by America's Got Talent winner
Season 10 (Summer 2015)		Succeeded by


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