Sam Wills

Last updated

Sam Wills
The Sam Wills - 4718383365.jpg
Wills performing in Dublin, Ireland, in 2010
PseudonymTape Face, The Boy With Tape On His Face, Sam Wills
Born (1978-08-28) 28 August 1978 (age 45)
Timaru, New Zealand
MediumLaughter, surprise
EducationChristchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology’s Circus School, earned a Diploma in New Circus, majoring in Juggling and Acrobatics.
Years active1991–present
Genres prop-comic, comedian
SpouseFelicity Redman (m. 2009–2017)
Children1 son
Notable works and rolesMost viewed comedian on YouTube, his performances for America’s Got Talent being viewed over 220 million times worldwide.
Website tapeface.tv

Sam Wills (born 28 August 1978) is a New Zealand prop comic, busker, clown, and mime artist residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. He performs under the name The Boy With Tape On His Face [1] and, more recently, as Tape Face. [2] He was also half of the two-person act Spitroast and sometimes performed under his own name, Sam Wills. [3] He has been featured in the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, [4] the World Buskers Festival, [5] and was a finalist on Season 11 of America's Got Talent. [6]

Contents

Biography

Wills began his performing career in Timaru at the age of thirteen while he trained as a clown. He uses a diverse range of performance styles and skills. He holds a diploma in New Circus from Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology's Circus School where he has taught juggling for two years. His interest in the phenomenon of traditional circus freak shows and influences such as the Jim Rose Circus and the Tokyo Shock Boys led to experiments with shock comedy, earning him his first Pulp Comedy appearance, the Best New Face award for the 2001 season, and he was called ‘Prince of Cringe’ from Truth and TV Extra magazine.[ citation needed ]

Until 2001, Wills was active in the Christchurch entertainment scene, appearing at balls, private functions and corporate events; running weekly comedy nights and appearing on local television.[ citation needed ] In 2002, he moved to Auckland to become a resident comedian at the casino in SkyCity Auckland, where he had a weekly show, the NCB Comedy Hour, blending circus and vaudeville styles.[ citation needed ] In 2008, Wills took his show The Boy With Tape On His Face to the Melbourne Comedy Festival, where it received critical acclaim. [7] [8] After Melbourne and later in 2008, he moved to London, appearing as a modern mime and wearing the traditional striped shirt. [9]

Wills met his future wife, English burlesque performer Felicity Redman (also known as Lili La Scala), in 2007. [10] They had a "symbolic wedding" on 9 January 2009, in Christchurch as a start to that year's World Buskers Festival in the same spot on the banks of the Avon River where they got engaged a year earlier. This was followed by a legal wedding later that year in England. [11] Their son was born in January 2013. [10]

Wills rarely gives interviews to maintain the impression of not speaking, which was created by taping his mouth for performances. His media strategy is modelled on that of Kate Moss, of whom he has said "She doesn't do any public speaking at all. That makes her even cooler. She just does her job. That is the approach we are taking with this. We want the show to just sell itself." [12]

Notable performances

Wills performing in Covent Garden, London (May 2009) Sam Wills Covent Garden May 2009.jpg
Wills performing in Covent Garden, London (May 2009)

Wills performed as the MC of the Late Club at the Auckland Festival in 2005 (AK05) and for First Night at the Aotea Centre.[ citation needed ] He also performed at the World Buskers' Festival in 2004, 2005 and 2008. [5] [11] He was a regular performer on Pulp Comedy, during its three seasons on TV2. [13] He performed on the red carpet for the World Premier of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in Wellington. [14] He was the support act for David Strassman's 2003 tour of New Zealand.[ citation needed ] He has also performed at private functions for the former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and the King of Tonga George Tupou V.[ citation needed ] In the UK, he made an ITV appearance on Comedy Rocks hosted by Jason Manford (2011), and also appeared at the first BBC Comedy Prom at London's Royal Albert Hall on 13 August 2011 (broadcast on BBC 2 on 27 August 2011). [15] [16] On 5 December 2011 he performed at the 83rd annual Royal Variety Performance, alongside Tim Minchin and others. [17] [18]

In the Season 11 premiere of America's Got Talent (AGT) on 31 May 2016, shortening his stage name to Tape Face, Wills auditioned and got through to the next round. [9] In Week 8 of AGT, during the Judges' cuts round, Wills successfully auditioned through to the live shows. [19] In Week 1 of the AGT quarterfinals, he advanced to the semifinals. [20] He advanced to the finals on 31 August 2016 by getting the most audience votes in the Dunkin' save, but was later eliminated on 14 September when he did not reach a top five spot.[ citation needed ] Maria Karvouni of Forbes magazine wrote that Tape Face revives silent film acting, using his facial expressions and body movements to captivate his audience: "His simplicity creates a complexity which results in a lot of laughter." [21] He appeared in a show with America's Got Talent Season 11 winner Grace VanderWaal and runner-up The Clairvoyants in a three-night concert series at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, in October 2016. [22] He also appeared in 2019 on Week 4 of America's Got Talent: Champions, on Monday, 28 January, where he placed in the top 4 of that night's acts.

Wills made an appearance in YouTube Rewind 2016. [23]

When Sam Wills is on tour, his doppelganger T2 performs in his place at House of Tape Theater in Harrah's Las Vegas. [24]

In 2020, Wills appeared on the 15th season of La France a un incroyable talent, the "Battle of the Judges." He was a member of team Sugar Sammy. [25] In the first round of the competition, Tape Face competed in a duel against pole acrobat Rémi Martin from team Marianne James. The audience and judges Éric Antoine and Hélène Ségara all voted for Rémi Martin to move on to the next round, eliminating Wills from the competition.

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raybon Kan</span>

Raybon Kan is a New Zealand comedian and newspaper columnist.

America's Got Talent is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global Got Talent franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle USA and Syco Entertainment, and broadcasts on the NBC television network. It premiered on June 21, 2006, after plans for a British edition in 2005 were suspended, following a dispute within the British broadcaster ITV. Production would later resume in 2007, following the success of the first season. Each season is mainly run during the network's summer schedule, and has featured various hosts over the course of the program's history. The current host is Terry Crews.

Ronn Lucas is an American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Blue</span> American comedian

Josh Blue is an American comedian. He was voted the Last Comic Standing on NBC's reality show Last Comic Standing during its fourth season, which aired May–August 2006. Blue has cerebral palsy, and much of his self-deprecating humor is centered on this.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Fator</span> American entertainer

Terry Wayne Fator is an American ventriloquist, impressionist, stand-up comedian, and singer. Born in Dallas, Texas, he developed an interest in ventriloquism from a young age, developing both this and a talent for singing. After initially performing with two bands, Fator eventually conducted solo performances, combining ventriloquism and singing with comedy. He gained national recognition for his talent when he won the second season of America's Got Talent, which helped to boost his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Cotter (comedian)</span> American stand-up comedian

Thomas Cotter is an American comedian who currently resides in Stony Point, New York, known for being the runner-up of the seventh season of America's Got Talent, losing to Olate Dogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Grimm (musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

Michael Joseph Grimm is an American singer-songwriter and winner of the fifth season of America's Got Talent.

Victor Rubilar is an Argentinian professional football performer and comedian based in Spain. He is an official Guinness World Record Holder. He worked as a magician for three years in Argentina before he decided to become a professional football freestyler / football juggler. He moved from Argentina to Sweden to study at the school of contemporary arts in Cirkus Cirkör. He specialized in football freestyling, football juggling and acrobatics. He was also educated in the arts of performing, theatre and dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray SawChuck</span> Canadian magician

Murray John Sawchuck is a stage illusionist, magician, comedian, actor, and host. Based in Las Vegas, SawChuck has dubbed himself "The 'Dennis the Menace' of Magic," and his shows often consist of a blend of "comical mishaps" that result in illusions and magic tricks. He was featured in the fifth season of America's Got Talent, and is the resident magic historian on Pawn Stars. SawChuck has also appeared as a magic coach on five episodes of the VH1 series Celebracadabra, and has been a guest star on shows such as Reno 911!, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Blind Date, War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave, and Ring of Darkness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olate Dogs</span>

Olate Dogs is an American dog trick act featuring father-and-son trainers Richard and Nicholas Olate. The group won the seventh season (2012) of America's Got Talent, claiming the US$1,000,000 first prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forte (vocal group)</span> Operatic pop trio from Americas Got Talent

Forte is a classical crossover–operatic pop trio comprising tenors Josh Page, Sean Panikkar and Hana Ryu. Forte was created specifically for season eight of America's Got Talent (AGT) in 2013. After weeks of preparation online, the three original members met in person just two days before their first performance together; afterward, the show's rules forced the group to make a personnel change. The new lineup advanced to the final round in September, where Forte finished in fourth place. Following their elimination, the men accepted a recording contract offered by representatives of Columbia Records, who were waiting for them in the hallway offstage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Williamson</span> American stand-up comic

Taylor Williamson is an American stand-up comic. He is known for finishing as the runner-up on the eighth season of America's Got Talent and as a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mat Franco</span> American magician

Mat Franco is an American magician best known for his personality driven, skill-based sleight of hand magic. He gained fame as the first magician to win America's Got Talent, in the show’s ninth season. Franco went on to produce and star in his own primetime TV specials on NBC, Mat Franco’s Got Magic. In 2015 he created and debuted his live stage show in Las Vegas, Mat Franco - Magic Reinvented Nightly, and he is currently headlining at The LINQ Hotel + Experience at the Mat Franco Theater. In addition to winning "Best Magic Show" at the Best of Vegas Awards, Franco's live production was the top-rated magic show in Las Vegas according to Billboard.com in 2021. Mat Franco - Magic Reinvented Nightly was awarded Best Show on the Las Vegas Strip again in 2022.

Ed Oxenbould is an Australian actor. He rose to prominence for his role in the film Julian (2012). Subsequently, he appeared in the television series Puberty Blues (2012–2014) and became more well-known for his role in the film Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014). He continued to gain fame for his roles in the films Paper Planes (2015), The Visit (2015), Better Watch Out (2016) and Wildlife (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace VanderWaal</span> American singer-songwriter (born 2004)

Grace Avery VanderWaal is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is known for her distinctive vocals and has often accompanied herself on the ukulele.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Brugh</span> New Zealand actor and comedian

Jonathan Brugh, also known as Jonny Brugh, is a New Zealand comedian, actor, and musician. He is best known for his work in What We Do in the Shadows (2014). In the 1990s he was part of the comic duo Sugar and Spice.

Courtney Hadwin is an English singer-songwriter. She rose to fame by competing prominently on the first season of ITV's The Voice Kids UK 2017 and the 13th season of the NBC competition show America's Got Talent (AGT) the following year. Her latter audition went viral. By the time of her second performance in 2018 on the first live TV broadcast of AGT that season, the video of her audition had been viewed 200 million times, according to show host Tyra Banks as she introduced Hadwin.

<i>The Naked Magicians</i> Australian live comedy magic show

The Naked Magicians is a live comedy magic show from Australia. The tagline for the show is "good magicians don’t need sleeves and great magicians don’t need pants", and show was created by Australian comedy magicians, Mike Tyler and Christopher Wayne, who perform it as a duo on-stage. The show is a mix of magic and comedy delivered by the magicians who slowly remove their clothing during the show until they are completely naked.

Léa Kyle is a French magician who performs quick-change magic. She is known for receiving a Golden Buzzer, for her quick-change performance, during her audition on America's Got Talent. She also appeared during the series 15 of France's Got Talent, and the seventh season of Penn & Teller: Fool Us.

Dustin Tavella is an American magician and singer. He is best known for being the season 16 winner of the NBC show America's Got Talent as a magician.

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome". Theboywithtapeonhisface.com. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "Creepy 'Tape Face' Prop Comic stuns America's Got Talent audience in viral clip". ew.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  3. ↑ "The Sam Wills". Archived from the original on 18 January 2012.
  4. ↑ "Welcome to the NZ International Comedy Festival producers website". Laugh.co.nz. Archived from the original on 23 February 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 "21 – 31 January". Worldbuskersfestival.com. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  6. ↑ Angermiller, Michele Amabile (14 September 2016). "'America's Got Talent' Finale: Watch Tape Face Put a Toilet Seat on Mel B". Billboard . Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Tape Face Going To Las Vegas". www.pollstar.com. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  8. ↑ "Tape Face – Artist Profile". eventseeker.com. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  9. 1 2 "The Boy With Tape On His Face met Simon Cowell, and Simon loved it". The New Zealand Herald . 1 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  10. 1 2 Gates, Charlie (24 January 2013). "The boy with danger as a name". The Press . Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Funnyman to marry light of his life". The Press . 8 January 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  12. ↑ Gates, Charlie (26 December 2016). "Oven gloves the path to fame". The Press . p. A19. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  13. ↑ "Pulp Comedy". IMDb.com. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "Tape Face [Sam Wills] Comedian – Things to Know About the Funnyman". 27 July 2016.
  15. ↑ "Publicity – Tape Face".
  16. ↑ "Prom 40: Comedy Prom". BBC Music Events.
  17. ↑ "Tape Face". www.facebook.com.
  18. ↑ "TAPE FACE – Pleasance Theatre Trust". www.pleasance.co.uk.
  19. ↑ Weatherby, Taylor (20 July 2016). "'America's Got Talent' Recap: Did Tape Face Make It Through Judge Cuts?". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  20. ↑ Weatherby, Taylor (27 July 2016). "'America's Got Talent' Results Recap: Which Acts Were Voted Through By America?". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  21. ↑ Karvouni, Maria. "The Curious Case of Silent Tape Face", Forbes , 6 October 2016
  22. ↑ Miller, Ken. "Grace VanderWaal highlights 'America's Got Talent Live!'", Las Vegas Magazine, 21 October 2016
  23. ↑ YouTube Rewind: The Ultimate 2016 Challenge | #YouTubeRewind – YouTube
  24. ↑ Richardson, Jay (17 July 2019). "Fans' anger over 'fraud' of Tape Face stand-in". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  25. ↑ Barké, Sébastien (14 July 2020). "La France a un incroyable talent, la bataille du jury : finalistes, concept, équipes… Toutes les infos sur l'émission de M6". www.programme-tv.net (in French). Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  26. ↑ "Melbourne International Comedy Festival Awards". Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  27. ↑ "Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc, 2016 Awards". 13 May 2013.
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.