Colin Mochrie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Colin Mochrie |
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Colin Mochrie in 2008
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| Birth name | Colin Andrew Mochrie |
| Born | November 30, 1957 Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Medium | Stand-up comedy, television |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | Langara College (BFA) |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Genres | Improvisational comedy |
| Spouse |
Debra McGrath
(m. 1989) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relative(s) | Munro Chambers (nephew) |
Colin Mochrie (born November 30, 1957) is a famous Scottish-born Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his amazing skills in improv comedy. You might know him from the TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, both the British and American versions.
Mochrie developed his comedy skills in Vancouver and Toronto. He has been in many TV shows, movies, and plays. With his wife, comedian Debra McGrath, he starred in Canadian sitcoms like Getting Along Famously. He has also written for many shows and events.
Colin Mochrie has won several awards for his work. These include two Canadian Comedy Awards and a Gemini Award. In 2013, he was named Canadian Comedy Person of the Year.
Contents
Early Life and First Laugh
Colin Mochrie was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland, in 1957. He was the oldest of three children. His dad worked in airline maintenance. When he was young, Colin was quite shy. He even said that neighbors thought he watched too much television!
In 1964, when Colin was seven, his family moved to Canada. They first lived near Montreal, Quebec. Five years later, they moved to Vancouver, British Columbia.
Colin went to Killarney Secondary School. He saw himself as a loner and wanted to study marine biology. But a friend convinced him to try out for a school play. Colin played an undertaker and got his first laugh on stage. That moment changed everything! It made him want to be an entertainer. After high school, he went to Studio 58 theatre school for four years. There, he found his passion for improvisational comedy.
Starting His Comedy Career
Learning Improv Comedy
After finishing theatre school, Colin Mochrie joined the Vancouver TheatreSports League in 1980. This was his first job in comedy. At first, it was hard to get people to watch their shows. Colin joked that he had to "pull people out of McDonald's" to see them!
Working with TheatreSports eventually became his full-time job. This is where he met fellow improv comedian Ryan Stiles. They became close friends. Later, Colin moved to Toronto and joined The Second City comedy group. Ryan Stiles was already working there. Colin met his future wife, Debra McGrath, at The Second City. She was the director of the touring company. They got married in 1989 and had a daughter, Kinley, in 1990.
Colin worked at The Second City for three years. He helped write and star in three shows. He also directed three seasons of their touring company. He performed in many funny skits. One skit involved him and others rewriting a childhood story about his dad taking him to a baseball game.
Becoming a Whose Line Star
Joining the Famous TV Show
After leaving Second City in 1988, Colin spent time with his new family. In 1989, he tried out for a new British improv show called Whose Line Is It Anyway? He didn't get the part at first. He said it was a good lesson. Improv is about helping others be funny, but auditions are about showing what you can do!
He tried out again and got to appear in one episode. The third time he auditioned, he earned a regular spot on the show! He was a regular on the UK version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? for seven years. The show ended in 1998.
Moving to the American Version
After the British show ended, Colin joined the American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?. This version was hosted by Drew Carey on ABC. Ryan Stiles also joined the American cast. Colin was on every episode from 1998 to 2006.
Colin's favorite games on the show were "Scenes From a Hat" and "Whose Line." In "Scenes From a Hat," he would act out funny scenes based on audience suggestions. In "Whose Line," he and Ryan would act out a scene and add lines written on paper. Colin said his weak spots were the musical parts, especially the "Hoedown" game. He couldn't sing, so he usually spoke his lines!
On the American show, Colin's co-stars often joked about him being Canadian and his receding hairline. Colin often played female characters in skits. This became one of his signature funny roles.
Colin was also known in Canada for his commercials. He played characters like the "Detergent Crusader" and the "Snack Fairy." As the Snack Fairy, he wore a ballet tutu and said "Snack happy!"
Other Projects and Appearances
Busy Years in TV and Film
Even while on Whose Line, Colin stayed very busy. In 1994, he played Mike Brady in a musical version of The Brady Bunch. He also starred in the Canadian comedy series Supertown Challenge. He appeared in several episodes of Improv Heaven and Hell.
In 1999, Colin worked on the film Man on the Moon, but his scenes were cut. He was a guest star on The Drew Carey Show and on Nickelodeon's Figure It Out. He even got slimed on Figure It Out! He also appeared on The Red Green Show.
From 2001 to 2003, Colin was on This Hour Has 22 Minutes on CBC Television. In 2003, he appeared in ads with Leslie Nielsen and Wayne Gretzky. These ads encouraged people to visit Toronto after the SARS outbreak.
In 2004, he hosted Wild Survival Guide on Animal Planet. He also did commercials for Buckley's Cough Syrup and New York Fries. He even appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as the "Overly Sensitive Man." Colin was so popular that the Canadian TV show Corner Gas had him do a quick guest appearance as a joke about how often he was on TV!
In 2007, Colin hosted the Canadian version of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? He became the fifth Whose Line cast member to host a game show.
Colin Mochrie's face is also famous in Animutation, a type of Flash animation. His face appears in almost every Animutation, which is a funny running gag. Colin knows about this and is proud of his "standing in the animutation arena."
Recent Work and Tours
In 2010, Colin acted in the Canadian sitcom She's the Mayor. He also appeared in Degrassi Takes Manhattan. In 2011, he was a regular on Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza.
Colin returned for the CW network's new version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? in 2013. He also had a role in the comedy series Working the Engels. In 2017, he made a guest appearance on the Canadian detective show Murdoch Mysteries.
In 2020, he hosted Mass Hysterical: A Comedic Cantata. This was a funny musical history of church music. He was nominated for an award for this show. In 2022, he appeared on the comedy series The Kids in the Hall. Colin also co-created a show called Hyprov, which combines stage hypnosis and improv comedy.
Live Shows with Brad Sherwood
Since 2002, Colin Mochrie and his Whose Line co-star Brad Sherwood have toured North America together. Their two-man stage show was first called "An Evening with Colin and Brad." They performed in smaller theaters. They even released a DVD of their shows called "Colin & Brad: Two Man Group."
As of 2018, they continue their performances as the "Scared Scriptless Tour." They now play in bigger venues like the Sydney Opera House and London's Royal Albert Hall.
Personal Life
Colin Mochrie lives in Toronto with his wife, Canadian actress Debra McGrath. They have been married since 1989 and have a daughter named Kinley. Colin is a strong supporter of his daughter. In 2022, when he was on LOL: Last One Laughing Canada, he played for Rainbow Camp. This is a summer camp program for LGBTQ youth.
Colin Mochrie is also related to Canadian actor Munro Chambers. Munro is Colin's nephew by marriage. Munro has said that Colin has been a big inspiration for him in his acting career.
Awards and Recognition
Colin Mochrie has won many awards for his comedy and writing. He has won two out of five nominations for the Canadian Comedy Awards. He also won a Gemini Award and a Writers Guild of Canada award for his work on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. In 2013, he was honored as the Canadian Comedy Person of the Year.
Images for kids
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Colin Mochrie in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Colin Mochrie para niños
