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Jay Johnson (ventriloquist)
Encyclopedia
Jay Johnson is a ventriloquist best known for his role on the television show Soap
. He played Chuck Campbell, a ventriloquist who believed his puppet Bob was real and demanded everyone treat Bob as human. Chuck never went anywhere (even on dates) without his dummy Bob, who basically said all the things that Chuck was too polite (or repressed) to say.
Jay Johnson also starred in Broken Badges
, a 1990 Stephen Cannell CBS
television production where he played a psychologically depressed police officer named Stanley Jones. He also appeared as a celebrity guest on many game shows and hosted two series of his own, So You Think You Got Troubles (1983) and Celebrity Charades
(1979). He won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event
for Jay Johnson: The Two and Only. He made a guest appearance in an episode of Mrs. Columbo where he played a ventriloquist who finds his dummy is acting independently of his will and kills the man who carved it.
Jay Johnson: The Two and Only written and performed by Jay Johnson, opened on Broadway
to rave reviews at the Helen Hayes Theatre
on September 28, 2006. This was proceeded by an acclaimed off Broadway run at the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York. The show also performed at the Zero Arrow Theatre, Cambridge, MA, and the Brentwood and Colony Theater Company in Los Angeles. The Cambridge performance garnered the New England Critics Award, and in Los Angeles Johnson received the 2006 Ovation Award for Best Solo Performance.
The Two and Only deconstructs and demonstrates Johnson's lifelong obsession with the art of ventriloquism. The show is a Valentine, not only to the art, but also to his mentor and friend Arthur Sieving, who created Johnson's first professional puppet. The show is aided and abetted by a cast of ventriloquated characters, including his Soap alter ego, Bob.
Jay Johnson is the only ventriloquist to ever be nominated and win an American Theatre Wing Tony Award
or an Ovation Award.
The original Bob puppet featured on Soap was inducted into the Smithsonian Institutions collections of pop culture icons in May 2007.
Soap (TV series)
Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such...
. He played Chuck Campbell, a ventriloquist who believed his puppet Bob was real and demanded everyone treat Bob as human. Chuck never went anywhere (even on dates) without his dummy Bob, who basically said all the things that Chuck was too polite (or repressed) to say.
Jay Johnson also starred in Broken Badges
Broken Badges
Broken Badges is an American police drama that aired on CBS from November 24, 1990 to December 22, 1990 and in June 1991. The series was co-created by Stephen J...
, a 1990 Stephen Cannell CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television production where he played a psychologically depressed police officer named Stanley Jones. He also appeared as a celebrity guest on many game shows and hosted two series of his own, So You Think You Got Troubles (1983) and Celebrity Charades
Celebrity Charades
Celebrity Charades is a series which originally aired from January to September, 1979 as a syndicated series throughout the United States.-Original version:...
(1979). He won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event
Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event
The Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event was awarded from 2001 to 2009 to live theatrical productions that were not plays or musicals.The category was created after the 2000 controversy of Contact winning Best Musical; the show used pre-recorded music and featured no singing...
for Jay Johnson: The Two and Only. He made a guest appearance in an episode of Mrs. Columbo where he played a ventriloquist who finds his dummy is acting independently of his will and kills the man who carved it.
Jay Johnson: The Two and Only written and performed by Jay Johnson, opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
to rave reviews at the Helen Hayes Theatre
Helen Hayes Theatre
Helen Hayes Theatre with 597 seats is the smallest Broadway theatre and is located at 240 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan....
on September 28, 2006. This was proceeded by an acclaimed off Broadway run at the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York. The show also performed at the Zero Arrow Theatre, Cambridge, MA, and the Brentwood and Colony Theater Company in Los Angeles. The Cambridge performance garnered the New England Critics Award, and in Los Angeles Johnson received the 2006 Ovation Award for Best Solo Performance.
The Two and Only deconstructs and demonstrates Johnson's lifelong obsession with the art of ventriloquism. The show is a Valentine, not only to the art, but also to his mentor and friend Arthur Sieving, who created Johnson's first professional puppet. The show is aided and abetted by a cast of ventriloquated characters, including his Soap alter ego, Bob.
Jay Johnson is the only ventriloquist to ever be nominated and win an American Theatre Wing Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
or an Ovation Award.
The original Bob puppet featured on Soap was inducted into the Smithsonian Institutions collections of pop culture icons in May 2007.