Roger Abbott
Encyclopedia
Roger Abbott was a Canadian
comedian. A founding member of the comedy troupe Royal Canadian Air Farce
, he was one of the troupe's stars and writers throughout its 29-year career on radio and television.
, England
; at age 7, he and his family moved to Montreal
. While attending Loyola High School, he met Don Ferguson
, who would become a co-star of Royal Canadian Air Farce. After graduation in 1963, he attended Loyola College
(now Concordia University
).
and Martin Bronstein
, who were looking for non-actors who could write and perform their own material, convinced Abbott to join the cast of the improvisational theatre revue called The Jest Society (a pun on then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
's famous goal of making Canada a "Just Society"). After a number of personnel changes, the troupe—now consisting of Abbott, Morgan, Bronstein, Don Ferguson
, Luba Goy
and Dave Broadfoot
— became known as the Royal Canadian Air Farce. On December 9, 1973, they began a weekly broadcast on CBC radio. (Bronstein left the troupe the following year.) Each week, the show was broadcast in front of an audience in the CBC's Parliament Street studio. Abbott quickly showed his organizational abilities—Don Ferguson called him "the guiding light of Royal Canadian Air Farce" and "a combination of artistic, organizational and business talent". Abbott also became the "warm-up man" for the weekly broadcasts, chatting to the audience before introducing the rest of the cast. Abbott said the greatest influences on his style of comedy were Dave Broadfoot and the British comedy troupe Monty Python
.
Air Farce made a 10-week series of television shows for CBC in 1980 at the same time as they continued to produce their weekly radio show. The producers of the American sitcom Taxi
offered Abbott and Ferguson a chance to be writers on the show, but they turned the offer down.
In 1989, Abbott directed Huge Jumbo Comedy Thing, a show starring a troupe called the Maroons that CHOM-FM
described as "Canada's answer to Monty Python
".
For many years, Abbott and Don Ferguson co-hosted the annual televised Easter Seals Telethon
.
In 1992, Royal Canadian Air Farce
returned to television, this time as a weekly series, although the weekly radio series also continued to be produced until 1997. Abbott became well-known for many roles on the television show, including parodies of Jean Chrétien
, The Queen Mother, Yasser Arafat
, Leonard Cohen
, George W. Bush
, Brian Williams
, Peter Mansbridge
, Don Newman, Craig Oliver
, and "Native Persons Spokesman" Billy Two-Willies.
The title of the television show changed several times, first shortened to Air Farce, then to Air Farce Live, and in its final season (2008–2009), Air Farce Live—The Final Flight. Air Farce continued to produce occasional specials for CBC, and Abbott's last appearance on Air Farce was their New Year's Eve special that aired on December 31, 2010.
in 1997, but only shared this fact with family and close friends. After a 14-year battle, he succumbed to leukemia on March 26, 2011 at Toronto General Hospital
at the age of 64.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
comedian. A founding member of the comedy troupe Royal Canadian Air Farce
Royal Canadian Air Farce
Air Farce Live, also credited as Air Farce, previously Royal Canadian Air Farce, and Air Farce—Final Flight! for the final season, was a Canadian comedy series starring the comedy troupe The Royal Canadian Air Farce that previously starred in an eponymous radio show on CBC radio from 1973 to 1997...
, he was one of the troupe's stars and writers throughout its 29-year career on radio and television.
Early life
Abbott was born in BirkenheadBirkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; at age 7, he and his family moved to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. While attending Loyola High School, he met Don Ferguson
Don Ferguson
Don Ferguson is a Canadian actor and is one of the stars of XPM and Royal Canadian Air Farce. He is also the only Canadian-born original cast member of Air Farce....
, who would become a co-star of Royal Canadian Air Farce. After graduation in 1963, he attended Loyola College
Loyola College (Montreal)
Loyola College was a Jesuit college in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It ceased to exist when it was incorporated into Concordia University in 1974. A portion of the original College remains as a separate entity called Loyola High School....
(now Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
).
Career
Abbott began his career in behind-the-scene jobs in radio. In 1970, comedians John MorganJohn Morgan (comedian)
John Morgan was a Welsh-born Canadian comedian.Born in Aberdare, Wales, Morgan played numerous characters on the CBC sketch comedy television series Royal Canadian Air Farce from 1993 to 2001 and its predecessor on CBC Radio, including perpetually disgusted Scotsman Jock McBile, socialite Amy De...
and Martin Bronstein
Martin Bronstein
Martin Bronstein is a British-Canadian actor, writer, columnist and journalist. Born in London, England, he moved to Canada in 1959 and worked as a copywriter, journalist and comedy writer. Bronstein was a founding member in 1970 of the Jest Society, which became the Royal Canadian Air Farce in...
, who were looking for non-actors who could write and perform their own material, convinced Abbott to join the cast of the improvisational theatre revue called The Jest Society (a pun on then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
's famous goal of making Canada a "Just Society"). After a number of personnel changes, the troupe—now consisting of Abbott, Morgan, Bronstein, Don Ferguson
Don Ferguson
Don Ferguson is a Canadian actor and is one of the stars of XPM and Royal Canadian Air Farce. He is also the only Canadian-born original cast member of Air Farce....
, Luba Goy
Luba Goy
-Life and career:Goy was born in Haltern, Germany to Ukrainian parents and raised in Ottawa. They emigrated to Canada in 1951. She is a graduate of the Glebe Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, and later graduated from Canada's National Theatre School, before acting in theatre productions in...
and Dave Broadfoot
Dave Broadfoot
Dave Broadfoot is a Canadian comedian who was born on December 5, 1925 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In 1943, he joined the merchant navy serving until 1947...
— became known as the Royal Canadian Air Farce. On December 9, 1973, they began a weekly broadcast on CBC radio. (Bronstein left the troupe the following year.) Each week, the show was broadcast in front of an audience in the CBC's Parliament Street studio. Abbott quickly showed his organizational abilities—Don Ferguson called him "the guiding light of Royal Canadian Air Farce" and "a combination of artistic, organizational and business talent". Abbott also became the "warm-up man" for the weekly broadcasts, chatting to the audience before introducing the rest of the cast. Abbott said the greatest influences on his style of comedy were Dave Broadfoot and the British comedy troupe Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
.
Air Farce made a 10-week series of television shows for CBC in 1980 at the same time as they continued to produce their weekly radio show. The producers of the American sitcom Taxi
Taxi (TV series)
Taxi was an American sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC. The series, which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for "Outstanding Comedy Series", focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher...
offered Abbott and Ferguson a chance to be writers on the show, but they turned the offer down.
In 1989, Abbott directed Huge Jumbo Comedy Thing, a show starring a troupe called the Maroons that CHOM-FM
CHOM-FM
CHOM-FM is an English language radio station located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Owned and operated by Astral Media, it broadcasts on 97.7 MHz from the Mount Royal candelabra tower, with an effective radiated power of 41,200 watts using an omnidirectional antenna.The station has a mainstream rock...
described as "Canada's answer to Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
".
For many years, Abbott and Don Ferguson co-hosted the annual televised Easter Seals Telethon
Easter Seals (Canada)
In Canada, Easter Seals is a group of charitable organizations which provide opportunities for children with physical and/or mental disabilities. Founded in 1922 by a group of ten Rotary Clubs, it sought to emulate the success of the American Easter Seals program. In 1945, the first Canadian Easter...
.
In 1992, Royal Canadian Air Farce
Air Farce Live
Air Farce Live is a comedy album, performed by the Royal Canadian Air Farce comedy troupe. It was released in 1983. The sketches were performed live during the "Air Farce Live at the Bayview" performance in 1983, at the Bayview Theatre in Toronto....
returned to television, this time as a weekly series, although the weekly radio series also continued to be produced until 1997. Abbott became well-known for many roles on the television show, including parodies of Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
, The Queen Mother, Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
, Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, Brian Williams
Brian Williams (sportscaster)
Brian Williams is a Canadian sportscaster who is best known for his coverage of the Olympic Games.-Biography:Williams' father was a very successful doctor...
, Peter Mansbridge
Peter Mansbridge
Peter Mansbridge, OC , a Canadian broadcaster and news anchor, is the CBC News Chief Correspondent and anchor of The National, CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast. Mansbridge has received many awards and accolades for his journalistic work including an honorary doctorate from Mount Allison...
, Don Newman, Craig Oliver
Craig Oliver
Craig Oliver is a reporter for Canada's CTV television network. He is currently variously identified as chief political correspondent and chief parliamentary correspondent, and is co-anchor of the weekly public affairs series Question Period..Oliver was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and grew...
, and "Native Persons Spokesman" Billy Two-Willies.
The title of the television show changed several times, first shortened to Air Farce, then to Air Farce Live, and in its final season (2008–2009), Air Farce Live—The Final Flight. Air Farce continued to produce occasional specials for CBC, and Abbott's last appearance on Air Farce was their New Year's Eve special that aired on December 31, 2010.
Death
Abbott was diagnosed with the progressive disease chronic lymphocytic leukemiaChronic lymphocytic leukemia
B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia , also known as chronic lymphoid leukemia , is the most common type of leukemia. Leukemias are cancers of the white blood cells . CLL affects B cell lymphocytes. B cells originate in the bone marrow, develop in the lymph nodes, and normally fight infection by...
in 1997, but only shared this fact with family and close friends. After a 14-year battle, he succumbed to leukemia on March 26, 2011 at Toronto General Hospital
Toronto General Hospital
The Toronto General Hospital , is a part of the University Health Network, and a major teaching hospital in downtown Toronto, Ontario. It is located in the Discovery District, directly north of the Hospital for Sick Children, across Gerrard Street West, and east of Princess Margaret Hospital and...
at the age of 64.
Tributes
- A video tribute to Abbott from his friends and colleagues at Royal Canadian Air Farce was posted on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on March 27, 2011. - An hour-long tribute to Abbott, featuring many of his memorable sketches, aired on CBC TelevisionCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
on March 29, 2011.
- A memorial service entitled "Roger's Wrap Party" was held in Toronto on April 11, 2011. Speakers included Jessica HolmesJessica HolmesJessica Holmes is a Canadian comedian and actress. She is best known for her work with the Royal Canadian Air Farce, which she joined in 2003. She is married to actor Scott Yaphe....
, Dave BroadfootDave BroadfootDave Broadfoot is a Canadian comedian who was born on December 5, 1925 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In 1943, he joined the merchant navy serving until 1947...
, Vicki GabereauVicki GabereauVicki Frances Gabereau is a Canadian radio and television personality. Most recently she hosted an eponymously titled afternoon talk show on CTV Television Network, which wrapped up production on April 8, 2005 after 8 seasons...
, Luba GoyLuba Goy-Life and career:Goy was born in Haltern, Germany to Ukrainian parents and raised in Ottawa. They emigrated to Canada in 1951. She is a graduate of the Glebe Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, and later graduated from Canada's National Theatre School, before acting in theatre productions in...
, and Don FergusonDon FergusonDon Ferguson is a Canadian actor and is one of the stars of XPM and Royal Canadian Air Farce. He is also the only Canadian-born original cast member of Air Farce....
.
Awards
- Gemini Humanitarian AwardGemini AwardThe Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
- Governor General's Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic AchievementGovernor General's AwardThe Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
- 15 ACTRA Awards
- a Juno AwardJuno AwardThe Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
- a star on the Canada's Walk of FameCanada's Walk of FameCanada's Walk of Fame , located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of successful Canadians...
- Honorary doctor of laws, Brock UniversityBrock UniversityBrock University is a comprehensive university located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Brock offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs that include co-op and other experiential learning opportunities to an enrolment of over 17,000 full-time students.The enabling legislation is...
, 1993
External links
- The Canadian Encyclopedia entry
- Official biography, on the CBC RCAF website