Ron James (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Ron James is a Canadian stand-up comedian.
James was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
; his family later moved to Halifax during his youth. He attended Acadia University
, studying history and political science with the intention of becoming a history teacher. During his time there, he came under the influence of Helen Starr Boggs, who headed the theatre program there as a result of a course he was taking. After graduating, he moved to Toronto
and joined The Second City
troupe located there, working with them during the 1980s.
He later moved to Los Angeles
during the early 1990s for three years and got a spot on a late-night syndicated series produced by Ron Howard’s Imagine TV. After that show was cancelled, he made some guest appearances in TV shows (such as Get A Life
and Wings) and an appearance in the movie Ernest Rides Again
but mostly experienced rejection during his time there while incurring sizable debts. He returned to Canada in 1993 and turned his experience in L.A. into a stage show in 1994 called Up & Down in Shaky Town: One Man's Journey through the California Dream, which was also shown as a special on The Comedy Network
. Afterwards, he came across the work of Scottish comedian Billy Connolly
, whose style helped shape his own and inspired him to start doing stand-up.
He has also done voice work in animation for shows including Star Wars: Ewoks
and RoboCop: The Animated Series
. James also played a bank security guard in Tommy Boy
.
James starred in the television series Blackfly
and Made in Canada
, and won two Canadian Comedy Awards
for Best Stand-up (2000) and Best One Person Show for his stand-up show The Road Between My Ears in 2004. He has also won a Gemini Award
as part of the writing team for This Hour Has 22 Minutes
and received a Genie Award
nomination for best supporting actor in the film Something About Love. He currently has his own CBC Television
series, The Ron James Show
.
James has appeared at the Just For Laughs
Comedy Festival in Montreal, as a headliner with his own show.
James lives in Toronto with his wife June and two daughters.
According to Ron during a show in Ottawa on April 28, 2011, he separated from his wife two years ago and now lives in a Toronto condo.
James was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
Glace Bay is a community in the eastern part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It forms part of the general area referred to as Industrial Cape Breton....
; his family later moved to Halifax during his youth. He attended Acadia University
Acadia University
Acadia University is a predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level...
, studying history and political science with the intention of becoming a history teacher. During his time there, he came under the influence of Helen Starr Boggs, who headed the theatre program there as a result of a course he was taking. After graduating, he moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and joined The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
troupe located there, working with them during the 1980s.
He later moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
during the early 1990s for three years and got a spot on a late-night syndicated series produced by Ron Howard’s Imagine TV. After that show was cancelled, he made some guest appearances in TV shows (such as Get A Life
Get a Life (TV series)
Get a Life is a television sitcom that was broadcast in the United States on the Fox Network from September 23, 1990, to March 8, 1992. The show starred Chris Elliott as a 30-year-old paperboy named Chris Peterson. Peterson lived in an apartment above his parents' garage...
and Wings) and an appearance in the movie Ernest Rides Again
Ernest Rides Again
Ernest Rides Again is a 1993 comedy film written and directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It opens with the song "There Once Was A Man Named Worrell". It is the sixth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell, and the last to be released theatrically. Its grossing number...
but mostly experienced rejection during his time there while incurring sizable debts. He returned to Canada in 1993 and turned his experience in L.A. into a stage show in 1994 called Up & Down in Shaky Town: One Man's Journey through the California Dream, which was also shown as a special on The Comedy Network
The Comedy Network
The Comedy Network a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media specializing in comedy programming.The channel operates two time shifted feeds, East and West ....
. Afterwards, he came across the work of Scottish comedian Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
, whose style helped shape his own and inspired him to start doing stand-up.
He has also done voice work in animation for shows including Star Wars: Ewoks
Star Wars: Ewoks
Star Wars: Ewoks is an American/Canadian animated television series featuring the Ewok characters introduced in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....
and RoboCop: The Animated Series
RoboCop: The Animated Series
RoboCop: The Animated Series is an animated series produced in the 1980s by Marvel Productions, and is based on the character and events of the movie RoboCop....
. James also played a bank security guard in Tommy Boy
Tommy Boy
Tommy Boy is a 1995 road comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, and Fred Wolf. It stars former Saturday Night Live colleagues Chris Farley and David Spade. The film tells the story of a socially and emotionally immature man who learns lessons about friendship and...
.
James starred in the television series Blackfly
Blackfly (TV series)
Blackfly is a Canadian sitcom which ran on the Global Television Network for two seasons in 2001 and 2002. Although shot single-camera like most Canadian comedies, this series was shot on film rather than videotape and contains a laugh track rather than making use of the usual live audience because...
and Made in Canada
Made in Canada
Made in Canada is a Canadian television situation comedy which aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2003. Rick Mercer co-created the program and starred as mercenary TV producer Richard Strong....
, and won two Canadian Comedy Awards
Canadian Comedy Awards
The Canadian Comedy Awards, founded by , are an annual awards ceremony celebrating notable English speaking Canadian comedians for achievements in Live, Radio, Film, Television and Internet media over the previous year...
for Best Stand-up (2000) and Best One Person Show for his stand-up show The Road Between My Ears in 2004. He has also won a Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The 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...
as part of the writing team for This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials...
and received a Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
nomination for best supporting actor in the film Something About Love. He currently has his own CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC 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...
series, The Ron James Show
The Ron James Show
The Ron James Show is a Canadian television comedy show, which debuted on CBC Television on September 25, 2009.Starring comedian Ron James, the show intersperses filmed and stage sketches with clips of James performing his stand-up routine...
.
James has appeared at the Just For Laughs
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
Comedy Festival in Montreal, as a headliner with his own show.
James lives in Toronto with his wife June and two daughters.
According to Ron during a show in Ottawa on April 28, 2011, he separated from his wife two years ago and now lives in a Toronto condo.