Spencer Rice
Encyclopedia
Spencer "Spenny" Nolan Rice (born August 17, 1963) is a Canadian
writer, director, producer, and comedian. He was the co-star of Kenny vs. Spenny
along with Kenny Hotz
.
One of his cousins is Lauren Collins
, one of the stars of Degrassi: The Next Generation
. He is also first cousin to the late Seinfeld
writer Marjorie Gross
.
, a Toronto boys' independent school, for elementary school and then went to high school at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute
.
Rice attended Glendon College
, York University
for undergraduate studies in Toronto.
and was purchased by Channel Four in the United Kingdom
. His short film Something Anything won a Tele-Fest award for best comedy.
In 1994, Rice and Hotz, who had been friends since childhood, collaborated on the short film It Don't Cost Nothin' to Say Good Morning
. Their first feature-length film was Pitch
, which won Best Film Award from the Toronto Independent Arts Festival.
, which finished its sixth season in 2010 and resulted in an hour-long series finale on December 23, 2010. The show was nominated for Gemini Award
s in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008.
film Confessions of a Porn Addict
in which he played the character Mark Tobias.
Rice's next project was called Single White Spenny
He is playing himself, and it is inspired by genuine events in his life, but exaggerated for comedic effect. The show chronicles the misadventures Rice has dating various women after his wife divorced him for being "an immature man-child emotionally incapable of a serious relationship."
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...
writer, director, producer, and comedian. He was the co-star of Kenny vs. Spenny
Kenny vs. Spenny
Kenny vs. Spenny is a Canadian comedy reality television series about Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice, who face each other in various competitions. The loser of the episode must perform an act of humiliation, usually selected by the winner. Hotz and Rice helped create the series, and it was typically...
along with Kenny Hotz
Kenny Hotz
Kenneth Joel "Kenny" Hotz is an award-winning Canadian writer, director, actor, producer and photographer. He is a former South Park consultant/writer, creator/director/co-star of the Showcase and Comedy Central television show Kenny vs...
.
Personal life
Rice was born in Toronto, Ontario. He also started taking courses in Second City. Rice claims to have spent much of his high school days watching movies in his room.One of his cousins is Lauren Collins
Lauren Collins
Lauren Felice Collins is a Canadian actress that is perhaps best known for portraying Paige Michalchuk on Degrassi: The Next Generation.-Life and career:...
, one of the stars of Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
. He is also first cousin to the late Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
writer Marjorie Gross
Marjorie Gross
Marjorie Gross was a television writer and producer. She wrote for such shows as Newhart, The Larry Sanders Show, Square Pegs and Seinfeld.-Biography:...
.
Education
He attended Crescent SchoolCrescent School
Crescent School is an independent elementary and secondary boys school in Toronto, Canada. Established in 1913 by John William James, the school was situated in several locations in its early years. In 1933, Susan Denton Massey, the aunt of Governor General Vincent Massey, gifted land to the...
, a Toronto boys' independent school, for elementary school and then went to high school at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute
Forest Hill Collegiate Institute
Forest Hill Collegiate Institute is a semestered public high school of about 900 students and 55 teachers located in the Toronto, Ontario neighbourhood of Forest Hill...
.
Rice attended Glendon College
Glendon College
Glendon College is one of the two campuses of York University, Canada's third-largest university, in Toronto, Ontario. A bilingual liberal arts college with 84 full-time faculty members and a student population of about 2400, Glendon is located in midtown Toronto's Lawrence Park neighbourhood...
, York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
for undergraduate studies in Toronto.
Early films
His film Telewhore appeared at the Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
and was purchased by Channel Four in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. His short film Something Anything won a Tele-Fest award for best comedy.
In 1994, Rice and Hotz, who had been friends since childhood, collaborated on the short film It Don't Cost Nothin' to Say Good Morning
It Don't Cost Nothin' to Say Good Morning
It Don't Cost Nothin' to Say Good Morning is a 1994 documentary film directed by Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice. The film is about the life of a homeless man, known only as "'Shorty' Gordy", who was a drunken, potty-mouthed panhandler, which was filmed over many years, covering Gordy's life and death...
. Their first feature-length film was Pitch
Pitch (film)
A pitch is a concise verbal presentation of an idea for a film or TV series generally made by a screenwriter or director to a producer or studio executive in the hope of attracting development finance to pay for the writing of a screenplay."Pitch" is a contraction of the phrase "sales pitch"...
, which won Best Film Award from the Toronto Independent Arts Festival.
Kenny vs. Spenny
In 2003, Hotz and Rice created the show Kenny vs. SpennyKenny vs. Spenny
Kenny vs. Spenny is a Canadian comedy reality television series about Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice, who face each other in various competitions. The loser of the episode must perform an act of humiliation, usually selected by the winner. Hotz and Rice helped create the series, and it was typically...
, which finished its sixth season in 2010 and resulted in an hour-long series finale on December 23, 2010. The show was nominated for 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...
s in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008.
Later films
In 2008, Spencer Rice wrote and starred in the mockumentaryMockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
film Confessions of a Porn Addict
Confessions of a Porn Addict
Confessions of a Porn Addict is a 2008 Canadian mockumentary film directed by Duncan Christie and co-written with Spencer Rice.-Cast:*Spencer Rice as Mark Tobias*Mark Breslin as Bob*Lindsey Connell as Felice...
in which he played the character Mark Tobias.
Rice's next project was called Single White Spenny
Single White Spenny
Single White Spenny is a Canadian television series, that is currently airing on Showcase. The first episode aired June 2, 2011....
He is playing himself, and it is inspired by genuine events in his life, but exaggerated for comedic effect. The show chronicles the misadventures Rice has dating various women after his wife divorced him for being "an immature man-child emotionally incapable of a serious relationship."
Filmography
| Year | Production | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Telewhore | Writer, Director | N/A |
| 1994 | It Don't Cost Nothin' to Say Good Morning It Don't Cost Nothin' to Say Good Morning It Don't Cost Nothin' to Say Good Morning is a 1994 documentary film directed by Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice. The film is about the life of a homeless man, known only as "'Shorty' Gordy", who was a drunken, potty-mouthed panhandler, which was filmed over many years, covering Gordy's life and death... |
Director | Short film |
| 1997 | Pitch Pitch (film) A pitch is a concise verbal presentation of an idea for a film or TV series generally made by a screenwriter or director to a producer or studio executive in the hope of attracting development finance to pay for the writing of a screenplay."Pitch" is a contraction of the phrase "sales pitch"... |
Writer, Director | As himself |
| 2003–2010 | Kenny vs. Spenny Kenny vs. Spenny Kenny vs. Spenny is a Canadian comedy reality television series about Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice, who face each other in various competitions. The loser of the episode must perform an act of humiliation, usually selected by the winner. Hotz and Rice helped create the series, and it was typically... |
Writer, Actor, Director, Executive Producer | As himself |
| 2005 | Lingo Lingo , Chris Hernandez is an American Christian rap artist, producer, and label owner-Early years:Lingo was born to Richard and Carmen Hernandez in Dallas, TX. Born into a faith based and God fearing family, Lingo knew the Lord at a young age... |
Actor | One episode |
| 2007 | Stump Stump In its most general sense, stump is an English word. It may refer to:*Tree stump, the rooted remains of a felled tree*Stump, the remains of a limb after amputation... |
Executive Producer | N/A |
| 2008 | Testees Testees Testees is a Canadian television series, created by Kenny Hotz and written and produced by Kenny Hotz and Derek Harvie . Testees originally aired on Thursdays at 10:30 PM EST on FX and ran from October 9, 2008 to December 18, 2008. and debuted on October 14, 2008 on Showcase in Canada. The show is... |
Actor | Testee Applicant |
| 2008 | Confessions of a Porn Addict Confessions of a Porn Addict Confessions of a Porn Addict is a 2008 Canadian mockumentary film directed by Duncan Christie and co-written with Spencer Rice.-Cast:*Spencer Rice as Mark Tobias*Mark Breslin as Bob*Lindsey Connell as Felice... |
Concept, Story, Actor, Executive Producer | As Mark Tobias |
| 2010 | Kenny vs. Spenny Christmas Special | As himself | |
| 2011 | Single White Spenny Single White Spenny Single White Spenny is a Canadian television series, that is currently airing on Showcase. The first episode aired June 2, 2011.... |
Actor, concept | As himself |
Soundtrack
| Year | Film | Production | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Pitch Pitch (film) A pitch is a concise verbal presentation of an idea for a film or TV series generally made by a screenwriter or director to a producer or studio executive in the hope of attracting development finance to pay for the writing of a screenplay."Pitch" is a contraction of the phrase "sales pitch"... |
Writer, Performer |
Appearances in other media
| Date | Media |
|---|---|
| September 30, 2004 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien Late Night with Conan O'Brien Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am... |
| March 14, 2008 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! |
External links
- Official Spenny Website at Spenny.TV
- Biography at Comedy CentralComedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
- Spencer Rice at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- Spencer Rice at MovieTome