John Morgan (comedian)
Encyclopedia
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 La Pompa, and monosyllabic Mike from
Canmore
, as well as satirical
portrayals of such prominent individuals as Herb Gray
, Deborah Grey
, and Boris Yeltsin
. He was a co-founder of the series, and critics called him its heart.
Morgan wrote the pilot
for the popular Canadian sitcom
, King of Kensington
. He and writing partner Martin Bronstein
were also co-creators of the CBC radio series, Funny You Should Say That. He had his own BBC Radio
series called It's All in the Mind of John Morgan.
In 2000, he was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award.
Prior to launching his comedy career in 1966, Morgan worked as a journalist
, editor
, teacher
, and pub owner.
On November 15, 2004, Morgan died at his home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from a heart attack
at the age of 74.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
-born Canadian
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.
Born in Aberdare, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Morgan played numerous characters on the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
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...
from 1993 to 2001 and its predecessor on CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
, including perpetually disgusted Scotsman
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Jock McBile, socialite Amy De La Pompa, and monosyllabic Mike from
Mike, from Canmore
Mike, known as Mike from Canmore, was a fictional character from the 1993-2008 sketch comedy series Royal Canadian Air Farce. He was portrayed by Welsh actor John Morgan from 1994 until Morgan's retirement from the program in 2001...
Canmore
Canmore, Alberta
Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of the City of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rockies. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of...
, as well as satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
portrayals of such prominent individuals as Herb Gray
Herb Gray
Herbert Eser Gray, is a retired Canadian politician. He was Canada's first Jewish federal cabinet minister, and is one of only a few Canadians ever granted the title The Right Honourable who was not so entitled by virtue of a position held.-Early life:Born in Windsor, Ontario, the son of Harry...
, Deborah Grey
Deborah Grey
Deborah Cleland Grey, OC, sometimes called Deb Grey is a former Canadian Member of Parliament from Alberta for the Reform Party of Canada, Canadian Alliance and Conservative Party of Canada....
, and Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
. He was a co-founder of the series, and critics called him its heart.
Morgan wrote the pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
for the popular Canadian sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
, King of Kensington
King of Kensington
King of Kensington was a Canadian television sitcom which aired on CBC Television from 1975 to 1980.The show starred Al Waxman as Larry King, a convenience store owner in Toronto's Kensington Market who was known for helping friends and neighbours solve problems. His multicultural group of friends...
. He and writing partner 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...
were also co-creators of the CBC radio series, Funny You Should Say That. He had his own BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
series called It's All in the Mind of John Morgan.
In 2000, he was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award.
Prior to launching his comedy career in 1966, Morgan worked as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, and pub owner.
On November 15, 2004, Morgan died at his home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at the age of 74.
External links
- Royal Canadian Air Farce official site
- http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20041117/OBMORGAN17/TPObituaries/Obituary from The Globe and MailThe Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
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