Comedy-drama (dramedy or seriocomedy) is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.

History

Theatre

Traditional eastern theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy. A tragedy typically ended with the death or destruction of a fictional or historical hero, whereas a comedy focused on the lives of middle to lower class characters and ended with their success. The term "drama" was used to describe all the action of a play. Beginning in the 19th century, authors such as Anton Chekhov, George Bernard Shaw and Henrik Ibsen blurred the line between comedy and drama.

Early television

The advent of radio drama, cinema, and particularly television created greater pressure in marketing to clearly define a product as either comedy or drama. While in live theatre the difference became less and less significant, in mass media, comedy and drama were clearly divided. Comedies, especially, were expected to maintain a consistently light tone and not challenge the viewer by introducing more serious content.

By the early 1960s, television companies commonly presented half-hour long "comedy" series, or one hour long "dramas." Half-hour series were mostly restricted to situation comedy or family comedy, and were usually aired with either a live or overdubbed laugh track. One-hour dramas included genre series such as police and detective series, westerns, science fiction, and, later, serialized prime time soap operas. Programs today still overwhelmingly conform to these half-hour and one hour guidelines.

While sitcoms would occasionally balance their humor with more dramatic and humanistic moments, these remained the exception to the rule as the 1960s progressed. Beginning around 1969 in the US, however, there was a brief spate of half-hour shows that purposely alternated between comedy and drama and aired without a laugh track, as well as some hour-long shows such as ''CHiPs'' in the late 70s to early 80s. At the time, these were known as "comedy-dramas." ''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'', which aired from 1987-1991, was another good example.

These early experiments also influenced general TV comedy, and later series (especially family themed sitcoms) often included brief dramatic interludes and more serious subject matter. A very good example of a highly successful comedy-drama series that disctincted this genre in television was the series ''Moonlighting''. This television series garnished an immense amount of critical acclaim as well as being a highly rated series worldwide. Another example of a successful comedy-drama was the television series ''Eight is Enough'' the reason that makes it distinct was that it wasn't a comedy-drama in the traditional sense but, that it was an hour-long series that utilized a laugh track which is very unusual but, is still considered a comedy-drama in that it alternated between drama and comedy.

In the United Kingdom the format first successfully appeared in 1979 with the long-running series Minder (TV series) (ITV/Euston Films/Thames) with other notable comedy-dramas being Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (ITV/''Witzend Productions''/Central Independent Television) and Big Deal (BBC).

Comedy-drama television series have been strongly associated with the single-camera production format, although not all single-camera comedy shows are necessarily comedy-dramas.

Attributes of comedy-dramas on TV sitcoms

There is often an absence of a pre-recorded laughing track.

Storylines tend to be more serialized, with events taking place in earlier episodes being referred back to or having an effect in later episodes, as opposed to more traditional sitcoms which focus on telling one standalone story every week.

Continuity of character and storylines are more relevant than in traditional sitcoms.

Can be either half-hour or hour long episodes. However, shows which use a 30-minute format tend to be more comedic with dramatic elements that keep storylines going forward, while shows which use a 60-minute format tend to be more dramatically based with humour used throughout the show as either comic relief or to punctuate certain scenes.

Characters' backstories tend to have a greater overall effect on story line. Often something a character has done in the past will catch up with him or her, as opposed to more traditional sitcoms where a character's backstory is unlikely to be referenced by the story of the week.

See also

Black comedy

List of comedy-drama television series

List of comedy films

Melodrama

Seriousness

Tragicomedy

References

Drama Category:Drama genres Category:Television genres Category:Film genres

bg:Драмедия ca:Comèdia dramàtica da:Dramedy de:Dramedy es:Comedia dramática fa:کمدی-درام fr:Comédie dramatique it:Commedia drammatica he:דרמה קומית pl:Komediodramat pt:Comédia dramática simple:Comedy-drama sh:Dramedija tr:Komedi-drama

name	Gry Bay
birth name	Gry Wernberg Bay
birth date	August 15, 1974
birth place	Frederiksberg, Denmark
website	http://www.grybay.com/ }}

Gry Wernberg Bay (born 15 August 1974 in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Danish actress and singer. Gry Bay is best known for her sexually provocative starring role in the feature film ''All About Anna'' (2005).

Biography

Gry Bay got her first breakthrough with a recurring part in the German RTL TV-series ''Dr. Monika Lindt - Kinderärztin, Geliebte, Mutter'' (1996), and afterwards appeared in the German TV-movie ''Hosenflattern'' (1998).

Back in Denmark, she got her first feature film starring roles in the hiphop-comedy ''Slim Slam Slum'' a.k.a. ''Joystick Nation'' (2002), for which she also composed several of the songs, and in David Noel Bourke's sexy, psychological thriller ''Last Exit'' (2003).

She then made headlines by landing the title role in Zentropa's sexually explicit romantic comedy ''All About Anna'' (2005), co-produced by Lars von Trier, for which she won the Scandinavian Adult Award as Best-Selling Scandinavian Star of 2006.

At the 2005 Venice Film Festival, Gry Bay once more appeared nude in Pipilotti Rist's video installation ''Homo sapiens sapiens''. She has since appeared in the feature films ''Betonhjerter'' (2005) and ''Grønne hjerter'' (2006).

In the 1990s, Gry Bay appeared in stage musicals such as ''West Side Story'', ''Grease'', ''Guys and Dolls'', ''Crazy for You'' and ''Me And My Girl'', and at Copenhagen's Nørrebros Teater she played the part of Brooke Ashton in Michael Frayn's comedy ''Noises Off''.

She was lead singer in the band Crispy (aka XPY).

In October 2003 -2006, Gry Bay was voted one of the World's 100 Sexiest Women by the readers of Danish magazine ''M!'' and Danish edition of "FHM". On 20 December 2009, she gave birth to a girl.

Gry Bay holds a master's degree in drama and music from University of Copenhagen. She has also studied mediumship and healing (Reiki 3, Eric Pearl, trance).

Selected filmography

''Grønne hjerter'' ''All About Anna'' ''Betonhjerter'' ''Tro, had og kærlighed'' ''Last Exit (2003 film) ''Slim Slam Slum'' ''Mistænkt'' ''Hosenflattern'' (TV) ''Dr. Monika Lindt - Kinderärztin, Geliebte, Mutter'' (TV)

Year !! Title !! Role !! notes
2006	''Emmalou''	Carla
2006	|	Aisa
2005	|	Anna
2005	|	Massagepige
2004	|	Sonja
2003	Last Exit'' ||	Tanya
2002	|	Dit
2001	|	Mia Hviid
1998	|	Tove
1996	|	Svenja

External links

Gry Bay's MySpace site

Official ''All About Anna'' website

Official North American ''All About Anna'' page

References

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:People from Frederiksberg Category:Danish film actors Category:Danish television actors Category:Danish pornographic film actors

da:Gry Bay de:Gry Bay es:Gry Bay fr:Gry Bay it:Gry Bay ro:Gry Bay

country
residence	Karachi, Pakistan
birth date	December 10, 1963
birth place	Karachi, Pakistan
weight
retired	1993
event	Men's singles
highest ranking	No. 1
worldopenresult	W (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988)
updated	September 19, 2010 }}

Jahangir Khan, HI, (born 10 December 1963, in Karachi, Pakistan) (sometimes spelled "Jehangir Khan") is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times. Between 1981 and 1986, he was unbeaten in competitive play for five years. During that time he won 555 matches consecutively. This was not only the longest winning streak in squash history, but also one of the longest unbeaten runs by any athlete in top-level professional sports. He retired as a player in 1993, and has served as President of the World Squash Federation since 2002.

Playing career

Jahangir's family are originally Peshawari. Jahangir was coached initially by his father, Roshan Khan, the 1957 British Open champion, and then by his late brother Torsam Khan. After his brother's sudden death he was coached by his cousin Rehmat Khan, who guided Jahangir through most of his career. Ironically, during his earlier years, Jahangir was a sickly child and physically very weak. Though the doctors had advised him not to take part in any sort physical activity, after undergoing a couple of hernia operations his father let him play and try out their family game.

In 1979, the Pakistan selectors decided not to select Jahangir to play in the world championships in Australia, judging him too weak from a recent illness. Jahangir decided instead to enter himself in the World Amateur Individual Championship and, at the age of 15, became the youngest-ever winner of that event.

In November 1979, Jahangir's older brother Torsam Khan, who had been one of the leading international squash players in the 1970s, died suddenly of a heart attack during a tournament match in Australia. Torsam's death affected Jahangir profoundly. He considered quitting the game, but decided to pursue a career in the sport as a tribute to his brother.

Five-year unbeaten run

In 1981, when he was 17, Jahangir became the youngest winner of the World Open, beating Australia's Geoff Hunt (the game's dominant player in the late-1970s) in the final. That tournament marked the start of an unbeaten run which lasted for five years and 555 matches. The hallmark of his play was his incredible fitness and stamina, which Rehmat Khan helped him build-up through a punishing training and conditioning regime. Jahangir was quite simply the fittest player in the game, and would wear his opponents down through long rallies played at a furious pace.

In 1982, Jahangir astonished everyone by winning the International Squash Players Association Championship without losing a single point.

The unbeaten run finally came to end in the final of the World Open in 1986 in Toulouse, France, when Jahangir lost to New Zealand's Ross Norman. Norman had been in pursuit of Jahangir's unbeaten streak, being beaten time and time again. "One day Jahangir will be slightly off his game and I will get him", he vowed for five years.

Speaking about his unbeaten streak, Jahangir said: "It wasn't my plan to create such a record. All I did was put in the effort to win every match I played and it went on for weeks, months and years until my defeat to Ross Norman in Toulouse in 1986."

"The pressure began to mount as I kept winning every time and people were anxious to see if I could be beaten. In that World Open final, Ross got me. It was exactly five years and eight months. I was unbeaten for another nine months after that defeat."

Success in the hardball game

With his dominance over the international squash game in the first half of the 1980s secure, Jahangir decided to test his ability on the North American hardball squash circuit in 1983–1986. (Hardball squash is a North American variant of the game, played on smaller courts with a faster-moving ball.) Jahangir played in 13 top-level hardball tournaments during this period, winning 12 of them. He faced the leading American player on the circuit at the time, Mark Talbott, on 11 occasions (all in tournament finals), and won 10 of their encounters. With his domination of both the softball and hardball versions of the game, Jahangir truly cemented his reputation as the world's greatest squash player. His success in North America is considered by some observers to be among the factors which led to growing interest in the international "softball" version of squash in the continent, and the demise of the hardball game in the late-1980s and 1990s.

Rivalry with Jansher Khan

At the end of 1986 another Pakistani squash player, Jansher Khan, appeared on the international scene to challenge Jahangir's domination. (Jansher is not known to be directly related to Jahangir, but their families originate from the same village in the Peshawar region of northern Pakistan, so they may be distantly related.) Jahangir won their first few encounters in late-1986 and early-1987. But Jansher scored his first win over Jahangir in September 1987, beating him in straight games in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open. Jansher then went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight consecutive encounters and capture the 1987 World Open title.

Jahangir ended Jansher's winning streak in March 1988, and went on to win 11 of their next 15 encounters. The pair met in the 1988 World Open final, with Jahangir emerging the victor. But by that point it had become clear that squash now had two dominant players. The pair would continue to dominate the game for the rest of the decade. Jansher and Jahangir met a total of 37 times in tournament play. Jansher won 19 matches (74 games and 1,426 points), and Jahangir 18 matches (79 games and 1,459 points). This record doesn't include exhibition matches and league matches between them.

Jahangir did not win the World Open again after 1988, but he continued a stranglehold over the British Open title which he captured a record ten successive times between 1982 and 1991.

World Open final appearances

{| cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="font-size: 95%; border: #aaa solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;" |- bgcolor="#c7dcf6" | colspan="3" | Wins (6) |- bgcolor="#efefef" |Year |Opponent in final |Score in final |- | 1981 || Geoff Hunt || 7–9, 9–1, 9–2, 9–2 |- | 1982 || Dean Williams || 9–2, 6–9, 9–1, 9–1 |- | 1983 || Chris Dittmar || 9–3, 9–6, 9–0 |- | 1984 || Qamar Zaman || 9–0, 9–3, 9–4 |- | 1985 || Ross Norman || 9–4, 4–9, 9–5, 9–1 |- | 1988 || Jansher Khan || 9–6, 9–2, 9–2 |- bgcolor="#c7dcf6" | colspan="3" | Runner-ups (3) |- bgcolor="#efefef" |Year |Opponent in final |Score in final |- | 1986 || Ross Norman || 9–5, 9–7, 7–9, 9–1 |- | 1991 || Rodney Martin || 14–17, 15–9, 15–4, 15–13 |- | 1993 || Jansher Khan || 14–15, 15–9, 15–5, 15–5 |}

British Open final appearances

{| cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="font-size: 95%; border: #aaa solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;" |- bgcolor="#c7dcf6" | colspan="3" | Wins (10) |- bgcolor="#efefef" |Year |Opponent in final |Score in final |- | 1982 || Hiddy Jahan || 9–2, 10–9, 9–3 |- | 1983 || Gamal Awad || 9–2, 9–5, 9–1 |- | 1984 || Qamar Zaman || 9–0, 9–3, 9–5 |- | 1985 || Chris Dittmar || 9–3, 9–2, 9–5 |- | 1986 || Ross Norman || 9–6, 9–4, 9–6 |- | 1987 || Jansher Khan || 9–6, 9–0, 9–5 |- | 1988 || Rodney Martin || 9–2, 9–10, 9–0, 9–1 |- | 1989 || Rodney Martin || 9–2, 3–9, 9–5, 0–9, 9–2 |- | 1990 || Rodney Martin || 9–6, 10–8, 9–1 |- | 1991 || Jansher Khan || 2–9, 9–4, 9–4, 9–0 |- bgcolor="#c7dcf6" | colspan="3" | Runner-ups (1) |- bgcolor="#efefef" |Year |Opponent in final |Score in final |- | 1981 || Geoff Hunt || 9–2, 9–7, 5–9, 9–7 |}

Training regime

In a documentary on himself telecast on GEO Super, Jahangir revealed that he never had any fixed training regime particularly designed for him, nor had he any specially formulated diet - he would eat anything hygienic but never miss two glasses of milk every day.

For his training, he would often start his day with a jog which he would complete in 60–120 minutes at a moderate pace, followed by short bursts of timed sprints. Later he would weight train in the gym finally cooling down in the pools. He would follow this routine 5 days a week. On the 6th day he would match practice and rest on the 7th day.

He also said that he has experienced running on every surface - from custom-built tracks to asphalt roads, grass & farm fields to sea shores & knee-deep waters. Sometimes he would also visit the northern areas of Pakistan to train in high altitude fields under low oxygen conditions. All in all it made Jahangir one of the most physically and mentally fit athletes in the world.

Awards, services and recognition

Jahangir retired as a player in 1993 after helping Pakistan win the World Team Championship in Karachi. The Government of Pakistan honoured Jahangir with the awards of Pride of Performance and civil award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz for his achievements in squash. They also awarded him the title of Sportsman of the Millennium.

In 1990, Jahangir was elected Chairman of the Professional Squash Association, and in 1997, Vice-President of the Pakistan Squash Federation. He was elected as Vice-President of the World Squash Federation in November 1998, and in October 2002 was elected WSF President. In 2004, he was again unanimously re-elected as President of the World Squash Federation at the International Federation's 33rd Annual General Meeting in Casa Noyale, Mauritius.

Time Magazine has named Jahangir as one of Asia's Heroes in the last 60 years.

Jahangir Khan was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by London Metropolitan University for his contributions to the sport.

Due to his immense and absolute dominance in squash he was nicknamed "The Conqueror" (a loose translation of his first name).

Personal life

Jahangir is of Pashtun ethnicity. His family originated from a village near Peshawar named Nawakille (sometimes spelled "Noakili"). Jahangir currently lives in Karachi with his wife, Rubina, and their children, Omar and Marium. Musician Natasha Khan, better known as Bat for Lashes, is Jahangir's cousin.

See also

List of squash players

Jansher Khan

World Open

British Open Squash Championships

Roshan Khan

Torsam Khan

Rehmat Khan

World Squash Federation

List of Pakistanis

References

External links

The Incredible Khans of Squash: Part III Jahangir

The Khan Family, A Squash Dynasty Part III

Pakistan Squash - The Khan Supremacy Part VII

Jahangir Khan page at Squashpics.com

Details of Jahangir's rivalry with Jansher Khan

Article on Jahangir's hardball squash rivalry with Mark Talbott

World Squash Awards

The KhanSquash Management Group - (archived)

Category:Pakistani squash players Category:Hilal-i-Imtiaz Category:Recipients of the Pride of Performance award Category:Pashtun people Category:1963 births Category:Living people

cs:Jahangir Khan de:Jahangir Khan fr:Jahangir Khan ko:자한기르 칸 it:Jahangir Khan hu:Jahangir Khan ms:Jahangir Khan pnb:جہانگیر خان fi:Jahangir Khan ur:جہانگیر خان

name	Craig Ferguson
birth date	May 17, 1962
birth place	Glasgow, Scotland
medium	Stand-up, television, film, music, books
nationality	Scottish, American
active	1980–present
genre	Observational comedy, satire/political satire/news satire
subject	Everyday life, popular culture, self-deprecation, politics
website	''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''
spouse	Anne Hogarth (1983–86) (divorced)Sascha Corwin (1998–2004) (divorced) 1 childMegan Wallace-Cunningham (2008–present) 1 child
notable work	Host of ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''Nigel Wick on ''The Drew Carey Show''Glaswegian in ''One Foot in the Grave''Gobber in ''How to Train Your Dragon'' }}

Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, and producer. He is the host of ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'', an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS. In addition to hosting that program and performing stand-up comedy, Ferguson has written two books: ''Between the Bridge and the River'', a novel, and ''American on Purpose'', a memoir. He became a citizen of the United States in 2008.

Before his career as a late-night television host, Ferguson was best known in the United States for his role as the office boss, Nigel Wick, on ''The Drew Carey Show'' from 1996 to 2003. After that, he wrote and starred in three films, directing one of them.

Early life

Ferguson was born in the Stobhill Hospital in the Springburn district of Glasgow, Scotland to Robert and Janet Ferguson, and raised in nearby Cumbernauld, growing up "chubby and bullied". When he was six months old, he and his family moved from their Springburn apartment to a council house in Cumbernauld. They lived there as Glasgow was re-housing many people following damage to the city from World War II. Ferguson attended Muirfield Primary School and Cumbernauld High School. At age sixteen, Ferguson dropped out of Cumbernauld High School and began an apprenticeship to be an electronics technician at a local factory of American company Burroughs Corporation.

His first visit to the United States was as a teenager to visit an uncle who lived on Long Island, near New York City. When he moved to New York City in 1983, he worked in construction in Harlem. Ferguson later became a bouncer at a nightclub, Save the Robots.

Career

British career

Ferguson's experience in entertainment began as a drummer in a rock band called Exposure. He then joined a punk band called The Bastards from Hell. The band, later renamed "Dreamboys", and fronted by vocalist Peter Capaldi, performed regularly in Glasgow from 1980 to 1982. Ferguson credits Capaldi for inspiring him to try comedy.

After a nerve-wrecking, knee-knocking first appearance, he decided to create a character that was a "parody of all the über-patriotic native folk singers who seemed to infect every public performance in Scotland." The character, "Bing Hitler" (actually coined by Capaldi as Ferguson started with the monogram of "Nico Fulton" but admittedly later stole the name for his "own nefarious ends"), premiered in Glasgow, and subsequently became a hit at the 1986 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A recording of his stage act as Bing Hitler was made at Glasgow's Tron Theatre and released in the 1980s; a Bing Hitler monologue ("A Lecture for Burns Night") appears on the compilation cassette ''Honey at the Core.''

Ferguson's first television appearance was as Confidence on BBC sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' during the episode "Confidence and Paranoia".

Ferguson made his starring television debut in ''The Craig Ferguson Show'', a one-off comedy pilot for Granada Television, which co-starred Paul Whitehouse and Helen Atkinson-Wood. This was broadcast throughout the UK on 4 March 1990, but was not made into a full series.

He has also found success in musical theatre. Beginning in 1991, he appeared on stage as Brad Majors in the London production of ''The Rocky Horror Show'', alongside Anthony Head, who was playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter at the time. In 1994, Ferguson played Father MacLean in the highly controversial production of ''Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom'' at the Union Chapel in London. The same year, he appeared again at the Edinburgh Fringe, as Oscar Madison in ''The Odd Couple'', opposite Gerard Kelly as Felix and Kate Anthony as Gwendolin Pidgeon, who is now much better known as Aunty Pam in ''Coronation Street''; the play, which was relocated to 1990s Glasgow, later toured Scotland.

After enjoying success at the Edinburgh Festival, Ferguson appeared on ''Red Dwarf'', STV's ''Hogmanay Show'', his own show ''2000 Not Out'', and the 1993 ''One Foot in the Grave'' Christmas special ''One Foot in the Algarve.''

In 1993, Ferguson presented his own series on Scottish archaeology for Scottish Television entitled ''Dirt Detective.'' He travelled throughout the country examining archaeological history, including Skara Brae and Paisley Abbey.

U.S. career

After cancellation of his show ''The Ferguson Theory'', Ferguson moved to Los Angeles in 1994. His first U.S. role was as baker Logan McDonough on the short-lived 1995 ABC comedy ''Maybe This Time'', which starred Betty White and Marie Osmond.

His breakthrough in the U.S. came when he was cast on ''The Drew Carey Show'' as the title character's boss, Mr. Wick, a role that he played from 1996 to 2003. He played the role with an over-the-top posh English accent "to make up for generations of English actors doing crap Scottish accents." In his comedy special "A Wee Bit O' Revolution", he specifically called out James Doohan's portrayal of Montgomery Scott on Star Trek as the foundation of his "revenge". (At the end of one episode, though, Ferguson broke the fourth wall and began talking to the audience at home in his regular Scottish accent.) His character was memorable for his unique methods of laying employees off, almost always "firing Johnson", the most common last name of the to-be-fired workers. Even after leaving the show in 2003, he remained a recurring character on the series for the last two seasons, and was part of the 2-part series finale in 2004.

During production of ''The Drew Carey Show'', Ferguson devoted his off-time as a cast member to writing, working in his trailer on set in-between shooting his scenes. He wrote and starred in three films: ''The Big Tease'', ''Saving Grace'', and ''I'll Be There'', which he also directed and for which he won the Audience Award for Best Film at the Aspen, Dallas and Valencia film festivals. He was named Best New Director at the Napa Valley Film Festival. These were among other scripts that, "... in the great tradition of the movie business, about half a dozen that I got paid a fortune for but never got made." His other acting credits in films include ''Niagara Motel'', ''Lenny the Wonder Dog'', ''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'', ''Chain of Fools'', ''Born Romantic'', ''The Ugly Truth'', ''How to Train Your Dragon'', ''Kick-Ass'' and ''Winnie the Pooh''.

Ferguson has been touring the United States and Canada with a stand-up comedy show, and performed at Carnegie Hall on 23 October 2010.

''The Late Late Show''

In December 2004, it was announced that Ferguson would be the successor to Craig Kilborn on CBS's ''The Late Late Show''. His first show as the regular host aired on 3 January 2005. By May 2008, Ben Alba, an American television historian and an authority on U.S. talk shows, said Ferguson "has already made his mark, taking the TV monologue to new levels with an underlying story. But he is only just starting ... He is making up his own rules: It's the immigrant experience."

''The Late Late Show'' averaged 2.0 million viewers in its 2007 season, compared with 2.5 million for ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. In April 2008, ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' beat ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' for weekly ratings (1.88 million to 1.77 million) for the first time since the two shows went head-to-head with their respective hosts.

By the end of 2009, Craig Ferguson topped Jimmy Fallon in the ratings with Ferguson getting a 1.8 rating/6 share and Fallon receiving a 1.6 rating/6 share.

Ferguson's success on the show has led at least one "television insider" to say he is the heir apparent to take over David Letterman's role as host of ''The Late Show''.

Television and appearances

Craig Ferguson has made guest appearances on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', ''Rachael Ray'', ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'', ''The Howard Stern Show'', ''The Daily Show'', ''The View'', ''Loveline'', ''Real Time with Bill Maher'', ''The Soup'', ''The Talk'' and ''The Dennis Miller Show''. He also co-hosted ''Live with Regis & Kelly'' with Kelly Ripa.

On 4 January 2009 Ferguson was a celebrity player on ''Million Dollar Password''.

thumb|272px|Ferguson in April 2008

In 2009, Ferguson made a cameo live-action appearance in the episode "We Love You, Conrad" on ''Family Guy''. Ferguson hosted the 32nd annual People's Choice Awards on 10 January 2006. ''TV Guide'' magazine printed a "Cheers" (Cheers and Jeers section) for appearing on his own show that same evening. From 2007 to 2010, Ferguson hosted the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on 4 July, broadcast nationally by CBS. Ferguson was the featured entertainer at the 26 April 2008 White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, DC.

Ferguson co-presented the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama with Brooke Shields in 2008. He has done voice work in cartoons, including being the voice of Barry's evil alter-ego in the "With Friends Like Steve's" episode of ''American Dad''; in ''Freakazoid!'' as Roddy MacStew, Freakazoid's mentor; and on ''Buzz Lightyear of Star Command'' as the robot vampire NOS-4-A2. Most recently, he was the voice of Susan the boil on ''Futurama'', which was a parody of Scottish singer Susan Boyle. He makes stand-up appearances in Las Vegas and New York City. He headlined in the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and in October 2008 Ferguson taped his stand up show in Boston for a Comedy Central special entitled ''A Wee Bit o' Revolution'', which aired on 22 March 2009.

British television comedy drama ''Doc Martin'' was based on a character from Ferguson's film ''Saving Grace'' – with Ferguson getting writing credits for 12 episodes. On 6 November 2009 Ferguson appeared as himself in a ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' special titled ''SpongeBob's Truth or Square''. He hosted Discovery Channel's 23rd season of ''Shark Week'' in 2010. Ferguson briefly appeared in Toby Keith's ''"Red Solo Cup"'' music video released on 10 October 2011.

Literature

Ferguson's novel ''Between the Bridge and the River'' (ISBN 9780811853750) was published on 10 April 2006. Ferguson appeared at the Los Angeles Festival of Books, as well as other author literary events. "This book could scare them", Ferguson said. "The sex, the violence, the dream sequences and the iconoclasm. I think a lot of people are uncomfortable with that. I understand that. It was very uncomfortable to write some of it." ''Publishers Weekly'' called it "a ''tour de force'' of cynical humor and poignant reverie, a caustic yet ebullient picaresque that approaches the sacred by way of the profane." His novel ''Between the Bridge and the River'' is dedicated to his son and to his grandfather, Adam. Ferguson revealed in an interview that he is writing a sequel to the book, to be titled "The Sphynx of the Mississippi". He also stated in a 2006 interview with David Letterman that he intends for the book to be the first in a trilogy.

Ferguson signed a deal with HarperCollins to publish his memoirs. The book, entitled ''American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot'', focuses on "how and why [he] became an American" and covers his years as a punk rocker, dancer, bouncer and construction worker as well as the rise of his career in Hollywood as an actor and comic. It went on sale 22 September 2009 in the United States. On 1 December 2010 the audiobook version was nominated for a Best Spoken Word Album Grammy.

In July 2009, Jackie Collins was a guest on ''The Late Late Show'' to promote her new book ''Married Lovers''. Collins said that a character in her book, Don Verona, was based on Ferguson because she was such a fan of him and his show.

Personal life

As mentioned on ''The Late Late Show'' on 3 August 2009, Ferguson holds an FAA Private Pilot's License issued 31 July 2009. Ferguson announced on the 8 April 2011 broadcast that he is pursuing an instrument rating.

Ferguson is also a fan of Scottish football team Partick Thistle F.C. as well as the British television show Doctor Who.

Ferguson has three tattoos: his latest, the Join, or Die political cartoon on his right forearm; a Ferguson family crest with the Latin motto ''Dulcius ex asperis'' ("Sweeter out of [or from] difficulty") on his upper right arm in honour of his father; and the Ingram family crest on his upper left arm in honour of his mother. He has often stated that his ''Join, or Die'' tattoo is to signal his patriotism.

Family

In an episode of ''The Late Late Show'' that aired 8 December 2008, a sombre Ferguson talked about his mother, Janet (3 August 1933 – 1 December 2008). He ended the program by playing her favourite song, "Rivers of Babylon" by Boney M.

Ferguson has two sisters (one older and one younger) and one older brother. His elder sister's name is Janice and his brother's name is Scott. His younger sister, Lynn Ferguson Tweddle, is also a successful comedienne, presenter, and actress, perhaps most widely known as the voice of Mac in the 2000 stop-motion animation film ''Chicken Run''. She is currently a writer on ''The Late Late Show''.

Ferguson has married three times and divorced twice as a result of what he describes as "relationship issues". His first marriage was to Anne Hogarth from 1983 to 1986, during which time they lived in New York. From his second marriage (to Sascha Corwin, founder and proprietor of Los Angeles' SpySchool), he has one son, Milo Hamish Ferguson, born in 2001. He and Corwin share custody of Milo, and live near each other in Los Angeles. On 21 December 2008, Ferguson married art dealer Megan Wallace-Cunningham in a private ceremony on her family's farm in Chester, Vermont. Ferguson announced 14 July 2010 on Twitter that they were expecting a child. He wrote: "Holy crackers! Mrs F is pregnant. How did that happen? ... oh yeah I know how. Another Ferguson arrives in 2011. The world trembles." The child, a boy named Liam James, was born 31 January 2011.

Alcohol problems

A recovering alcoholic, Ferguson has been sober since 18 February 1992. Because of this, he declared he wouldn't mock Britney Spears' much-publicized alcohol problems in 2007. He said he had considered committing suicide on Christmas Day 1991, but when offered a drink by a friend for celebrating the holiday, he was distracted from jumping off Tower Bridge in London as he had planned.

Citizenship

Holding dual citizenship, Ferguson is both a naturalized citizen of the United States and a British citizen.

During 2007, Ferguson, who at the time held only British citizenship, used ''The Late Late Show'' as a forum for seeking honorary citizenship from every state in the U.S. He has received honorary citizenship from Nebraska, Arkansas, Virginia, Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey, Tennessee, South Carolina, South Dakota, Nevada, Alaska, Texas, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and Indiana, and was "commissioned" as an admiral in the tongue-in-cheek Nebraska Navy. Governors Jon Corzine (New Jersey), John Hoeven (North Dakota), Mark Sanford (South Carolina), Mike Rounds (South Dakota), Rick Perry (Texas), Sarah Palin (Alaska) and Jim Gibbons (Nevada) sent letters to him that made him an honorary citizen of their respective states. He received similar honors from various towns and cities, including Ozark, Arkansas; Hazard, Kentucky; and Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Ferguson became an American citizen on 1 February 2008 and broadcast the taking of his citizenship test as well as his swearing in on ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''.

Filmography

+ Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1992	''The Bogie Man''
1998	''Modern Vampires''	Richard
1999	''The Big Tease''	Crawford Mackenzie	Writer
2000		Melander Stevens
2000	''Born Romantic''	Frankie
2000		Matthew Stewart	Writer
2002	''Life Without Dick''	Jared O'Reilly
2002	''Prendimi l'anima'' (''The Soul Keeper'')	Richard Fraser
2003		Paul Kerr	Director, Writer
2004	''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events''	Person of Indeterminate Gender
2004	''Lenny the Wonder Dog''	Dr. Wagner
2005		Fisherman
2006	''Niagara Motel''	Phillie
2007		Ted Truman
2008	''Craig Ferguson: A Wee Bit O' Revolution''
2009		Himself
2010	''The Hero of Color City''
2010		Gobber	Voice only
2010		Himself
2011			Voice only
2011	''Totally Framed''	Jeffrey Stewart
2012		Lord Macintosh	Voice only
2012		David	Post-production
2014	''How to Train Your Dragon 2''	Gobber	Voice only

+Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1988	''Red Dwarf''	Confidence
1989	''The Big Gig''	Himself	Regular Comic
1993	''One Foot in the Grave''	Glaswegian beach bully	Christmas Special "One foot in the Algarve"
1994	''The Dirt Detective: A History of Scotland''	Travel documentary series	Host
1994	''The Ferguson Theory''	Himself	Host
1995–1996	''Maybe This Time''	Logan McDonough	18 episodes
1995–1997	''Freakazoid!''	Roddy MacStew	7 episodes
1996–2004	''The Drew Carey Show''	Nigel Wick	170 episodes
2000	''Buzz Lightyear of Star Command''	NOS 4 A2	Voice only, 5 episodes
2005		Oliver Davies	1 episode
2005–present	''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''	Himself	Host
2006	''American Dad!''	Evil Barry	Voice only, Episode: ''With Friends Like Steve's''
2009	''Family Guy''	Himself	Episode: ''We Love You, Conrad''
2009	''SpongeBob's Truth or Square''	Himself	TV movie
2010	''Futurama''	Susan Boil	Episode: ''Attack of the Killer App''
2010	''Shark Week''	Himself	Host
2010	''Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon''	Gobber	Voice only, TV short film

Bibliography

''Between the Bridge and the River''. Chronicle Books, 2006. ISBN 0811853756, ISBN 0811858197.

''American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot''. HarperCollins, 2009. ISBN 0061719544.

Comedy specials

''A Wee Bit o' Revolution'' (Comedy Central) 2009

''Does This Need to Be Said?'' (EPIX, Comedy Central) 2011

Discography

''Live At The Tron'' (as Bing Hitler). Jammy Records, 1986. Catalogue number JRLP 861.

References

External links

Craig Ferguson on Twitter

Craig Ferguson Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos

Craig Ferguson and Megan Wallace Cunningham

''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''

Category:1962 births Category:American aviators Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American memoirists Category:American novelists Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American screenwriters Category:American television actors Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American voice actors Category:Living people Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Glasgow Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People with nocturnal enuresis Category:Scottish comedians Category:Scottish emigrants to the United States Category:Scottish memoirists Category:Scottish novelists Category:Scottish screenwriters Category:Scottish television actors Category:People from Cumbernauld Category:Actors from New York City Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California

de:Craig Ferguson es:Craig Ferguson fr:Craig Ferguson it:Craig Ferguson ja:クレイグ・ファーガソン no:Craig Ferguson pl:Craig Ferguson ru:Фергюсон, Крейг simple:Craig Ferguson fi:Craig Ferguson sv:Craig Ferguson zh:克雷格·费格斯

image size	175px
birth name	Anthony Robert McMillan
birth date	March 30, 1950
birth place	Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland
yearsactive	1979-present
occupation	Actor
spouse	Rhona Gemmell (since 1999; separated) }}

Robbie Coltrane, OBE (born Anthony Robert McMillan; 30 March 1950) is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr. Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald in the British TV series ''Cracker'' and as Rubeus Hagrid in the ''Harry Potter'' films.

Early life

Coltrane was born Anthony Robert McMillan in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, the son of Jean McMillan Ross (née Howie), a teacher and pianist, and Ian Baxter McMillan, a general practitioner who also served as a forensic police surgeon. He has an older sister, Annie, and a late younger sister, Jane. Coltrane is the great-grandson of Scottish businessman Thomas W. Howie. He was educated at the prestigious Glenalmond College in Perthshire, from which he was nearly expelled after hanging the prefects' gowns from the school clocktower. Though he later described his experiences there as deeply unhappy, he played for the rugby First XV, was head of the school's debating society and won prizes for his art. From Glenalmond, Coltrane went on to Glasgow School of Art, where he was ridiculed for "having an accent like Prince Charles" (which he quickly disposed of, though not before gaining the nickname "Lord Fauntleroy") and then the Moray House College Of Education in Edinburgh. Coltrane later called for public schools to be banned and used to be known as "Red Robbie", rebelling against his conservative upbringing through involvement with Amnesty International, Greenpeace, the Labour Party and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Career

Coltrane moved into acting in his early twenties, taking the stage name Coltrane (in tribute to jazz saxophonist John Coltrane) and working in theatre and stand-up comedy. Appearing in the 1981 BBC television comedy series ''A Kick Up the Eighties'', his comic skills also brought him roles in the ''The Comic Strip Presents'' (1982) series and the comedy sketch shows ''Alfresco'' (1983–1984) and ''Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee'' (1984).

Coltrane soon moved into films, obtaining roles in a number of movies such as ''Flash Gordon'' (1980), ''Death Watch'' (1980), ''Scrubbers'' (1983), ''Krull'' (1983), ''The Supergrass'' (1985), ''Absolute Beginners'' (1986), ''Mona Lisa'' (1986) and appeared as "Annabelle" in ''The Fruit Machine'' (1988). On television, he also appeared in ''The Young Ones'', ''Tutti Frutti'' (1987), as Samuel Johnson in ''Blackadder'' (1987) (a role he later reprised in the more serious ''Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Islands'' (1993)), and in a number of stand-up and sketch comedy shows. He played the part of Falstaff in Kenneth Branagh's ''Henry V'' (1989) He co-starred with Eric Idle in ''Nuns on the Run'' (1990), and played the Pope in ''The Pope Must Die'' (1991). He also played a would-be private detective obsessed with Humphrey Bogart in the TV play ''The Bogie Man''.

His roles went from strength to strength in the 1990s with the TV series ''Cracker'' (1993–1996, returning in 2006 for a one-off special; in which he starred as forensic psychologist Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald) and a BAFTA award as the stepping stone to parts in bigger films, such as the James Bond films ''GoldenEye'' (1995) and ''The World Is Not Enough'' (1999), a major supporting role in ''From Hell'' (2001), as well as half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the ''Harry Potter'' films (2001–2011). J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, had Coltrane at the top of her list to play Hagrid and when asked who she would like to see in the role responded “Robbie Coltrane for Hagrid” in one quick breath.

Coltrane has also presented a number of popular documentary programmes for the British ITV network based around his twin passions for travel and transportation. ''Coltrane in a Cadillac'' (1993) saw him cross North America from Los Angeles to New York behind the wheel of a 1951 Cadillac Series 62 coupe convertible, a journey of which he completed in 32 days.

In 1997, Coltrane appeared in a series of six programmes under the title ''Coltrane's Planes and Automobiles'' in which he extolled the virtues of a number of engineering achievements, namely the steam engine, the diesel engine, the supercharger, the V8 engine, the two-stroke engine, and the jet engine. In these programmes he showed he was not afraid to get his hands dirty, getting involved with dismantling and rebuilding several engines. He also single-handledly removed the engine from a Trabant car in 23 minutes.

In August 2007, Coltrane presented a series for ITV called ''B-Road Britain'' in which he travelled from London to Glasgow, stopping in towns and villages along the way.

Coltrane was voted No. 10 in ITV's "TV's 50 Greatest Stars" and sixth in a poll of 2000 adults across the UK to find the 'most famous Scot', behind the Loch Ness Monster, Robert Burns, Sean Connery, Robert the Bruce and William Wallace.

Filmography and awards

+ Film	! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1980		Man at air field
1982	''Britannia Hospital''	Striking worker on picket line	Cameo non-speaking role
1983		George
1983		Rhun
1985	''National Lampoon's European Vacation''	Man in bathroom
1985	''''	Det. Sgt. Troy
1986		Scipio
1986		Thomas
1987		Jeremy
1988	''''	Annabelle
1989		Falstaff
1989	''Bert Rigby, You're a Fool''	Sid Trample
1989		Ticket Seller
1989		Victor Hazell
1989		Montclaire
1990	''Midnight Breaks''	Fat
1990	''Nuns on the Run''	Charlie McManus/Sister Inviolata
1990	''Perfectly Normal''	Alonzo Turner
1991	''''	The Pope
1991	''Triple Bogey on a Par Five Hole''	Steffano Baccardi
1992		Todd	Nominated - Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
1993	''Boswell & Johnson's Tour of the Western Isles''
1993	''''	Duke
1995	''GoldenEye''	Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky
1997		Dr. Bill Lintz
1998	''Frogs for Snakes''	Al
1998		The Boss
1999	''''	Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky
1999		Charlie Toschi
2001		Rubeus Hagrid	Sorcerer's Stone in USNominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting RoleNominated - Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
2001		Delaney
2001
2002		Rubeus Hagrid	Nominated - Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Acting
2004	''Ocean's Twelve''	Matsui
2004		Rubeus Hagrid
2004	''Van Helsing: The London Assignment''		voice
2004		Mr. Hyde	voice
2005		Rubeus Hagrid
2006		Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
2006		Lord Edward Foster
2007		Rubeus Hagrid
2008	''''	Gregory	voice
2008	''''	The Curator
2009		Rubeus Hagrid
2009		Gooby	voice
2010	''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1''	Rubeus Hagrid
2011	''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2''	Rubeus Hagrid
2011		Lord Dingwall

+ Television	! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1983	''Are You Being Served''	Dynamite Truck Driver on CB Radio	"Mrs. Slocombe causes a crash"
1987	''Blackadder the Third''	Samuel Johnson	"Ink and Incapability"
1987		Danny McGlone	Nominated - British Academy Television Award for Best Actor
1988	''Blackadder's Christmas Carol''	The Spirit of Christmas
1990	''Danny Champion of the World''	Victor Hazell
1993–2007		Dr. Eddie 'Fitz' Fitzgerald	Three British Academy Television Award for Best Actor
1998	''''	Capt. Chisholm
1999
2003		Hagrid
2003	''''	Jack Lennox QC
2004		James
2004	''[[Frasier''	Michael Moon	"Goodnight, Seattle"
2005	''Still Game''	Davie	Season 4 Episode 3: "Dial-A-Bus"
2006		Dr. Eddie 'Fitz' Fitzgerald
2009	''Murderland''	D.I. Douglas Hain
2009	''''	The Gruffalo	TV film (Children's), voice
2010	''Robbie Coltrane - B Road Britain ''		TV Documentary
	''Lead Balloon''	Donald	Series 4 Episode 4: "Off" Series 4 Episode 5: "Blade" Series 4 Episode 6: "End"
''50 Greatest Harry Potter Moments''	Himself	Narrator

Other Awards

He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2006 New Year's Honours List for his services to drama.

Won Evening Standard British Film Award - Peter Sellers Award for Comedy 1990.

References

External links

Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Alumni of the Glasgow School of Art Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Old Glenalmond Category:People from Glasgow Category:People from Rutherglen Category:Scottish comedians Category:Scottish film actors Category:Scottish television actors Category:Scottish voice actors Category:Shakespearean actors

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