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Tina Fey
Fey at the premiere of Baby Mama in 2008.
Born	Elizabeth Stamatina Fey (1970-05-18) May 18, 1970 (age 42) Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	University of Virginia (BA)
Occupation	Actress, comedian, writer, producer
Years active	1994–present
Spouse	Jeff Richmond (2001–present)
Children	Alice Zenobia Richmond (b. 2005) Penelope Athena Richmond (b. 2011)
Signature	150px

Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey ( /ˈfeɪ/; born May 18, 1970)^[1] is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (SNL), the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls (2004) and Baby Mama (2008).

Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the Chicago-based improvisational comedy group The Second City. She then joined SNL as a writer, later becoming head writer and a performer, known for her position as co-anchor in the Weekend Update segment. In 2004 she adapted the screenplay Mean Girls in which she also co-starred. After leaving SNL in 2006, she created the television series 30 Rock, a situation comedy loosely based on her experiences at SNL. In the series, Fey portrays the head writer of a fictional sketch comedy series. In 2008, she starred in the comedy film Baby Mama, alongside former SNL co-star Amy Poehler. Fey next appeared in the 2010 comedy films Date Night and Megamind.

She has received seven Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, four Writers Guild of America Awards and has been nominated for a Grammy Award for her autobiographical book Bossypants, which topped the The New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks. She was singled out as the performer who had the greatest impact on culture and entertainment in 2008 by the Associated Press, which gave her its AP Entertainer of the Year award for her satirical portrayal of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a guest appearance on SNL.^[2] In 2010, Fey was the recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the youngest-ever winner of the award.^[3]

Early life[link]

Fey was born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania – a township just west of Philadelphia. Her mother, Zenobia "Jeanne" (née Xenakes),^[4][5] is a brokerage employee of Greek descent,^[6] and her father, Donald Fey, is a university grant-proposal writer of half German and half Scottish descent.^[4][7][8] She has a brother, who is eight years older, named Peter.^[4][9]

Fey was exposed to comedy early. She has recalled:

I remember my parents sneaking me in to see Young Frankenstein. We would also watch Saturday Night Live, or Monty Python, or old Marx Brothers movies. My dad would let us stay up late to watch The Honeymooners. We were not allowed to watch The Flintstones though: my dad hated it because it ripped off The Honeymooners.^[10] I actually have a very low level of Flintstones knowledge for someone my age.^[11]

She also grew up watching Second City Television (SCTV), and has cited Catherine O'Hara as a role model.^[12]

Fey attended Cardington Elementary School and Beverly Hills Middle School in Upper Darby.^[13] By middle school, she knew she was interested in comedy, doing an independent-study project on the subject in eighth grade.^[10] Fey attended Upper Darby High School, where she was an honor student,^[14] a member of the choir, drama club, and tennis team, and co-editor of the school's newspaper.^[14][15] She also anonymously wrote the newspaper's satirical column, The Acorn.^[16] Following her graduation in 1988,^[13][17] Fey enrolled at the University of Virginia, where she studied playwriting and acting.^[18] She graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama.^[19]

Career[link]

[edit] Saturday Night Live (1997–2006)

While performing shows with The Second City in 1997, Fey submitted several scripts to NBC's variety show Saturday Night Live (SNL), at the request of its head writer Adam McKay, a former performer at Second City.^[6] She was hired as a writer^[20] for SNL following a meeting with SNL creator Lorne Michaels, and moved to New York.^[21] Fey told The New Yorker, "I’d had my eye on the show forever, the way other kids have their eye on Derek Jeter."^[6] Originally, Fey "struggled" at SNL.^[21] Her first sketch to air starred Chris Farley in a Sally Jessy Raphael satire.^[21] Fey went on to write a series of parodies, including one of ABC's morning talk show The View.^[22] She co-wrote the "Sully and Denise" sketches with Rachel Dratch,^[21] who plays one of the teens.^[22]

Fey played an extra in one of the episodes in 1998,^[23] and after watching herself, decided to diet^[24] and lost 30 pounds. She told The New York Times, "I was a completely normal weight. But I was here in New York City, I had money and I couldn't buy any clothes. After I lost weight, there was interest in putting me on camera."^[25] In 1999, McKay stepped down as head writer, which led Michaels to approach Fey for the position.^[21] She became SNL's first female head writer, a milestone she downplays.^[26]

In 2000, Fey began performing in sketches,^[6] and she and Jimmy Fallon became co-anchors of SNL's Weekend Update segment.^[27] Fey said she did not ask to audition, but that Michaels approached her.^[24][28] Michaels explained that there was "chemistry" between Fey and Fallon.^[28] Michaels, however, revealed that choosing Fey was "kind of risky" at the time.^[29] Her role in Weekend Update was well-received by critics. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "...Fey delivers such blow darts – poison filled jokes written in long, precisely parsed sentences unprecedented in Update history – with such a bright, sunny countenance makes her all the more devilishly delightful."^[30] Dennis Miller, a former cast member of SNL and anchor of Weekend Update, was pleased with Fey as one of the anchors for the segment: "...Fey might be the best Weekend Update anchor who ever did it. She writes the funniest jokes".^[31] Robert Bianco of USA Today, however, commented that he was "not enamored" of the pairing.^[32]

In 2001, Fey and the writing staff won a Writers Guild of America Award for SNL's 25th anniversary special.^[6] The following year at the 2002 Emmy Awards ceremony, she and the writing team won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program.^[33]

The pairing of Fey and Fallon ended in May 2004 when Fallon last appeared as a cast member.^[34] He was replaced by Amy Poehler.^[35] It was the first time that two women co-anchored Weekend Update.^[36] Fey revealed that she "hired" Poehler as her co-host for the segment.^[37] The reception to the teaming of Fey and Poehler was positive, with Rachel Sklar of the Chicago Tribune noting that the pairing "has been a hilarious, pitch-perfect success as they play off each other with quick one-liners and deadpan delivery".^[35]

The 2005–2006 season was her last; she thereafter departed to develop 30 Rock.^[38]

[edit] 30 Rock (2006–present)

Fey filming an episode of 30 Rock at Rockefeller Center in October 2007.^[39]

In 2002, Fey suggested a pilot episode for a situation comedy about a cable news network to NBC, who rejected it. The pilot was reworked to revolve around an SNL style series, and was accepted by NBC.^[40] She signed a contract with NBC in May 2003, which allowed her to remain in her SNL head writer position at least through the 2004–2005 television season. As part of the contract, Fey was to develop a primetime project to be produced by Broadway Video and NBC Universal.^[41] She began developing the pilot project under the working title Untitled Tina Fey Project.^[42] The pilot, directed by Adam Bernstein,^[43] centered on the head writer of a variety show and how she managed her relationships with the show's volatile star and its executive producer.^[44] In October 2006, the pilot aired on NBC as 30 Rock. Although the episode received generally favorable reviews,^[45] it finished third in its timeslot.^[46]

The network renewed the series for a second season, which began in October 2007.^[47] The show's third season premiered on October 30, 2008. The premiere episode set records for the highest ratings of the series.^[48] In January 2009, NBC renewed 30 Rock for the 2009–2010 season.^[49]

In 2007, Fey received an Emmy Award^[50] nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series.^[51] The show itself won the 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.^[52] In 2008, she won the Golden Globe,^[53] Screen Actors Guild,^[54] and Emmy awards all in the category for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.^[55] The following year, Fey again won the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award in the same categories,^[53][56] and was nominated for an Emmy Award.^[57] In early 2010, Fey received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress,^[58] and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Lead Actress.^[59] 30 Rock was renewed for the 2010–2011 season in March 2010.^[60] It will return for the 2011–2012 season, though due to Fey's pregnancy with her second child, the season premiere will be delayed until midseason.^[61] Fey once mentioned that her performance on the show is inspired by Julia Louis Dreyfus,^[62] and later used Dreyfus to play the stand-in for the character of Liz Lemon in flashback scenes during the live episode of the fifth season.

Feature films[link]

In 2002, Fey appeared in the surreal comedy Martin & Orloff.^[63] She made her debut as writer and co-star of the 2004 teen comedy Mean Girls. Characters and behaviors in the movie are based on Fey's high school life at Upper Darby High School^[64] and on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman.^[65] The cast includes other past cast members of SNL including Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, and Amy Poehler. The film received favorable reviews,^[66] and was a box office success, grossing US$129 million worldwide.^[67]

Fey with Amy Poehler at the premiere of Baby Mama in New York.

In a 2004 interview, Fey expressed that she would like to write and direct movies in which she has small parts.^[14] In 2006, Fey worked on a movie script for Paramount Pictures, which was to feature Sacha Baron Cohen, by the name of Curly Oxide and Vic Thrill, based loosely on the true story of a Hasidic rock musician.^[68][69] In 2007, she was cast in the animated comedy film Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters as the Aqua Teens' mother, a giant burrito.^[70]

Fey and former SNL castmate Amy Poehler starred in the 2008 comedy Baby Mama. The movie was written and directed by Michael McCullers. The plot concerns Kate (Fey), a business woman, who wants a child but, discovering she has only a million-to-one chance of getting pregnant, decides to find a surrogate: Angie (Poehler), a white-trash schemer.^[71] Baby Mama received mixed reviews, but many critics enjoyed Fey's performance. Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote: "Fey is a delight to watch throughout. Able to convey Kate's intentions and feelings through the simple looks and inflections, she never melodramatizes her situation; nor does her efficient, perfectionist side become overbearing."^[72] The movie grossed over US$64 million at the box office.^[67]

Fey's projects after 2008 include her lending her voice to the character Lisa in the English language version of the Japanese animated film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (titled Ponyo for its U.S. release).^[73] In 2009, she appeared in The Invention of Lying,^[74] alongside Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, and Christopher Guest.^[75] Her next film role was in Shawn Levy's 2010 comedy Date Night,^[76] a feature that focuses on a married couple, played by Fey and Steve Carell, who go on a date; however, the night goes awry for the two.^[77] Also in the same year, she voiced Roxanne Ritchie, a television reporter, in the DreamWorks animated film Megamind (2010).^[78] With a total worldwide gross of US$321 million, Megamind is Fey's most commercially successful picture to date. It earned US$173 million outside the U.S. and US$148 million domestically.^[67]

In January 2011, it was announced that Fey will star in an upcoming comedy/drama entitled Admission, based on the Jean Hanff Korelitz novel by the same name. The film will be directed by Paul Weitz.^[79]

Impersonation of Sarah Palin[link]

From September to November 2008, Fey made frequent guest appearances on SNL to perform a series of parodies of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. On the 34th season premiere episode, aired September 13, 2008, Fey imitated Palin in a sketch, alongside Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton. Their repartee included Clinton needling Palin about her "Tina Fey glasses".^[80] The sketch quickly became NBC.com's most-watched viral video ever, with 5.7 million views by the following Wednesday.^[81] Fey reprised this role on the October 4 show,^[82] on the October 18 show where she was joined by the real Sarah Palin, and on the November 1 show where she was joined by John McCain and his wife Cindy. The October 18 show had the best ratings of any SNL show since 1994.^[83] The following year Fey won an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her impersonation of Palin.^[84] Fey returned to SNL in April 2010, and reprised her impression of Palin in one sketch titled "Sarah Palin Network".^[85] Fey once again did her impression of Palin when she hosted Saturday Night Live on May 8, 2011.^[86]

In December 2009, Entertainment Weekly put her impersonation on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, writing, "Fey's freakishly spot-on SNL impersonation of the wannabe VP (and her ability to strike a balance between comedy and cruelty) made for truly transcendent television."^[87]

Other work[link]

Fey at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International promoting Megamind.

In 1997, Fey and other members of The Second City provided voices for the pinball game Medieval Madness.

In 2000, Fey partnered with fellow SNL cast member Rachel Dratch in the Off Broadway two-woman show Dratch & Fey at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City.^[88][89] The production was well received by critics.^[90] Tim Townsend of The Wall Street Journal in review of Dratch & Fey, wrote that the fun part of watching them perform was "seeing how comfortable they are with each other".^[88] He concluded that the production "isn't about two women being funny. [...] Dratch and Fey are just funny. Period."^[88] One of the SNL sketches, "Sully and Denise", originated at Second City in Chicago.^[21]

On August 13, 2007, Fey made a guest appearance on the children's television series Sesame Street, in the episode, "The Bookaneers".^[91] She appeared as a guest judge on the November 25, 2007 episode of the Food Network program Iron Chef America.^[92] Fey has appeared in Disney's campaign "Year of a Million Dreams" as Tinker Bell, along with Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan and Gisele Bündchen as Wendy Darling.^[93] She has also done commercials for American Express credit card in 2008, and Garnier Nutrisse hair color in 2012.^[94][95][96]

On February 23, 2008, Fey hosted the first episode of SNL after the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.^[97] For this appearance, she was nominated for an Emmy in the category of Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.^[98] Fey hosted SNL for a second time on April 10, 2010, and for her appearance she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.^[99]

On April 5, 2011, her book, a humorous autobiography entitled Bossypants, was released. It received a positive review from the New York Times.^[100]

In the media[link]

Fey was ranked in the Hot 100 List at number 80 on Maxim magazine in 2002.^[101] She was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2003,^[102] and one of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in 2007, 2008, and 2009.^{[103][104][105][106]} In 2007, Fey placed seventh on the Hot 100 List on AfterEllen.com.^[107] She repeated the appearance the following year, however, being voted as number one on the list.^[108]

In 2001, Entertainment Weekly named Fey as one of their Entertainers of the Year for her work on Weekend Update.^[109] She was named one of the magazine's Entertainers of the Year in 2007,^[110] and placed number two in 2008.^[111] In 2009, Fey was named as Entertainment Weekly's fifth individual in their 15 Entertainers of the 2000s list.^[112] The newspaper editors and broadcast producers of the Associated Press voted Fey the AP Entertainer of the Year as the performer who had the greatest impact on culture and entertainment in 2008, citing her impression of Sarah Palin on SNL.^[2] She has appeared on Forbes' annual Celebrity 100 list of the 100 most powerful celebrities in 2008, 2009, and 2010, at No. 99, No. 86, and No. 90 respectively.^{[113][114][115]}

In 2007, the New York Post included Fey in New York's 50 Most Powerful Women, ranking her at number 33.^[116] Fey was among the Time 100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the world, in 2007 and 2009, as selected annually by Time magazine.^[117][118] Fey's featured article for the 2009 list was written by 30 Rock co-star, Alec Baldwin.^[118] She was selected by Barbara Walters as one of America's 10 Most Fascinating People of 2008.^[119]

In September 2011, Tina Fey landed at the top of the Forbes magazine’s list of the highest-paid TV actresses.^[120]

Personal life[link]

Fey with husband Jeff Richmond in April 2010 at the premiere of Date Night

Fey stated on the Late Show with David Letterman that she was a virgin until age 24, when she met her husband Jeff Richmond, saying, "[I] Couldn't give it away. That's just good, Christian values, or, being homely".^[121] Fey met Richmond, now a composer on 30 Rock, at Chicago's Second City and dated for seven years before marrying in a Greek Orthodox ceremony on June 3, 2001.^[1] The couple has two daughters: Alice Zenobia Richmond (born September 10, 2005)^[122] and Penelope Athena Richmond (born August 10, 2011).^[123][124] In April 2009, Fey and Richmond purchased a US$3.4 million apartment on the Upper West Side in New York City.^[125]

Fey has a scar a few inches long on the left side of her chin and cheek, the cause of which remained unexplained until a 2008 Vanity Fair profile by Maureen Dowd^[126] and subsequently in her autobiographical book; where she revealed that she was slashed by a man when she was five, but withheld specific details of the incident.^[127]

Charity work[link]

Her charity work includes support of Autism Speaks, an organization that sponsors autism research.^[128][129] In April 2008, she participated in Night of Too Many Stars, a comedy show benefit for autism education.^[130]

Fey is also a supporter of Mercy Corps, a global relief and development organization, in their campaign to end world hunger.^[131] Fey narrated a video for Mercy Corps's Action Center in New York City, describing hunger as a symptom of many wider world problems.^[132] She also supports the Love Our Children USA organization, which fights violence against children,^[133] who named her among their Mothers Who Make a Difference, in 2009.^[134] She was the 2009 national spokesperson for the Light the Night Walk, which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.^[135]

In June 2010, it was announced she would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.^[136]

Detailed works[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

The following awards are categorized under the year they were announced (and not necessarily the year covered by the award ceremony).

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Baldwin, Kristen. "'Update' With Destiny." Entertainment Weekly. May 2, 2002. Accessed July 14, 2009.
• Smith, Kyle. "Leap of Fey." People Magazine. May 3, 2004. Accessed July 14, 2009.
• Schwartz, Missy. "The Smartest Girl in The Class." Entertainment Weekly. May 7, 2004. Accessed July 14, 2009.
• Ryder, Caroline. "A Conversation with Tina Fey." Women's Health Magazine. March 2007. Accessed July 14, 2009.
• Rys, Richard. "Exit Interview: Tina Fey." Philadelphia Magazine. April 3, 2008. Accessed July 15, 2009.
• Baldwin, Kristen. "Tina Fey: One Hot 'Mama'." Entertainment Weekly. April 9, 2008. Accessed July 14, 2009.
• Jacobs, A.J. "Tina Fey, Make Us Laugh." Esquire Magazine. May 1, 2008. Accessed July 15, 2009.
• Carnwath, Ally. "Queen of the jokers." The Guardian. May 4, 2008. Accessed July 14, 2009.
• Goodwin, Christopher. "And funny with it." The Guardian. May 11, 2008. Accessed July 14, 2009.
• Moran, Caitlin. "Tina Fey and Sarah Silverman: the new queens of comedy." The Times October 3, 2008. Accessed July 14, 2009.
• Carter, Bill. "It’s Easy to Find Tina Fey on TV, but Not Her Show." The New York Times. October 13, 2008. Accessed July 14, 2009.
• Brown, Laura. "Tina Fey Rocks." Harper's Bazaar. November 2009. Accessed October 7, 2009.
• Pringle, Gill. "Tina Fey — From spoofer to movie stardom." The Independent. March 19, 2010. Accessed March 19, 2010.
• Walker-Mitchell, Donna. "Witty woman." The Sydney Morning Herald. March 28, 2010. Accessed March 28, 2010.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tina Fey

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Tina Fey

• Tina Fey at the Internet Movie Database
• Tina Fey at People.com
• Tina Fey on National Public Radio in 2008
• Tina Fey on National Public Radio in 2011
• Tina Fey at Emmys.com
• The story of Tina Fey's Scar

Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross at Live 8 on 2 July 2005
Born	Jonathan Stephen Ross (1960-11-17) 17 November 1960 (age 51) Camden, London, England[1]
Nationality	British
Occupation	Broadcaster, film critic, Talk show host, Comedian
Years active	1987–present
Spouse	Jane Goldman (m. 1988) «start: (1988)»"Marriage: Jane Goldman to Jonathan Ross" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.db.wn.com/index.php/Jonathan_Ross)
Children	2 daughters, 1 son
Parents	Martha Ross

Jonathan Stephen Ross, OBE (born 17 November 1960) is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross from 2001 until he left the BBC in 2010. Ross began hosting a new chat show on ITV1 starting 3 September 2011. Ross also hosted his own radio show on BBC Radio 2, and acted as a film critic and presenter of the Film programme. Other regular roles have included being a regular panellist on the comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over from 1999 to 2006, and presenting the annual British Comedy Awards from 1991 to 2007, and 2009 onwards.

Ross began his television career as a programme researcher, before débuting as a television presenter for The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross on Channel 4 in 1987. Over the next decade he had several radio and television roles, many through his own production company, Channel X. In 1995 he sold his stake in Channel X, and embarked on a career with the BBC. In 1999, Ross took over presenting the Film programme from Barry Norman, and also began presenting his own radio show, while two years later he began hosting Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. For the chat show, Ross won three British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards for Best Entertainment Performance, in 2004, 2006 and 2007. By 2006 Ross was believed to be the BBC's highest paid star. In 2005, Ross was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to broadcasting.^[2] Ross has been involved in controversies throughout his broadcasting career.^[3][4] As a result, in 2008 he wrote a semi-autobiographical work titled Why Do I Say These Things?, detailing some of his life experiences.

Ross has been married to the author, journalist and broadcaster Jane Goldman since 1988; they have three children. Ross and Goldman have together established the television production company Hotsauce TV. Ross is known as an avid fan and collector of comic books and memorabilia, and has written his own comic book, Turf. Ross is known for his distinctive voice, flamboyant style of dress,^[2] and his light-hearted banter. He is also known for his characteristic difficulty in pronouncing the sound 'r'.

Personal[link]

Ross was born in Camden, London, England on 17 November 1960, a son of British actress and radio presenter Martha Ross.^[5] He grew up in Leytonstone^[1] and is the brother of journalist, television editor, and media personality Paul Ross; TV producer/actor Miles Ross; TV producer Simon Ross, and music industry professional Adam Ross. He was educated at Norlington School for Boys, a comprehensive school at the same time as his elder brother Paul, and at Leyton County High School for Boys, a comprehensive school. He also attended Southampton College of Art, now known as Southampton Solent University. ^[6] He then studied Modern European History at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), University of London.^[7]

Ross with his wife Jane Goldman at the British Academy Television Awards 2009

Ross married author/journalist/broadcaster Jane Goldman, ten years his junior, in 1988, when Goldman was 18. They have since had three children: Betty Kitten (named after Bettie Page), Harvey Kirby (named after Jack Kirby, a comic book creator whom Ross especially admires), and Honey Kinney. The family lives in Hampstead Garden Suburb.^{[citation needed]}

Ross and others have used his rhotacism for comic effect and he is sometimes known as "Wossy,"^[8] including on his Twitter feed (@wossy).

Ross is known for owning exotic pets. He is a big music fan and the first band he saw live was punk rockers X-Ray Spex at Islington's Hope and Anchor pub in North London.^[9] He is a big fan of David Bowie, Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry, Queen (he was in the audience for Queen at Wembley), British punk rock, Spandau Ballet, Sparks, Star Trek, Doctor Who (his favourite Doctor was Jon Pertwee), and comic books. Ross has even co-owned a comic shop in London with Paul Gambaccini and released Turf, his first comic book, in 2010, with American artist Tommy Lee Edwards.^[10] He was also the visual inspiration for the main character in the comic book Saviour. Ross is also greatly interested in Japan, presenting a BBC-TV series on many different aspects of Japanese culture, Japanorama, for three series between 2002–07. He was a regular at London's Blitz club during the early 1980s (famous for the Blitz Kids). He is a fan of the singers Morrissey and George Michael.^{[citation needed]}

He is a friend of comedian Ricky Gervais and bought him a kitten after Gervais' previous cat, Colin, had died. The cat's name is Ollie and was presented to him on an episode of Ross' talk show Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.^[11] He was one of the special celebrity guests in the final episode of Gervais's second season of Extras, in which Gervais's character, Andy Millman, and Ross were shown to be the best of friends after a fictional appearance on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.^[12]

He is also a close friend of author Neil Gaiman, and he and his wife appear in Gaiman's short story "The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch", collected in Fragile Things.

In 2005, Ross was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.^[13] He celebrated the news by playing "God Save the Queen" by the Sex Pistols on his Radio 2 show.^[14]

When interviewing Colin Farrell on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 19 February 2010, Ross claimed not to have consumed alcohol for ten years.

Ross has attended a fund raiser for the James Randi Educational Foundation called The Amazing Meeting in London in 2009 and 2010. Interviewed by Rebecca Watson, Ross described himself as a big fan of James Randi and the other speakers – who were mainly prominent sceptics – and said that he and his wife had come to have a sceptical view of the world.^[15] Ross has been supportive of Simon Singh's efforts to defend an accusation of libel by the British Chiropractic Association and Ross has posed for the Geek Calendar 2011, a fund raiser for the libel reform in the UK.^[16]

At a book signing event in Central London in September 2010, Ross stated that as a youngster he went to school in Leyton (Leyton Senior High School) and supports Leyton Orient F.C.^{[citation needed]}

On 6 June 2011, it was announced that Ross' beloved pug Mr Pickle had been killed in an accident on board a train while Ross was filming a new travelogue show for ITV.^[17] Mr Pickle was well known to both viewers and listeners of Ross' TV and radio shows.

Career[link]

Child actor[link]

Following the acting lead of his mother, who appeared as an extra on television shows such as East Enders, Ross appeared in television ads as a child actor. His first, for the breakfast cereal Kellogg's Rice Krispies, gave him his television debut in 1970, when he was 10 years old.^[18][19] He also appeared in an ad for the laundry detergent Persil.^[20]

Early career[link]

Ross began his adult career as a researcher on the Channel 4 show Loose Talk. After leaving this, he worked on various other shows before beginning another research job on Soul Train, which became Solid Soul. It is believed his first appearance on television was as an extra in the 1981 It Ain't Half Hot, Mum episode, The Last Roll Call.^[21]

Channel X: 1987–95[link]

Whilst on Solid Soul, he met fellow researcher Alan Marke, and the two devised what would prove to be a breakthrough hit for Ross in 1987, The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross.

The pair based their concept on the successful American show Late Night with David Letterman, and formed a new production company called Channel X, to produce a pilot. Ross was not originally slated as the show's host, but with little time to find one Jonathan Ross stepped in and made his debut on the show in January 1987.^[22]

While the series was initially a co-production with Colin Calendar, ownership transferred to Marke and Ross, meaning that the latter retained a great deal of control as well as being presenter.^[23] The show proved popular for both Ross and for Channel 4, making him one of the major personalities on the channel.

A year later, his documentary series The Incredibly Strange Film Show introduced many to the works of cult filmmakers like Sam Raimi and Jackie Chan.

In 1989, he co-presented the biennial BBC charity telethon Comic Relief, the same year he launched One Hour with Jonathan Ross a short lived chat show on Channel 4, most notable for the game show segment "Knock down ginger" which introduced comedians such as Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson to television.

In 1991, he presented the annual British Comedy Awards on ITV. He has presented the event each year since, but in 2008 announced he would be stepping down from the role following his suspension from the BBC.^[24] In 1992 he presented an interview with Madonna about her Erotica album and Sex Book promotion.

In 1993, he was the narrator for FIA Formula One 1993 Season Review video.

Ross has appeared in numerous television entertainment programmes on several channels throughout the 1990s and 2000s. He was a regular panellist on the sports quiz They Think It's All Over, and hosted the panel game It's Only TV...But I Like It. Other projects include the BBC joke-quiz Gagtag, the Channel 4 variety show Saturday Zoo, new-acts showcase The Big Big Talent Show, and the ITV programme Fantastic Facts.

In 1995 he left Channel X, despite its profitable nature. He was quoted in a 1998 article as stating:

It was to do with a deliberate change in my life, moving away from TV as the core of my existence to focus on my family more. So I had to give up everything to do with Channel X, and I literally got only £1 for my share, which was unbelievable.^[25]

Television 1995–2006[link]

In 1995 he presented Mondo Rosso, a programme about old cult films. He took over presenting of the Film programme, the BBC's long-running cinema review series, in 1999 after Barry Norman left the show. Ross himself has made a number of cameo appearances in films, playing himself in the Spice Girls' film Spice World (1997) and voicing the character of Doris in the UK version of Shrek 2 (2004). He also played himself in Only Fools and Horses, presenting Goldrush, a fictional television quiz on which the main character, Del, was a contestant. In 2001 he voiced characters in two episodes of the animated comedy series Rex the Runt. In the 30 October episode of Film 2006, Ross also claimed that he had appeared as an extra in the 1981 film 'The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin', as an Israeli soldier raiding Entebbe Airport.^{[citation needed]} He also appeared on the first pilot show for Shooting Stars, acting as a team captain.

BBC Radio: 1999–2010[link]

Ross began presenting a Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2 in 1999. He has also presented radio shows for BBC Radio 1 and Virgin Radio (having previously worked on Richard Branson's earlier venture, Radio Radio), as well as the now-defunct commercial radio network service The Superstation, where his producer was Chris Evans.

From 23 May 2009, Ross' BBC Radio 2 show was pre-recorded 24 hours before broadcast.^[26] This decision was made to make the show more watertight and, according to the press, to make sure any of Ross's off-the-cuff comments might be edited out.^[27]

Ross' show on Radio 2 last aired on 17 July 2010 when his contract at the BBC ended.

[edit] Friday Night with Jonathan Ross: 2001–10

Ross with friend Ricky Gervais at Live 8 in July 2005

On 2 November 2001, Ross began presenting his chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.

In 2005, Ross anchored the BBC television coverage of the Live 8 concerts. Later that year he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting. He celebrated the news by playing "God Save the Queen" by The Sex Pistols (which was banned by the BBC when released in 1977) on his BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show. On 21 June 2006 Ross was made a Fellow of University College London, where he studied.

In early 2006, Ross announced that after eight years he was quitting his regular panellist seat on the sport/comedy quiz show They Think It's All Over, stating:

I’ve had a great time on They Think It's All Over, imparting my vast sporting knowledge to the nation, but I need time now to focus on my other commitments and so regrettably I won't be back for the 20th series. It's a fantastic show and from now on I'll be able to actually watch it.

However, after Ross's departure, only two more episodes of the show were made before it was cancelled.

In January 2006 he presented Jonathan Ross' Asian Invasion, broadcast on BBC Four. The three-part documentary followed Ross as he explored the film industry in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, interviewing directors and showcasing clips. His interest in Asian culture and his self confessed love for anime and video games led him to making three series of BBC Three show Japanorama, as well as producing another series for the same channel called Adam and Joe Go Tokyo, starring Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish. He produced the latter programme through his own production company Hot Sauce.

In June 2006, a bidding war was sparked between BBC and other broadcasters for Ross' services. Although other broadcasters were unsuccessful in poaching Ross, it is believed that their bids were higher than the BBC during negotiations. ITV, who bid for Ross, poached chat host Michael Parkinson around the same time. Ross became the highest paid television personality in Britain, when a new BBC contract secured his services until 2010, for a reported £18 million (£6 million per year).^[28]

On 25 June 2006, he performed at the Children's Party at the Palace for the Queen's 80th birthday. In August 2006, Ross was enlisted to ask the first question^[29] since the transition from beta for the Yahoo Answers in UK and Ireland. On 16 March 2007, Ross hosted Comic Relief 2007 alongside Fearne Cotton and Lenny Henry. On 7 July 2007 Ross presented at the Live Earth concert.

Starting on 10 September 2007 he presented the BBC Four series Comics Britannia, about the history of the British comic. This forms the core of a Comics Britannia season, which includes another documentary, In Search of Steve Ditko, by Ross.^[30]

In May 2008, Ross won the Sony Gold Award "Music Radio Personality of the Year".^[31]

On 3 August 2008, on BBC1, he hosted Jonathan Ross Salutes Dad's Army.

In 2010, Ross took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March.

On 7 April 2010, Ross's first comic book was published. Turf was written by Jonathan himself and drawn by artist Tommy Lee Edwards.^[32] In 2011, Ross wrote an introduction for The Steve Ditko Omnibus Vol. 1,^[33] a collection of work by the American comics artist featured in Ross' 2007 documentary.

In one of his last appearances on the show, Ross was bundled on repeatedly by Gary Lineker, Ross Noble, Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett & Tinie Tempah, after a performance of Gorillaz' iconic song "Clint Eastwood" & "On Melancholy Hill".^{[citation needed]}

Leaving the BBC (2010)[link]

On 7 January 2010, Ross confirmed that he would leave the BBC in July 2010, having decided not to renegotiate his contract. This would see him leave all his regular BBC roles, namely his Friday night chat show, Radio 2 show and a film review programme, although he would be continuing with some specials, such as Comic Relief and the BAFTA Awards.^{[34][35][36][37]}

Explaining the decision, Ross said:

Although I have had a wonderful time working for the BBC, and am very proud of the shows I have made while there, over the last two weeks I have decided not to re-negotiate when my current contract comes to an end. While there, I have worked with some of the nicest and most talented people in the industry and had the opportunity to interview some of the biggest stars in the world, and am grateful to the BBC for such a marvellous experience. I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated^[34]

The decision came a day after it was announced that Graham Norton had signed a two-year deal with the BBC, and the BBC's media correspondent Torin Douglas speculated Norton would be a ready-made replacement for Ross's chat show role, while Mark Kermode of BBC Radio 5 Live was a potential successor in the film review role, but that "replacing Ross on radio will be harder". ^[34] Ross last appeared on the film programme in Episode 10 of Film 2010 with Jonathan Ross aired on 17 March 2010. After Kermode publicly ruled himself out on 26 March, Claudia Winkleman was announced 30 March 2010 as his replacement as host of the Film programme, who was to host Film 2010 from September 2010.^[38][39]

Ross's final Friday Night chat show episode aired on 16 July 2010, with David Beckham, Jackie Chan, Mickey Rourke, and Roxy Music as guests. Ross ended the show with an affectionate tribute to his guests and to the audience, while mentioning that he had promised his friend Morrissey that he would remain composed and "wouldn't cry". His final Radio 2 show was broadcast the following day. Patrick Kielty initially took over Ross' Radio 2 slot from 24 July 2010 after which Graham Norton took over permanently.

2010 onwards (ITV and Cinemoi)[link]

On 14 December 2010, Jonathan Ross announced his creative partnership with CineMoi, the UK's first and only independent French film channel. His deal with the company gives him a multi-faceted role as presenter, producer, creative director and shareholder in the company. A life long cinephile Ross has a unique perspective on French film and hopes to encourage 'first-timers' to explore a world of film that differs slightly from that of the regular Hollywood fare.

On 19 December 2010, Ross presented a three hour Channel 4 list show, 100 Greatest Toys, with the broadcaster describing Ross as a "huge toy enthusiast with a private collection that would rival any museum's."^[40][41]

In 2011, he presented Penn & Teller: Fool Us on ITV, a collaboration with magicians Penn & Teller.

Ross's new chat show The Jonathan Ross Show began on 3 September 2011 on ITV1,^[42] drawing an audience of 4.3m viewers, compared to the 4.6m for his finale on the BBC show.^[43] The first series will run for thirteen weeks. Speaking about the new show, Ross said: "I am thrilled and excited that after a short break I will be rolling up my sleeves and creating a brand new show for ITV1."^[44] Ross will also host a panel show from 2012 called Trending Topics also for ITV. The show will involve the social-network site Twitter. In Spring 2012, Ross appeared in the ITV panel show Mad Mad World

Controversies[link]

BBC contract[link]

In April 2006, Ross, along with other BBC personalities, had details of his fees leaked to the tabloid press.^[45] It was claimed at the time, by a then-unidentified BBC mole, that Ross earned £530,000 (equivalent to £10,000 per show) per year for hosting his Radio 2 show.^[46] While refusing to comment specifically on the leak in line with BBC policy on the matter, Ross did hint during his radio show that the figure was exaggerated; in addition to this, any pay highlighted as being "his" would actually be split between himself and his producer/co-presenter on the show, Andy Davies.

David Cameron interview[link]

In June 2006, when Conservative Party leader David Cameron appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Ross began a line of questioning relating to Conservative ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, culminating in the question "Did you or did you not have a wank thinking of Margaret Thatcher?". Ross was defended by the BBC publicly, but repeat showings of the interview have been banned.^[47]

Heather Mills comment[link]

In 2006, Ross was criticised when he made a joke against Heather Mills, soon after she and Paul McCartney announced they were to divorce. He branded Mills, who has only one leg, a "fucking liar" and that he "wouldn't be surprised if we found out she's actually got two legs".^[48]

"1,000 journalists" comment[link]

On 5 December 2007, Ross joked at the British Comedy Awards that his salary meant that he was "apparently worth 1,000 BBC journalists". His quip came shortly after the BBC had announced plans for more than 2,000 jobs cuts, and was condemned as "obscene" by the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists.^[49] Ross has denied this saying that he was commenting on a piece that was written in a newspaper about his salary being that of 1,000 journalists:

"You know where that came from? The newspapers. After the fee was announced, they said, 'The BBC says he's worth 1,000 journalists', so on the Comedy Awards I made a joke that began, 'Apparently I'm worth 1,000 journalists according to the newspapers.' Every time it's quoted, is the word 'apparently' ever used? Which does change the meaning somewhat."^[50]

The Russell Brand Show and Andrew Sachs[link]

Following a guest appearance by Ross on The Russell Brand Show broadcast on 18 October 2008, Ross was suspended for 12 weeks without pay by the BBC on 29 October, after a series of answer phone messages were left for 78-year-old actor Andrew Sachs regarding Sachs' granddaughter Georgina Baillie, by Russell Brand and Ross, which were broadcast on the pre-recorded show.^[51] After little initial interest, a media story about the calls generated a high number of complaints. Brand resigned from the BBC, while Ross was suspended without pay. BBC director general Mark Thompson stated that Ross should take the disciplinary action as a "final warning".^[52][53] The BBC was later fined £150,000 by Britain's broadcast regulator for airing the calls.^[54]

On 21 November 2008, the BBC Trust said that the phone calls were a "deplorable intrusion with no editorial justification".^[55] The trust gave its backing to Ross's 12 week suspension but recommended that no further action be taken against him. He returned to work in January, and the first episode of a new series of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross with guests Tom Cruise, Stephen Fry and Lee Evans, and music from Franz Ferdinand, was broadcast on 23 January 2009.

Gwyneth Paltrow interview[link]

The BBC Trust ruled that Ross’s interview with Gwyneth Paltrow, broadcast on 2 May 2008, breached editorial guidelines. They ruled that bad language in an episode of Ross's pre-recorded BBC1 chat show, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, in which the presenter told Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow he "would fuck her" was "gratuitous and unnecessarily offensive". The trust said it disagreed with the judgement made by BBC management that the episode should be broadcast uncensored, adding that the comment was made in an "overly sexual way" and that it had upheld a number of complaints made about the edition of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.^[56] The trust reminded BBC staff that "the casual gratuitous use of the most offensive language is not acceptable on the BBC in accordance with the BBC's existing guidelines and practices", adding that "this particularly applies in entertainment programmes".^[57]

[edit] Hannah Montana comment

On 13 May 2009, Ross was accused of homophobia after a comment he made on his radio show,^[58] in which he said,

If your son asks for a Hannah Montana MP3 player, then you might want to already think about putting him down for adoption in later life, when they settle down with their partner.^[59]

An incorrect version of this quote was also circulated, in which Ross was accused of saying:

If your son asks for a Hannah Montana MP3 player, you might want to already think about putting him down for adoption before he brings his … erm … partner home.^[60]

Ofcom received 61 complaints following the comment. A representative from the BBC defended Ross, saying the comment was made "purely in jest" and that "Jonathan is not homophobic in any sense and never meant for his comments to be taken seriously."^[61] On 7 July 2009, Ofcom ruled that Ross did not breach the broadcasting code. They wrote in their opinion that "the comment was clearly presented as a joke intended to make light of the reactions that some parents may have if their child chooses a toy that is very widely recognised to be designed and marketed for the opposite sex" and that the nature of the joke and tone and manner in which it was presented "made clear that it was not intended to be hostile or pejorative towards the gay community in general."^[59] Stonewall criticised the ruling; saying "the fact that a comment is light-hearted does not absolve it from perpetuating the stereotypes that lead to homophobic bullying."^[62]

Video games[link]

Honours and awards[link]

• 2006, made a Fellow of University College, London (UCL), into which his alma mater, SSEES, had been absorbed.^[63]

• 2012, Special Recognition award at the National Television Awards.

References[link]