Famous Canadians

Rich Little Biography

Famous Canadian Categories:
Behind The Camera | Canvas & print | Military | Models | Movies | Music | Political | Porn | Other |
Science & Technology | Sports | TV | Writers | the big list


Rich Little

Rich Little

Birthdate:   26 Nov 1938
Website: http://www.richlittle.com/
Category: Movies

Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, Rich is one of three sons of a prominent physician. He began doing impressions as a youngster, responding to the teachers' questions in their own voices. Teaming with a friend, he earned his first payment as an impressionist at age 17. The pair won a talent contest on a Canadian television show and went on to appear on variety programs throughout Canada. Rich later went solo, becoming a successful disc jockey and talk-show host in Ottawa.

As an actor, he performed in forty productions with the Ottawa Little Theatre over a period of ten years. In his early twenties, he recorded his first of nine comedy albums, My Fellow Canadians. It became the best-selling comedy album in Canadian history and made him nationally famous. In 1964, his friend, singer Mel Torme, introduced him to the American public on The Judy Garland Show.

Rich has appeared on countless variety shows over the years, often hosting The Tonight Show. He starred in his own weekly series, The Rich Little Show, and on the TV show, Kopy Kats. He has appeared on soap operas and numerous television dramas. He has made three HBO comedy specials, including Rich Little's Christmas Carol, in which he played all the roles of the Dickens classic, winning top prizes at the Montreux Festival in Switzerland and earning an Emmy in the United States. He has appeared in several movies, recently starring as Johnny Carson in the HBO movie, The Late Shift.

Over the years, Rich has been active with children's charities. He was co-host of the Canadian division of the Children's Miracle Network. He was inducted into the Miami Children's Hospital International Pediatrics Hall of Fame for his charitable work, and in 1983, the Ottawa Civic Hospital named an expanded nursing facility the Rich Little Special Care Nursery.

Rich has won numerous awards. He has twice received the Cleveland Amory Award as Best Guest on a Television Talk Show and was named Comedy Star of the Year by the American Guild of Variety Artists. In June 1998, he will add his star to the Canadian Walk of Fame to go along with his current star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has performed for the British royal family many times. On the occasion of Ottawa's 150th anniversary, he was honored as one of its most famous citizens.




Resume: Features & TV Movies:

Pink Ice (voice, 1965)
The Phynx (voice, 1970)
Lucky Luke (voice, 1971)
The Other Side of the Wind (1972)
Fair Weather Friends (TV-1977)
Rich Little's Christmas Carol (1978)

Sinatra: The First 40 Years (TV-1980)
The Christmas Raccoons (narrator, TV-1980)
Dirty Tricks (1981)
The Raccoons on Ice (narrator, TV-1981)
Trail of the Pink Panther (voice, 1982)
Curse of the Pink Panther (voice, 1983)
The Raccoons and the Lost Star (narrator, TV-1983)
One Crazy Summer (1986)
Happy Hour (1987)

Bebe's Kids (voice, 1992)
The Late Shift (TV-1996)

The Brainiacs.com (2001)


TV Series - Cast:
Love on a Rooftop (1966)
Your All-American College Show (1968)
The Pink Panther Show (voice, 1969)
The John Davidson Show (1969)
The ABC Comedy Hour (1972)
The Julie Andrews Hour (1972)
The Rich Little Show (1976)
The New You Asked For It (1981)
Share on Facebook

Posted by: Hyack      Last updated: 16-09-2007      Hits: 11461