Debra DiGiovanni (born March 21, 1972) is a Canadian stand-up comedian originally from Tillsonburg, Ontario.[1][2]
Debra DiGiovanni | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 21, 1972 Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, Comedian |
| Years active | 1999-present |
She is a frequent guest on the CBC Radio program The Debaters, for which she earned a Canadian Comedy Award nomination for writing. Her previous work includes being a regular contributor to Much’s Video on Trial series and its spinoff Stars on Trial,[3] as well as a permanent panelist on The Comedy Network’s Canadian revival of Match Game, among other things.[2]
Personal life
editDebra DiGiovanni was born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, on March 21, 1972. She is of Italian descent, was raised in a big Italian family,[4] and has a fraternal twin sister.[5] She grew up in Tillsonburg, Ontario.[2]
DiGiovanni began her studies in university pursuing fashion design, though she admits it was not a fit for her.[4]
Career
editDiGiovanni's comedy career began at the age of 27 with the help of Humber College's inaugural year of their Comedy Writing and Performance course in 1999. Three months into enrolling in the program, she was on stage for the first time. She credits Carol Burnett and Laverne & Shirley (starring Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams) as some of her inspirations. "I watched these women be funny and secretly wanted to do that myself."[4][2]
In 2002, she won the Canadian Comedy Award for the Best Stand-up Newcomer in Stand Up.[6] In 2003, NOW Magazine named her headline show as the 3rd Best of the Year. In 2005, she made her first appearance at the Just for Laughs Festival where she was invited on a cross-Canada tour opening for Russell Peters. In 2007, 2009, and 2011, she won the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Female Stand Up.[7][8][9]
She was previously a contributor on the popular Much show Video on Trial[2] and its spinoff Stars on Trial.[3]
In 2007, she appeared in the fifth season of Last Comic Standing. By winning an audition in Montreal, she was selected to participate in a semifinal qualifying round in Hollywood, making it to the top 10 finalist. She participated in the show until she was eliminated and placed 8th.[10]
Also that year, she hosted the Canadian New Media Awards and the Canadian Comedy Awards. In July 2008, she appeared on eTalk, interviewing contestants on the sixth season of Canadian Idol.[11] She also hosted the Genie Awards alongside Sandra Oh, as well as one night of the Gemini Awards in 2008.
From 2010, she was a permanent panelist on The Comedy Network’s Canadian revival of Match Game.[2]
On February 27, 2018, she performed on Conan.[12]
In 2019, her comedy album Lady Jazz received a Juno Award nomination for Comedy Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2019.[13]
In 2022, she was a contestant on LOL: Last One Laughing Canada.[14]
She is presently a frequent guest on the CBC Radio program The Debaters, for which she earned a Canadian Comedy Award nomination for writing.
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title[15] | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Toronto Show | Deb the Receptionist | |
| 2005–2013 | Video on Trial | Herself - Panelist | |
| 2005 | Comedy Now! | Herself | Season 12, Episode 1: "Debra DiGiovanni" |
| Stars on Trial | Herself - Juror #2 | ||
| 2006 | Headlines on Trial | Herself | |
| 2006 | The Jane Show | Fourth Floor Staffer #1 | |
| 2009 | Live at Gotham | Herself - Comedian | |
| Just for Laughs | Herself | ||
| Jimmy Two-Shoes | Princess Weavil (voice) | ||
| 2007 | Last Comic Standing | Herself - Contestant | |
| 2009–2014 | The Ha!ifax Comedy Fest | Herself - Comedian | 7 episodes |
| 2010 | The Latest Buzz | Female Judge on Make Me an Icon | |
| Jay's Movie Is a Piece of Shit | Debra Pisani | ||
| Winnipeg Comedy Festival | Herself | S8 E1: "The Deadly Seven" | |
| 2011 | The Queen's Toast: A Royal Wedding Special | Herself | |
| The Debaters (TV series) | Herself | S1 E1: "Golden Years & Shower vs Bath" | |
| Goodbye Sara Hennessey | Debra | ||
| Unlucky | Jeanette | ||
| 2011–2012 | The Hour | Herself - Panelist | |
| 2012 | StandUp in Stilettos | Herself | |
| Match Game | Herself – Panelist | ||
| 2013 | Gotham Comedy Live | Herself – Comedian | |
| Straight Man | Quaraline | ||
| 2013–2014 | Cute Boy of the Week | Herself – Co-host | |
| 2014 | Sleepover with Dan & Lauren | Herself | |
| Sasquatch Sketch Comedy | |||
| 2014–2015 | Just for Laughs: All-Access | Herself | |
| 2015 | Mr. D | Tiffany Callaghan | |
| 2016 | The Bachelorette Canada After Show | Herself - Guest | |
| 2018 | Back to School Just for Laughs | Herself - Comedian | |
| 2018 | Sex Life (short) | Dina | |
| 2018–2019 | Corporate | Antonia | |
| 2019 | Comedy Central Stand-Up Featuring | Herself – Comedian | |
| Brotherly | Barbara | ||
| Stumptown | Waitress | ||
| 2020 | Canada Day 2020 at Your House | Herself | |
| 2021 | Humour Resources | Herself | |
| Unprotected Sets | Herself | ||
| Birdgirl | |||
| Howie Mandel & Friends: Don't Sneeze on Me | Herself | ||
| 2022 | LOL: Last One Laughing Canada | Herself - Contestant | |
| WeHost with Zach & Darren | Herself |
Comedy specials
edit| Year | Title | Distributor |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Debra Digiovanni: Single, Awkward, Female | Comedy Dynamics |
| 2018 | Debra DiGiovanni: Here's the Thing | CraveTV with Just for Laughs |
Awards
edit- 2001: Nominated for Cream of Comedy award
- 2002: Canadian Comedy Award for the Best Stand-up Newcomer in Stand Up.[4][6]
- 2003: NOW Magazine named her headline show as the 3rd Best of the Year.
- 2005: Nominated in the Canadian Comedy Awards
- 2007, 2009, & 2011: Canadian Comedy Award for Best Female Stand Up.[4][7][8][9]
- 2009: Gemini Award for best individual comedy performance[4]
- 2019: Her comedy album Lady Jazz received a Juno Award nomination for Comedy Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2019.[13]
References
edit- ^ Jalees, Sabrina (August 16, 2007). "Comic still on her feet". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "Q&A: Debra DiGiovanni". ottawacitizen. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ a b Stars on Trial (2005) - IMDb, retrieved 2021-06-15
- ^ a b c d e f "A Funny Thing Happened..." (PDF). Humber Dialogue. Spring 2010.
- ^ Bimm, Jordan (2014-01-09). "Debra DiGiovanni - NOW Magazine". NOW Toronto. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
- ^ a b "Nominations & Awards Archives, 2002 | Canadian Comedy Awards". www.canadiancomedyawards.org. Archived from the original on 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ a b "Nominations & Awards Archives, 2007 | Canadian Comedy Awards". www.canadiancomedyawards.org. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ a b "Nominations & Awards Archives, 2009 | Canadian Comedy Awards". www.canadiancomedyawards.org. Archived from the original on 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ a b "Nominations & Awards Archives, 2011 | Canadian Comedy Awards". www.canadiancomedyawards.org. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ "Debra DiGiovanni". Winnipeg Comedy Festival. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ "Debra Digiovanni | Stand-Up Comedian". MCP Talent. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ "Debra DiGiovanni Watches Too Many Horror Movies - CONAN on TBS". TBS, February 27, 2018.
- ^ a b "Shawn Mendes and the Weeknd lead the 2019 Juno nominations". CBC Music, January 29, 2019.
- ^ David Friend, "Tom Green, Andrew Phung vie to be ‘last one laughing’ on Canadian reality competition". Toronto Star, January 12, 2022.
- ^ Debra DiGiovanni at IMDb