Ron Sparks (comedian)
| Ron Sparks | |
|---|---|
 Ron Sparks performing at the 2013 YYComedy Festival in Calgary. | |
| Born |
May 20, 1977 Canada |
| Website |
myspace |
Ron Sparks (born May 20, 1977) is a Canadian comedian, actor and writer. He was born in Chatham-Kent, Ontario and lives in Toronto, Ontario. He is best known as an alternative comedian and frequent guest on CBC Radio 1's The Debaters, and on TV as a regular and favourite juror on MuchMusic's highest-rated show, Video on Trial, also starring as The Judge in the Stars on Trial Christmas special and various other VOT spin-offs.
Biography
Sparks first began performing with York University's Vanier Improv Company as a student. His sketch troupe, The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, were nominated four straight years (2003–2006) for Canadian Comedy Awards for Best Sketch Troupe, winning in 2003 and 2004. In 2006 they won a third Canadian Comedy Award for Best Taped Live Performance for the CBC Television special Sketch with Kevin McDonald.
He began performing stand-up in April 2003 at The ALTdot COMedy Lounge and won that year's Tim Sims Award, given to Toronto's most promising new comedy act, then followed it up with the 2004 Canadian Comedy Award for Best Stand-up Newcomer, becoming the first person to win both. Frank Magazine described him as "the next stand-up wunderkind". Stand-up credits include the Halifax, Winnipeg and Just for Laughs Comedy Festivals. He was named JFL's Toronto Homegrown Champion in 2007 and has performed in various JFL shows including Set List, The Alternative Show with Andy Kindler and The Debaters.
On television he stars in MuchMusic's highest rated show Video on Trial and its spin-off, Stars on Trial. He has also been a regular on various Ed the Sock series and The Toronto Show. His CTV Comedy Now! stand-up special aired in 2008 and won a WorldFest Award and two Canadian Comedy Awards. He has also made appearances on CBC Radio's Brave New Waves and Out Front.
He has written his own series of shorts for The Comedy Network, From the Desk of Ron Sparks, and for various other series including This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Little Mosque, Life's a Zoo and Crash Canyon.
Currently Sparks has a weekly live show in Toronto, The Newsdesk with Ron Sparks, which he also does as a weekly segment on 102.1 The Edge. He is also a regular guest on CBC Radio's The Debaters.
He has also won several awards as a playwright.
He is not related to fellow comedian Hal Sparks.
In 2006 he offered to fight Uwe Boll who had challenged his critics to a series of boxing matches leading up to the release of his movie Postal, but Boll declined due to Sparks's size advantage because he would be fighting five boxers back-to-back.
He is the subject of The Essential Actor's Guide: Spotlight on Ron Sparks, part of a series of 32 books about actors; other subjects in the series include Javier Bardem, Daniel Day-Lewis, Colin Firth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Tommy Lee Jones, Heath Ledger, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Kate Winslet.
Video on Trial
In newer episodes of Video on Trial he is listed as having fake occupations instead of just "comedian". He has been billed as such things as (in order of use):
- a handsome bachelor
- a movie star
- a hand model
- a member of the Justice League
- the president of the Shawn Desman Fan Club (an in-joke, as Ron often makes fun of Desman)
- a man about town
- a Ghost Whisperer
- a haberdasher
- a vampire hunter
- the inventor of techno music (during an episode featuring a techno music video)
- a Crocodile Hunter
- a Ninja Assassin
- a macaroni artist
- a non-union stunt man
- star of "Sorority Shootout"
- a birdhouse architect
- "Not Cool in the '80s" (During the "80s Supertsars" episode)
- Santa's Biggest Elf (During the "Holiday Crap" episode)
- Benson's Butler (Totally 80s Video on Trial)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Yellow Jacket | The Suit |
| 1999 | Let's Get Real! | Captain Amazing |
| 2000 | Fangs of My Heart | Voice |
| 2002 | Sweetener | Businessman |
| 2002 | Frequency Zero | Oke |
| 2003 | The Toronto Show | Ron the Hollywood Correspondent |
| 2003 | Ed & Red's Night Party | Himself |
| 2003 | Cream of Comedy | Nominee/Winner |
| 2004 | Ham & Cheese | Comedy Club Patron |
| 2005 | From the Desk of Ron Sparks | Various Characters |
| 2005 | Ed's Nite In | Park Ranger Ron |
| 2005 | Canadian Comedy Shorts | Various Characters |
| 2005 – present | Video on Trial | Himself |
| 2005 | Reel Review | Correspondent |
| 2005 | Stars on Trial | The Judge |
| 2006 | The Ha!ifax Comedy Festival | Himself (Stand-up) |
| 2006 | Sketch with Kevin McDonald | Various Characters |
| 2006 | 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards | Presenter |
| 2006 | Video on Trial: Holiday Crap | Juror |
| 2006 | Video on Trial: 80s Videos Special | Juror |
| 2007 | Canadian Comedy Awards: Nice Special | Stand-up |
| 2007 | Dark Rising | Soldier |
| 2008 | The Jon Dore Television Show | Farting Writer |
| 2008 | Comedy Now! | Stand-up |
| 2008 | Sox in a Box | Beans |
| 2008 | Crazy Hobo | Hobo Expert/Narrator |
| 2008 | Other People's Stuff: Jan & Wayne Skylar from Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job! | Dr. Steve Brule |
| 2009 | The Newsdesk with Ron Sparks | News Anchor Ron Sparks |
| 2009 | Snuff: The Film | Snuff |
| 2009 | Medium Raw: Night of the Wolf | Greg |
| 2010 | How to Fry a Turkey | The Chef |
| 2010 | This Movie Sucks! | Co-host |
| 2010 | The Desk | Vice Principal Rucker |
| 2011 | The Debaters | Himself |
| 2011 | The Invasion Report | Blirn! |
| 2011 | The Trial | Mr. Testman |
| 2011 | iMobiles | Gary the Penguin (voice) |
| 2011 | Dark Rising: The Savage Tales of Summer Vale | Cartright |
| 2011 | Flu | Bathrobed Dancer |
| 2012 | The Firm | Bailiff |
| 2012 | The L.A. Complex | Patient (one episode) |
| 2012 | By George | Alan Ladd, III / Chewbacco / Nien Nund |
| 2012 | The Train | Alfred |
| 2013 | Straight Man | The Doctor |
| 2014 | Flickers! | Various (6 episodes) |
| 2014 | Satisfaction | Lawn Tractor Customer (1 episode) |
| 2014-2015 | Meet the Family | Various (3 episodes) |
| 2015 | Captain Blast! | The Vice President |
| 2016 | The Beaverton | Food Scientist |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Event | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Ron Sparks | Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award | Tim Sims Award | Won |
| 2003 | The Minnesota Wrecking Crew | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Sketch Troupe | Won |
| 2003 | Laughing Matters | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Writing – TV Special or Episode | Nominated |
| 2004 | Ron Sparks | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Stand-up Newcomer | Won |
| 2004 | The Minnesota Wrecking Crew | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Sketch Troupe | Won |
| 2005 | The Minnesota Wrecking Crew | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Sketch Troupe | Nominated |
| 2005 | From the Desk of Ron Sparks | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best One Person Show | Won |
| 2006 | The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, Sketch with Kevin McDonald | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Taped Live Performance | Won |
| 2006 | The Minnesota Wrecking Crew | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Sketch Troupe | Nominated |
| 2006 | The Newsdesk with Ron Sparks | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best One Person Show | Nominated |
| 2007 | Plan LIVE from Outer Space | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Play | Won |
| 2008 | The Newsdesk with Ron Sparks | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best One Person Show | Nominated |
| 2009 | Life's A Zoo | Banff Rockie Award | Best Music or Variety Program | Nominated |
| 2009 | Ron Sparks, Comedy Now! | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Taped Live Performance | Won |
| 2009 | Ron Sparks, Comedy Now! | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Writing – TV | Won |
| 2009 | Himself, Comedy Now! | Worldfest Bronze Award | Best TV Special, Comedy | Won |
| 2010 | Debaters, Monotheism vs. Polytheism (Ron Sparks vs. Sean Cullen) | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Radio Program | Won |
| 2011 | This Movie Sucks! | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best TV Show | Won |
| 2012 | The Trial | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Film | Nominated |
| 2012 | The Trial (Kevin MacDonald & Ron Sparks) | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Direction – Film | Nominated |
| 2012 | The Newsdesk with Ron Sparks | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best One Person Show | Nominated |
| 2012 | Ron Sparks | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Male Stand-up | Won |
| 2012 | Ron Sparks' Celebrity Roasts | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Comedic Play, Revue or Series | Nominated |
| 2012 | Debaters, Fast Food is Evil (Alan Park vs. Ron Sparks) | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Radio Program or Clip | Nominated |
| 2013 | The Newsdesk on The Edge 102.1, shared with Fearless Fred Kennedy | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Radio Program or Clip | Nominated |
| 2013 | Ron Sparks | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Male Stand-up | Nominated |
| 2014 | This Hour Has 22 Minutes | WGC Awards | Best Television Series – Comedy | Nominated |
| 2014 | Ron Sparks | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Male Stand-up | Nominated |
| 2014 | Meet the Family | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Writing – Television | Nominated |
| 2014 | This Hour Has 22 Minutes | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Writing – Television | Nominated |
| 2014 | Meet the Family | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best TV Series | Nominated |
| 2015 | Ron Sparks | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Male Stand-up | Nominated |
| 2015 | Meet the Family | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Writing – Television | Nominated |
| 2015 | This Hour Has 22 Minutes | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Writing – Television | Won |
| 2015 | Meet the Family | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best TV Series | Nominated |
Other awards:
- Voted "North America's Sexiest Comedian" at the 2007 Canadian Comedy Awards "Statelessness of the Industry" address against Nicole Arbour. (This was the comedy community's response to Arbour's having billed herself with that title despite never having won it. Neither comedian was in attendance.)
- Winner of York University competition for playwrights, 2000 and 2001. 2nd place in 1999. 3rd place in 2001.
- Grand Theatre Stage Presence Competition winner for young playwrights in 1997.
External links
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