Nina Conti
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Nina Margarita Conti (born 25 August 1973) is a British actress, comedian, and
ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is v ...
.


Early life

Conti was born and raised in
Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
,
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, the daughter of actors
Tom Conti Tommaso Antonio Conti (born 22 November 1941) is a Scottish actor, theatre director, and novelist. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1979 for his performance in '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' and was nominated for the Academy Aw ...
and
Kara Wilson Kara Wilson (born 18 June 1944) is a Scottish actress best known for her roles as Patience Heatherstone in the 1964 adaptation of ''The Children of the New Forest'' and as Miss Caroline Gordon in the seventh series of children's soap opera ''G ...
. She attended
King Alfred School, London The King Alfred School is a co-educational independent day school in Golders Green in North West London. It was founded in London in 1898 by Charles E. Rice, a former teacher at Bedales School '. The school was considered “radical” for its e ...
, and graduated with a first class honours degree in philosophy from the
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
in 1995. She trained with
Ken Campbell Kenneth Victor Campbell (10 December 1941 – 31 August 2008) was an English actor, writer and director known for his work in experimental theatre. He has been called "a one-man dynamo of British theatre". Campbell achieved notoriety in the 1 ...
.


Acting

Conti has worked as an actress since 1996. She appeared in several roles in Daisy and
Ken Campbell Kenneth Victor Campbell (10 December 1941 – 31 August 2008) was an English actor, writer and director known for his work in experimental theatre. He has been called "a one-man dynamo of British theatre". Campbell achieved notoriety in the 1 ...
's 1999 and 2000 productions of ''The Warp'',
Neil Oram Neil R. G. Oram is a British musician, poet, artist and playwright. He is known for his 10-play cycle, ''The Warp'', directed by Ken Campbell. Soho, jazz, art and poetry career In Africa, Oram met musician Michael Gibbs (composer), Mike G ...
's 24-hour play cycle, and was a member of the
RSC RSC may refer to: Arts * Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company * Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe * Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England * Rock Ste ...
's 2000/01 company in Stratford and London. Ken Campbell subsequently devised the ventriloquist play ''Let Me Out!!!'' for her, which she took to the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She appeared as half-Afghan camera operator Azadine in
Henry Naylor Henry James Naylor (born 19 January 1966) is a British comedy writer, director and performer. He is also a playwright. Early life Naylor read history and history of art at Downing College, Cambridge. Career Naylor was head writer for ''Spitt ...
's play ''Finding Bin Laden'' at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In 2005, Conti voiced Latrina in the animated comedy series ''
Bromwell High ''Bromwell High'' is an adult animated series about a British high school in South London. It first aired on Teletoon in Canada and Channel 4 in the United Kingdom (incomplete run). It is a co-production between Hat Trick Productions in the UK ...
''. Conti has appeared in several television shows, including ''
Black Books ''Black Books'' is a British sitcom created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan, and written by Moran, Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley, Linehan and Arthur Mathews. It was broadcast on Channel 4, running for three series from 2000 to 2004. Starring Mo ...
'', ''
Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
'', ''Single'', and the Australian panel show '' Spicks and Specks''. Her radio performances include characters in Radio 4 comedy ''
Clare in the Community ''Clare in the Community'' is a British radio comedy series, broadcast on BBC Radio 4, starring Sally Phillips as Clare. It was adapted from the comic strip of the same name which appeared in ''The Guardian'' newspaper, written by Harry Venning. ...
''. Conti and Monkey portrayed a morning weather team on the fictional "Wake Up L.A." in
Christopher Guest Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948) is an American-British screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor, and comedian. Guest is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed, and starred in ...
's 2006 film, '' For Your Consideration''. Conti was awarded joint "Best Performance" in the Maverick Movie Awards for ''Her Master's Voice'', a 2012 film. In 2013, she portrayed the part of Bea Chadwick in Christopher Guest's
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...
''
Family Tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations of ...
''.


Stand-up comedy

In 2002, Conti won the
BBC New Comedy Awards The BBC New Comedy Award first took place in 1995, and it is considered to be one of the top UK comedy newcomer awards. It was axed in 2006, being replaced by a nationwide talent hunt that places its emphasis on sketch writing and filmed perform ...
, came second in the
Hackney Empire New Act of the Year The NATYS: New Acts of The Year Showcase, previously known as The Hackney Empire New Act of the Year, is an annual industry showcase that promotes new waves of emerging Comedy and Variety acts. It ran at the Hackney Empire Theatre from 1988 unti ...
and came third in "Laughing Horse New Act of the Year" competitions. Conti regularly headlines at London comedy venues and has appeared at
The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy ...
. She took her first solo full-length show, ''Complete and Utter Conti'', to the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
in
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, where she introduced some new characters as well as performing familiar routines. In 2008 she won the Barry Award for this show at the
Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...
, tying with
Kristen Schaal Kristen Joy Schaal (; born January 24, 1978) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is best known for her voice roles as Louise Belcher on ''Bob's Burgers'' and Mabel Pines on ''Gravity Falls''. She's also known for playing Mel on '' ...
. At the Melbourne Comedy Festival 2010 she debuted a new puppet, an elderly woman who is her "Granny". Conti and Granny appeared in episode six of the ninth series of the BBC comedy quiz show '' QI'' in 2011. On that episode, Conti noted that she inherited the Granny puppet from
Ken Campbell Kenneth Victor Campbell (10 December 1941 – 31 August 2008) was an English actor, writer and director known for his work in experimental theatre. He has been called "a one-man dynamo of British theatre". Campbell achieved notoriety in the 1 ...
on Campbell's death. In 2012, Conti appeared in ''
Russell Howard's Good News ''Russell Howard's Good News'' was a British comedy and topical news television show which was broadcast on BBC Three between 2009 and 2014, and on BBC Two between 2014 and 2015. Hosted by comedian Russell Howard, it offered his commentary on ...
'' with Granny. She also used a mask on an audience member to persuade him to dance. On the series 8 premiere of '' Live at the Apollo'', Conti expanded the act to provide voices for two audience members in masks. In March 2013, Conti appeared on ''
Let's Dance for Comic Relief ''Let's Sing and Dance'', formerly known as ''Let's Dance'', is a British television programme shown on BBC One, featuring celebrities performing famous dance routines to raise money for the charities Comic Relief and Sport Relief. The programme ...
'' with Monk. She danced to "
I Like to Move It "I Like to Move It" is a song by American solo project Reel 2 Real (Erick Morillo), featuring ragga vocals by Trinidad and Tobago rapper The Mad Stuntman (Mark Quashie). Released in 1993, as the second single from their debut album, ''Move It!'' ...
" by
Reel 2 Real Reel 2 Real was an American hip house musical project that had seven top 10 hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the 1990s. Biography The project's core member was producer and DJ Erick Morillo from New York City, who spent a porti ...
. In June 2013, Conti appeared on Channel 4's ''Comedy Gala''. Conti appeared as a guest host on the final episode of the ninth series of the BBC stand-up comedy programme, '' Live at the Apollo'', performing her act with Monkey and an additional dummy-mask routine. In October 2014, Conti appeared on Channel 4's '' The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night'' raising awareness of testicular cancer. In 2015, Nina appeared on BBC Four's ''Clowning Around'', where she trained to be a giggle doctor and clown, and performed to children in hospitals. In May 2015, Nina appeared on ''
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' is a British comedy panel show on Channel 4. The show follows the game of ''Countdown'', but presented in a comedic panel show format seen on ''8 Out of 10 Cats'', with the show being a crossover of the two. ...
'' in Dictionary Corner and used Fabio, the show's regular prop guy, as a dummy.


Radio

Conti's radio work includes ''
Clare in the Community ''Clare in the Community'' is a British radio comedy series, broadcast on BBC Radio 4, starring Sally Phillips as Clare. It was adapted from the comic strip of the same name which appeared in ''The Guardian'' newspaper, written by Harry Venning. ...
'', ''
Sneakiepeeks ''Sneakiepeeks'' is a situation comedy series broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 2009 and 2010. It was written by Harry Venning and Neil Brand and produced by Katie Tyrell. Situation The series concerns "Beagle Team", an undercover surveillanc ...
'' and guesting on ''
Parsons and Naylor's Pull-Out Sections ''Parsons and Naylor's Pull-Out Sections'' was a BBC Radio 2 satirical comedy show starring Andy Parsons and Henry Naylor. It also stars Richie Webb, and one female "special guest". Female guests included Lucy Porter, Jo Caulfield, Julia M ...
''.


Television

Conti's television work began in 2002 with parts in ''
Black Books ''Black Books'' is a British sitcom created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan, and written by Moran, Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley, Linehan and Arthur Mathews. It was broadcast on Channel 4, running for three series from 2000 to 2004. Starring Mo ...
'' and ''
Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
''. In 2003 she starred as Mary in a series called ''
Single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
'', then in 2005 voiced characters in another series entitled ''
Bromwell High ''Bromwell High'' is an adult animated series about a British high school in South London. It first aired on Teletoon in Canada and Channel 4 in the United Kingdom (incomplete run). It is a co-production between Hat Trick Productions in the UK ...
''. She played a part in '' Blunder'', '' The Golf War'' and featured in ''
Comedy Cuts ''Comedy Cuts'' is a comedy programme on the British TV channel ITV2 that aims to provide an opportunity for new comedy performers to present their talents. Featuring 40 performers demonstrating a mix of stand up and sketches, the series is shot ...
'' in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively. In 2013 Conti, along with her puppet Monkey, played a feature role in ''
Family Tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations of ...
'' as Bea Chadwick. Conti has appeared on ''
Pointless Celebrities ''Pointless'' is a British television quiz show produced by Banijay subsidiary Remarkable Television for the BBC. It is hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode four teams of two contestants attempt to find correct but obscure answers to ...
'' twice: 10 November 2018 with
Sally Phillips Sally Elizabeth Phillips (born 10 May 1970) is an English actress, television presenter, and comedian. She co-created and was one of the writers of the sketch comedy show '' Smack the Pony''. She is also known for her roles in '' Miranda'' as T ...
and 30 October 2021 partnering
Tim Vine Timothy Mark Vine (born 4 March 1967) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter best known for his one-liners and his role on the sitcom ''Not Going Out'' (2006–2014). He has released a number of stand-up comedy specials and has wr ...
.


Filmography

Conti has appeared in a number of diverse forms of media including films, television shows, and shorts, listed below.


Characters


Monkey

Monkey is a cynical monkey who is continually insulting Conti and swearing when he does not have his demands fulfilled. He often deconstructs ventriloquism by pointing out that he has no microphone, or that all of his ideas are Conti's, and calls it a "dead art". He sometimes shows irritation towards performing on stage and makes Conti laugh at his words.


Granny

Granny is an elderly Scotswoman to whom Conti refers as someone who is a lot like her own grandmother. Granny often chides Conti for the simplest things Conti has done; for instance, when Conti reveals she has two legs, Granny responds by saying "Oh, two legs? You're spoiling me!" Her main act is to telepathically guess numbers or words, which she always guesses correctly. She also talks about her dead husband, Frank. Granny refers to people with words like "dear", "child" or "my daughter". The original prop was donated to
Vent Haven Museum Vent Haven Museum is the world's only museum of ventriloquial figures and memorabilia. Its collection contains more than one thousand ventriloquist figures from twenty countries as well as hundreds of photographs and other pieces of memorabilia re ...
in July 2009, in memory of Ken Campbell, from whom Conti received her, but Conti had a replica made which she continues to use in her acts.


Face mask

The face mask, rather than an actual puppet with a personality, is a mask that covers the lower half of an audience participant's face and can be manipulated by a hand-piece held by Conti to make it look like the participant is talking. Conti often uses this to put the participant in awkward and embarrassing situations, such as making them say that they want nothing more than to dance in front of the audience, while their body language suggests the opposite.


Personal life

Conti was in a relationship with the comedian and actor
Ken Campbell Kenneth Victor Campbell (10 December 1941 – 31 August 2008) was an English actor, writer and director known for his work in experimental theatre. He has been called "a one-man dynamo of British theatre". Campbell achieved notoriety in the 1 ...
, from whom she inherited his collection of ventriloquist dummies after he died. She has two sons from her marriage with fellow comedian Andrew "Stan" Stanley, from whom she is separated.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Nina 1973 births Living people People educated at King Alfred School, London Alumni of the University of East Anglia English people of Irish descent English people of Italian descent English people of Scottish descent English stand-up comedians English stage actresses English radio actresses English television actresses People from Hampstead Ventriloquists English women comedians Anglo-Scots Royal Shakespeare Company members 20th-century English comedians 21st-century English comedians