Mark Critch (born May 14, 1974) is a Canadian

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience dir ...

, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work on the comedy series ''

This Hour Has 22 Minutes ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (commonly shortened to ''22 Minutes'' since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics wi ...

'', initially as a writer and then as a regular cast member beginning in 2003.

Career

Critch has been a guest on

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of ...

's ''

Madly Off in All Directions ''Madly Off in All Directions'' was a Canadian radio comedy show that aired for several years on CBC Radio One, featuring comedian Lorne Elliott. It formerly aired on Sunday afternoons at 1PM (1:30PM in Newfoundland and Labrador), as well as on Sa ...

'', the

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French- ...

show ''

Republic of Doyle ''Republic of Doyle'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series set in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, which aired on CBC Television from January 6, 2010, to December 10, 2014. The show stars Allan Hawco as private investigator and ...

'', and is the host of CBC TV's Halifax Comedy Festival. He performed at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and the

Winnipeg Comedy Festival The Winnipeg Comedy Festival is an annual comedy festival, held in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Created by the Osborne Village Cultural Centre in collaboration with CBC Radio, performances from the festival are also broadcast as a radio series on CBC Radio ...

. He played the recurring role of Gary Breakfast on the CTV sitcom '' Satisfaction''. He appeared in several films, including ''Anchor Zone'', ''Rare Birds'' and ''Above and Beyond''. In 2013, Critch played Henry Tilley in ''

The Grand Seduction ''The Grand Seduction'' is a 2013 Canadian comedy film directed by Don McKellar and written by Ken Scott and Michael Dowse. The film stars Taylor Kitsch, Brendan Gleeson, Liane Balaban and Gordon Pinsent. It is based on a 2003 French-Canadian fi ...

'', a remake of

Jean-François Pouliot Jean-François Pouliot (born 1957) is a Canadian film director from Quebec. He was born in Montreal and studied at Concordia University. He worked as an assistant cameraman, while also writing and directing short animated films for the Natio ...

's French-Canadian ''La Grande Séduction'' (2003) directed by

Don McKellar Don McKellar (born August 17, 1963) is a Canadian actor, writer, playwright, and filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. He is known for directing and writing th ...

. Critch and fellow Newfoundland actor Allan Hawco featured in a documentary entitled ''Trail of the Caribou'', which followed the

Newfoundland Regiment The Royal Newfoundland Regiment (R NFLD R) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It is part of the 5th Canadian Division's 37 Canadian Brigade Group. Predecessor units trace their origins to 1795, and since 1949 Royal New ...

's journey in the First World War. It was released in 2016 to commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of the Regiment's tragedy at

Beaumont Hamel Beaumont-Hamel () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. During the First World War, Beaumont-Hamel was close to the front line, near many attacks, especially during the Battle of the Somme, one of the lar ...

. Critch reached national notoriety after a ''22 Minutes'' piece aired in which Canadian

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

(MP)

Carolyn Parrish Carolyn Parrish (born Karolina Janoszewska; October 3, 1946) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a member of the House of Commons from 1993 to 2006 representing ridings in Mississauga, Ontario; initially as a Liberal Party MP, and then a ...

stepped on a

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

doll, later causing her to be removed from caucus. He is most famous for his road pieces on the show, in which he accosted celebrities such as

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the ...

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nich ...

, former Canadian

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son o ...

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, lobbyist, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 200 ...

Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, '' Let Go'' (2002), is the best-selling album of the 21 ...

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...

and

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since ...

. Critch's impressions are another recurring feature on ''22 Minutes'', including those of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...

Rex Murphy Rex Murphy (born March 1947) is a Canadian commentator and author, primarily on Canadian political and social matters. He was the regular host of CBC Radio One's '' Cross Country Checkup'', a nationwide call-in show, for 21 years before stepping ...

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

and former Newfoundland and Labrador premier Danny Williams.

Book and adaptation

In 2018, Critch announced the release of his early life memoir, ''Son of a Critch''. Published by

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House. On April 2, 2020, Bertelsmann announced the completion of its purchase o ...

Canada, it was released on October 2, 2018, and immediately entered the Globe and Mail bestseller list, where it remained for several weeks. Son of a Critch was the winner of the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award (non-fiction) at the Atlantic Book Awards, and shortlisted for both the 2019

Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual literary award presented for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer, published or self ...

and the 2019

Kobo Emerging Writer Prize The Kobo Emerging Writer Prize is a Canadian literary award, presented since 2015 by online e-book and audiobook retailer and eReader manufacturer Rakuten Kobo. Awardees receive a $10,000 prize, and are provided with support in marketing their bo ...

. It was also longlisted for the 2019

RBC Taylor Prize The RBC Taylor Prize (2000–2020), formerly known as the Charles Taylor Prize, is a Canadian literary award, presented by the Charles Taylor Foundation to the best Canadian work of literary non-fiction. It is named for Charles P. B. Taylor, a n ...

. In 2021, CBC Television and

Lionsgate Films Lionsgate Films (formerly known as Cinépix Film Properties) is an American film production and film distribution studio, headquartered in Santa Monica and founded in Canada, and is the flagship division of Lionsgate Entertainment. It is the lar ...

announced the production of ''

Son of a Critch ''Son of a Critch'' is a Canadian television comedy series, created by Mark Critch and Tim McAuliffe, that currently airs on CBC Television. It premiered on January 4, 2022. Based on the memoir of the same name by Critch, the semi-autobiographi ...

'', a television series adaptation of the book. Critch plays his father (Mike Critch) in the series, while child actor Benjamin Evan Ainsworth plays the young Critch.

Recognition

* David Renton Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor at the Atlantic Film Festival for his role in ''The Grand Seduction''. * Gemini Award * Canadian Comedy Award * Writers Guild of Canada Award

Charitable work

Critch is known in Newfoundland and Labrador for his charitable efforts, including serving as honorary chair of the Victoria Park Foundation in St. John's, and the honorary fundraising patron of the O'Brien's Farm Foundation. He was named the Honorary Chairperson for the Cancer Society of Canada's "One Night Stand Against Cancer" campaign to raise funds for Nova Scotia's Sobey Cancer Support Centre. He has hosted and/or spearheaded fundraising campaigns for the Parkinson's Society of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. On December 7, 2017, the Wonderful Grand Band released a re-recorded version of Babylon Mall for the 50th anniversary of the Avalon Mall, with Critch on vocals. Proceeds from the song remake were donated to the

Tommy Sexton Thomas Sexton (July 3, 1957 – December 13, 1993) was a Canadian comedian. Born in St. John's, Newfoundland, he was the youngest member of the ''CODCO'' comedy troupe. Educated in St. John's, he was an honours student before quitting after Grade ...

Centre.

References

External links

CBC Biographical Page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Critch, Mark CBC Television people Writers from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 1974 births Living people This Hour Has 22 Minutes Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian sketch comedians 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian memoirists Male actors from Newfoundland and Labrador 21st-century memoirists Comedians from Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian male comedians Canadian Comedy Award winners