Television Comedy: March 2020

Russell Peters (Comedian)

Not to be confused with Russell W. Peterson or Peter Russell.

Russell Dominic Peters (born September 29, 1970) is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and producer. He began performing in Toronto in 1989 and won a Gemini Award in 2008. In 2013, he was number three on Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid comedians, and became the first comedian to get a Netflix stand-up special. He also won the Peabody Award and the International Emmy Award for Best Arts Programming for producing Hip-Hop Evolution (2016). He lives in Los Angeles.

Russell Peters

Birth name: Russell Dominic Peters

Born: September 29, 1970 (age 49), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Medium

• Stand-up television film radio books

Years active: 1989–present

Genres: • Satire observational comedy improvisational comedy black comedy insult comedy

Subject(s) • Racism race relations stereotypes multiculturalism Indian culture Asian culture

Spouse: Monica Diaz: (m. 2010; div. 2012)

Partner(s)

Ruzanna Khetchian

Jennifer Andrade (2018–present)

Children: 2

Early life

Peters was born in Toronto, Ontario to Eric and Maureen Peters. When he was four, the family moved to the suburb of Brampton. His older brother Clayton now serves as his manager. Peters was raised Catholic. His parents were both of Anglo-Indian descent, and his late father was born in Bombay, India.

Peters attended Chinguacousy Secondary School for grades 9–10, and North Peel Secondary School in Bramalea for grades 11–12. In school, he was regularly bullied because of his ethnicity. He eventually learned boxing, which helped him resist the bullying.

Peters also became a fan of hip hop in his youth. By the 1990s, he was a well-connected DJ in the Toronto scene.

Career

Peters began performing in Toronto in 1989. He has since gone on to perform in several countries.

In 1992, Peters met American comedian George Carlin, one of his biggest influencers, who advised him to get on stage whenever and wherever possible. Peters said he "took that advice to heart, and I think that's the reason I am where I am now." In 2007, 15 years later, he hosted one of Carlin's last shows before Carlin's death the following year.

Peters credits his 2004 performance on the Canadian TV comedy show Comedy Now!, which was uploaded onto YouTube and became viral, as the turning point in his career. While the initial video upload featured his entire 45-minute performance, YouTube users subsequently uploaded segments of the performance in which Peters focused on individual cultural groups. According to Peters, those segments were seen by the targeted cultural groups and were well received by them. The video and its viral nature was referred to by Peters on his performance, Outsourced; when the audience cheered when he referred to earlier jokes, he exclaimed, "Look at you, you filthy downloaders!"

In 2017, Peters made an appearance on Top Gear America in the third episode of season 1 as one of the guests.

Notable performances

In 2007, Peters was the first comedian to sell out Toronto's Air Canada Centre, selling more than 16,000 tickets in two days for the single show. He ended up selling more than 30,000 tickets nationally over the two-day sales period. He broke a UK comedy sales record at London's O2 Arena when he sold over 16,000 tickets to his show in 2009. His show in Sydney on 15 May 2010 had an audience of 13,880, making it the largest stand-up comedy show ever in Australia. Peters's performances on May 5–6, 2012 in Singapore also set attendance records for a single stand-up comedian at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Peters hosted the Canada Day Comedy Festival 2006, and participated in a USO tour of Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Africa and Greenland in November 2007 with Wilmer Valderrama and Mayra Veronica. He also produced and starred in the radio situation comedy series Monsoon House on CBC Radio One.

Peters was the host of the televised 2008 Juno Awards ceremonies in Calgary on April 6, 2008, for which he won a Gemini Award for "Best Performance or Host in a Variety Program or Series". The show received the second-highest ratings of any Juno Awards broadcast. Following the show's success, Peters accepted an invitation to host the Juno Awards for a second consecutive year; the 2009 Juno Awards took place in Vancouver on March 29, 2009.

On September 28, 2013, Peters was awarded the 2013 Trailblazer award by the Association of South Asians in Media, Marketing and Entertainment (SAMMA) for good contributions to comedy. He is among the first South Asians to achieve international success in the field.

DVDs and book

Peters released his debut comedy album, Outsourced, of his performance aired on Comedy Central on August 26, 2006. The DVD version is uncensored; it has sold more than 100,000 copies, and remained on the National DVD Chart over one and a half years after its release. Peters released a second DVD/CD combo, Red, White and Brown, in Canada in 2008, and in the U.S. in early 2009. It was recorded on February 2, 2008, at the WAMU Theatre in Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was self-produced and financed by Peters and his brother Clayton. In May 2011, Peters released The Green Card Tour: Live from the O2 Arena, a live performance recorded in front of a total audience of 30,000, over two nights at O2 Arena in London, England. The show was directed by Dave Higby, who produced Outsourced.

On October 26, 2010, Peters published his autobiography, Call Me Russell, co-written with his brother Clayton and Dannis Koromilas.

Earnings

According to Forbes, Peters earned an estimated $15 million between June 2009 and June 2010, continuing his run as one of the highest-paid comedians, after earning an estimated $5 million the prior year. Forbes ranked him as the third-highest-paid comedian. In 2013, he earned $21 million, according to Forbes' estimate.

Comedic style and religious beliefs

Peters's stand-up performances feature observational comedy, using humour to highlight racial, ethnic, class and cultural stereotypes. He often refers to his own experiences growing up in an Anglo-Indian family, and impersonates the accents of various ethnic groups to poke fun at them. As he told an audience in San Francisco, "I don't make the stereotypes, I just see them." In a 2006 interview with The National, Peters observed that he did not intend to put down or offend different races and cultures, but tried to "raise them up through humour".

Peters is widely known for his punchline, "Somebody gonna get a hurt real bad." It ends a joke he tells about his childhood with a traditional Indian father, who used corporal punishment on his sons. Another punchline he uses is "Be a man! Do the right thing!", which relates to a story of a Chinese man trying to get him to pay more for an item at a shop.

When interviewer Larry King asked Peters, "Is there such a thing as too taboo?", Peters replied, "I don't talk about religion because I think people are a little weird about religion, especially nowadays, and I'm more of a science guy than I am a beliefs guy. I'm more into facts than I am into beliefs." In an interview with Al Jazeera, Peters said he refuses to talk about religion. Subsequently, in a 2018 "Kill Tony" podcast, he identified "as an atheist".

Personal life

Peters proposed to girlfriend Monica Diaz on July 10, 2010 at the Los Angeles International Airport and announced their engagement via Twitter. The couple married on August 20, 2010 at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The wedding was attended by about 20 guests, including an Elvis impersonator. Soon after, Peters told The Canadian Press that Diaz was pregnant, saying, "Did I get married because she was knocked up? I would say that expedited it." Their daughter named Crystianna Marie Peters, was born two months early on December 14, 2010.

In a March 2012 interview, Peters revealed that he and Diaz were divorcing. As of October 2016, he was engaged to Ruzanna Khetchian.

On December 4, 2018 Russell announced via Twitter that he and girlfriend Jennifer Andrade were expecting a child. Jennifer Andrade was the Miss Universe Honduras in 2012. In the following April, he and she announced that she had given birth to a boy, whom they named Russell Santiago Peters.

Peters lives in Los Angeles, California and owns two homes there. He also owns homes in Las Vegas and Vaughan, Ontario.

In 2010 Peters established the Russell Peters North Peel Scholarship, an award worth up to $21,000 and intended to finance up to three years of college. It will be awarded annually to a student from Judith Nyman Secondary School (formerly North Peel) with a strong academic record and the intention of attending college.

Filmography

Russell Peters has appeared in many films. He acted in the Punjabi-Canadian Breakaway (2011), alongside Camilla Belle, Anupam Kher, and Vinay Virmani. That year he also acted in Duncan Jones's Source Code (2011) as Max, an amateur comedian with a bad attitude; and as Pervius in National Lampoon's 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus (2011).

He appeared in Senior Skip Day (2008), which starred Larry Miller, Tara Reid, and Gary Lundy. That year he was also in The Take (2008) as Dr. Sharma. Earlier he had cameo roles in Boozecan (1994) as Snake's Friend, Tiger Claws III (2000) as Detective Elliott, My Baby's Daddy (2004) as the obstetrician, and Quarter Life Crisis (2006) as Dilip Kumar.

Peters has guest-starred on the TV series Mr. D as the school superintendent. In 2011, he starred in a Canadian TV Christmas special, A Russell Peters Christmas. Guests included Michael Bublé, Pamela Anderson and Jon Lovitz. The show attracted the highest number of viewers of any CTV Canadian holiday special.

Films

Year

Title

Role

Notes

1994

Boozecan

Snake's Friend

2000

Tiger Claws III

Det. Elliot

2004

My Baby's Daddy

Obstetrician

2006

Quarter Life Crisis

Dilip Kumar

2007

Let's All Hate Toronto

Himself

2007

Heckler

2008

The Take

Dr. Sharma

2008

Senior Skip Day

Uncle Todd

Direct-to-video

2010

The Con Artist

Pogue

2011

Bobby Khan's Ticket to Hollywood

Jack the Store Manager

2011

Source Code

Max Denoff

2011

National Lampoon's 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus

Pervius

2011

Breakaway

Sonu Singh

2011

New Year's Eve

Chef Sunil

Segment "Jensen and Laura's Story"

2012

Girl in Progress

Emile

2012

The History of Canadian Humour

Himself

2012

The Robot Giant

Zork

Voice

2014

Chef

Miami Cop

2014

Ribbit

Deepak

Voice

2014

Delivery

Himself

2014

Lennon or McCartney

2014

Meet the Patels

2014

Wings: Sky Force Heroes

Jumbo/Boss Man

Voice

2014

Wings: Sky Force Heroes - Bringing the Characters to Life

Himself

Short

2015

Being Canadian

Himself

2016

Fifty Shades of Black

Dean Jordan

2016

The Jungle Book

Rocky the Indian Rhinoceros

Voice

2017

Ripped

Harris

2017

Chef

Remake of the 2014 original

2018

The Clapper

Stillerman

2018

Supercon

Keith Mahar

2018

Adventures in Public School

Mr. Germaine

2019

Street Justice

Hasidic

Pre-production

Television

Edit

Television

Year

Title

Role

Notes

1990

Comedy at Club 54

Himself

1997

Comedy Now!

Himself

"Show Me the Funny"

1997

Comics!

1997

Just for Laughs

1999

The Big Stage, Episode #1.2

2003

Lord Have Mercy!

Ryan Sarma

2003–2008

Just for Laughs

Himself

Episode dated September 11, 2005 and "Best of 2007: The 25th Edition"

2004

Comedy Now!

Himself

2005

Royal Canadian Air Farce, Episode dated January 7, 2005

2006

CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival

Himself/Host

Episode: "No Place Like Home"

2007–2008

Video on Trial

Himself

Guest juror

Season 3: #3.3 and "Video on Trial: 100!"

2008

Juno Awards

Himself/Host

2008

Def Comedy Jam

Himself

Episode: #8.4

2008

Comics Without Borders

Himself/Host

Executive producer

2009

Juno Awards

2009

Russell Peters Presents

2009

Angelo Tsarouchas: Bigger Is Better

N/A

Executive producer

2010

The Dating Guy

Himself

Voice

Episode: "20,000 VJ's Under the Sea"

2011

8 Out of 10 Cats, Episode: #12.9

2011

26th Gemini Awards

Himself/Host

2011

A Day in the Life

Himself

Season 1 episode 2: "Russell Peters"

2011

A Russell Peters Christmas Special

Himself/Host

Executive producer/producer

Writer

2012

Red Light Comedy: Live from Amsterdam

2012

Are We There Yet?

Toby Palmer

Episode: The Nick Gets an Assistant Episode

2013

Mr. D

Jody Green

Episode: "Gerry's Evaluation"

2013

Who Gets the Last Laugh?

Himself

Episode: "Gregg "Opie" Hughes vs. Russell Peters vs. Paul Rodriguez"

2013

Off Season: Lex Morrison Story

Romulus

TV movie

2014

Last Comic Standing

Himself/Judge

Season 8

2014

Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever

Santa

Voice

2015

Just for Laughs: 15 Years of Gags

Himself

2015

World's Funniest

Himself/Panelist

EpisodEMe: "Gravity: It Kinda Sucks"

2015

Spun Out

Ray

Episode: "My Brother's Speaker"

2015

Codename: Dragon

Hacker Ted

TV movie

Co-producer

2015

Royal Canadian Air Farce

Dr. Malcolm Sidwell

Episode: "Air Farce New Year's Eve 2015"

2016

Family Guy

Padma's Father

Episode: "Road to India"

2016

BoJack Horseman

Driver

Voice

Episode: "The BoJack Horseman Show"

2016

Life in Pieces

Dr. Tak Oh

2 episodes

2016

Hip-Hop Evolution

N/A

Executive producer

4 episodes

2016

This Is Not Happening

Himself

Episode: "Adventure"

2016

Dying Laughing

2016

Lip Sync Battle

Episode: CeeLo Green vs. Russell Peters"

2017

Howie Mandel All-Star Comedy Gala

2017

Juno Awards

Himself/Co-host

2017

Wild 'n Out

Himself

2017

The Problem with Apu

Himself

Documentary film

2017

Big in Finland

Episode 4: "Näyttiks se siltä et mul on iso kyrpä?"

2017

Man of a Funny Age

2017

The Indian Detective

Doug D'Mello

Executive producer

2018

A Little Help with Carol Burnett

Co-host

2019

Corner Gas Animated

Gavin

Voice role

Season 2 episode 8: "Bush League

Comedy specials

Film

Year

Title

Role

Notes

2006

Outsourced

Himself

Executive producer

2008

Red, White and Brown

Himself

Executive producer

2011

The Green Card Tour: Live from the O2 Arena

Himself

Executive producer

2013

Notorious

Himself

Executive producer

Netflix

2016

Almost Famous

Himself

Executive producer

Netflix

2020

Deported

Himself

Executive producer

Amazon Prime Video

Books

Call Me Russell (2010, Random House Digital, Inc.) – ISBN 0-385-66965-8

Awards and nominations

Russell Peters awards and nominations

Awards and nominations

Award

Wins

Nominations

Totals

Canadian Comedy Awards

Gemini Awards

Peabody Award

International Emmy Award

Wins

Nominations

Year

Nominated work

Award

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Russell Peters (Comedian)