Colin Mochrie

Colin Mochrie is a successful comic actor who, despite worldwide success, has continued to call Canada his home. Born in Kilmarnock, Scotland, his family moved to Montreal in 1964 before settling in Vancouver in 1969.

This self-proclaimed shy-guy began his acting career on stage doing improvisational theatre through the Vancouver Theatresports League. After moving to Toronto in 1986, Mochrie was hired to join the iconic Second City Theatre Company, by actress/director Debra McGrath, whom he later married in 1989.

A regular for nine years on the British version of Whose Line Is It, Anyway?, Mochrie also starred in the hit American version when it premiered on ABC in the U.S.

From his roles in Whose Line Is It, Anyway? and This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Mochrie has become known as the quick-witted master of improvisation, not only in Canada but also in the U.S. and around the world. More recently, Colin hosted the hugely successful Are You Smarter Than A Canadian 5th Grader and appeared in a guest role on the FOX animated series King of the Hill. He is currently shooting a new series for Canada’s VisionTV called She’s The Mayor.

For him, two of the highlights of his career were the opportunity to star in a Disney special airing on CBC titled The Magical Gathering, opposite his son, Luke Mochrie, who made his acting debut and co-creating and co-starring in the CBC series, Getting Along Famously opposite his wife, Debra McGrath.

Some of Mochrie’s other credits included co-starring opposite the other Whosers in Drew Carey's Green Screen for the WB which combined animation and improvisation, HBO’s animated series George and Martha and appearances in such films as The Tuxedo with Jackie Chan, Nora Ephron’s Numbers, and Return of Zoom with Tim Allen and Courtney Cox.

Colin has also made guest appearances on Living in Your Car, Men With Brooms, The Kids in the Hall's Death Comes to Town, The Ron James Show, Degrassi High and the pilot, That’s That. He has appeared in the feature film, Love Letters with his wife Debra and other prominent Canadian couples.

In 2011, Colin returned to theatre after a 15-year absence receiving critical praise opposite old friend and theatre legend, Peter Donaldson in ART for Toronto’s Canadian Stage Company.

Recently, Colin completed the independent films Young Triffie, Inconceivable, Surviving My Mother, Puck Hogs and Gravy Train, all of which are currently making the rounds on the film festival circuit.

Also a successful writer, Colin's credits include: Nightmare on Sussex Drive, When Bush Comes to Shove and Just Say Non for the famed Second City in Toronto. He has also written articles for the magazines Razor and Nuvo, the latter garnering him an honourable mention in the Humour Category by the National Magazine Awards.

Colin is a recipient of Canadian Comedy Awards for Pretty Funny Male Improviser, Pretty Funny Male Performance and Pretty Funny Writing for This Hour Has 22 Minutes. He also received a Writer's Guild of Canada award for the same show.

At the 2002 Chicago Improv Festival, he received the Male Improviser of the Year Award, and in 2003 he brought home a coveted Canadian Gemini Award for Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series. Colin was nominated for a 2008 Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Variety Program or Series for his ensemble work on Reality Bites: Celine Dion.

In 2011, Colin was the recipient of the Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award for lifetime achievement in theatre and advocacy of the performing arts at the 2010 Dora Mavor Moore Awards. He also proudly received a lifetime achievement award at the 2010 Actra Awards.