His
career in comedy and acting may
have all started when he was expelled from his Toronto high school.
Why? He had convinced a local contractor that he was a member of the
school board, and yes, the Board wanted construction to begin on the
new extension to the school…right away!
In reality, his career in comedy
and
show business would wait for a few more years. “Growing up in
a middle
class Jewish family in Toronto, I was so far from show business - so
far from comedy.”
His formal education finished,
Howie went on to become a carpet salesman, and would later open his own
carpet store.
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He
became a stand-up comic at Yuk Yuk’s in Toronto, and was so
popular with the audiences that by 1978 he had a week-long booking. At
the same time his carpet business was flourishing, and by 1979 he had
several stores in the Toronto area.
It
was during a business trip to Los Angeles that Howie decided to combine
a little pleasure with his business agenda. One evening he and some
friends went to The Comedy Store. It was an open mike amateur night;
and at the urging of some friends, he got up onstage and did part of
the routine he had used at Yuk Yuk’s. “I thought it
was a great opportunity to make a fool of myself 3,000 miles away from
home.” The club’s management offered him a trial
set - the audiences loved him - and he soon became a regular performer.
It was at The Comedy Store that Howie caught the attention of a
producer for Make Me Laugh - a comedy television game show. And just
like in the movies, Howie was signed for several appearances during the
show’s 1979 run. These appearances in turn led to bookings as
the opening act for David Letterman during the summer of ’79.
| The head of CBC
television’s variety
programming signed Howie for a TV special after seeing a performance in
October of 1979. His career continued to fast forward, and Howie won a
starring role in a Canadian movie Gas, which co-starred fellow Canadian
Donald Sutherland and Susan Anspach. |
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Howie
continued to develop his multifaceted career with the television series
St. Elsewhere, in which he played Dr. Wayne Fiscus, a talented and
dedicated surgeon. The show debuted in 1982, and continued for 6
seasons. In 1984 Howie provided the voice Gizmo in the hit horror movie
Gremlins, and continued his film work as Maurice in the 1989 film
Little Monsters.
His
children’s television series Bobby’s World for Fox
Broadcasting Company
won an Emmy nomination, and was a successful animated program for 8
seasons. In addition to being the Executive Producer, Howie also did
the voices for the title character Bobby, and Bobby’s Dad,
for which he
used his natural voice. Howie’s alter-ego
“Bobby” is a still a
fan-favourite in his live concerts.
| While
he has continuously enjoyed success as a live performer, playing over
200 dates per year, Howie had not received major national fame since
the end of his role in St. Elsewhere. This would change dramatically in
December of 2005, with the first pilot show of Deal or No Deal on NBC.
The show became a huge hit in 2006, and continues to be a top-rated
program. A Canadian spin-off show on Global TV started in January of
this year. |
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As host of Deal or No Deal
Canada, Howie is one of the few
game show personalities to host a domestic and international version of
the show.
Howie
married Terry Soil, his high school sweetheart in 1980, and unlike many
Hollywood stars, the couple is still married with 3 children, Alex,
Jackie and the youngest - Riley. His kids haven’t always
appreciated
their father’s profession. One day while driving along a
crowded Los
Angeles freeway, son Alex commented about a friend’s father
who owned a
successful car dealership. “Josh’s dad sells lots
of cars - all you do
is tell jokes.” So much for star power on the home front!
In
addition to taping Deal or No Deal and its Canadian counterpart, Mandel
performs over 200 dates a year. What makes this somewhat extraordinary
is that Howie has to live with two major psychological disorders. He
has an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and also has phobia about
germs, a condition called mysophobia. The latter is so pronounced that
he does not shake hands with anyone, including show contestants.
Instead, he will grasp the contestant by the arm or shoulder, or if
shaking hands is absolutely necessary, he’ll wear surgical
gloves. One
of the manifestations of his mysophobia is his now trademark shaved
head. This has nothing to do with hair loss or fashion, but rather that
without hair he fells cleaner. Medication and counselling have helped
to control these disorders to the extent that he can function in the
hectic world of the entertainment business.
Howie
is a regular guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, often with his
hidden camera segments that he produces as Hidden Howie; using a
miniature camera concealed in a glasses frame. Unsuspecting people are
caught on camera in a kind of modern day Candid Camera.
Howie
Mandel will be hosting two Gala Performances with a star-studded cast
of comedians at this year’s Just For Laughs Festival, July
18th and
19th at 7pm. …wonder how many cars Josh’s dad will
be selling on those
days… For ticket information, please call: 514-845-2322 or
online at:
www.hahaha.com Enjoy!
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