Gerry Dee has told jokes in Surrey before, but it’s been awhile – pre-pandemic, in fact. But he’s back this week at Bell Performing Arts Centre with a show Thursday night, April 27.
These days the Toronto-based comedian/actor is probably best known as host of “Family Feud Canada.” Before that it was “Mr. D,” the CBC sitcom that gave him six seasons of work playing a gym teacher who bumbles his way through social studies classes at a private school.
Now he has a role on FOX-TV’s new Seattle-set comedy “Animal Control,” starring Joel McHale as a disillusioned animal-control officer. Dee plays mean-spirited commissioner Templeton Dudge.
“We filmed out there in the Vancouver area over the winter,” Dee explained in a phone call. “It’s a funny show, a great cast, and we’re really excited about the chance for another season.”
Dee says it was “a blast” filming “Animal Control,” but the commute sucked for him.
“Unfortunately I had to be back home for a bunch of stuff,” he said. “So I was flying to Vancouver, doing a day or two (of filming), then fly back. I did that for a couple of months, so other than that, the travel part, it was amazing. But you know, my kids are pretty active in sports and school, and that’s what kept me coming back home, and I wouldn’t do it any other way, to be honest.”
Dee, who has two daughters and a son with wife Heather, has taken up coaching elite-level volleyball camps for girls.
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“In my previous life I ran a hockey school for years, a high-level camp in summer in Toronto, mostly invited kids and funding through Pepsi,” Dee recalled. “We had Stamkos, Subban, Tavares, Skinner… so many kids who’d come. And now I’m doing it for girls volleyball, elite camps in June, with BioSteel. We’re getting the girls lined up right now, and we’ll stream it. I just saw a void. It’s such a great sport and I want to make it grow in Canada.”
Of Scottish-Irish descent, Gerard Francis-John Donoghue is a business-savvy entertainer who, on a whim at age 30, left teaching to do comedy. More than a decade ago Dee wrote a book, “Teaching: It’s Harder Than it Looks,” that became a national bestseller, and he could probably teach a course about making it in the world of comedy.
He’ll turn 55 year this year, and has lots on the go.
“I don’t know life not being busy, and I’m kind of bored when things aren’t busy,” Dee admitted. “So right now we’re not filming ‘Family Feud,’ but we are looking for new families to be on the show, and we’ll be back in August for Season 5. We’re waiting on ‘Animal Control,’ so I had this window from January to May where I took on this project (with volleyball).”
This month Dee is also touring the country on a “Bad Medicine” tour produced by Live Nation Entertainment, with B.C. dates in Surrey and Victoria.
“I talk a bit about being a hypochondriac and thinking I know about medicine,” Dee deadpanned. “But it’s really just something to title it, so people know it’s a new tour, coming out of a pandemic, laughter is the best medicine – you get it, you see it. It’s not that creative but I did my best, you know.
“With Live Nation,” he added, “we had a bunch of dates that got cancelled because of the pandemic, we moved some around, and I haven’t been out west in awhile. It’s good to be back. We’ll have a good night of laughs.”
Tour and ticket details are posted on gerrydee.com, or visit ticketmaster.ca.
Known for being a fan of Toronto Maple Leafs, Dee is relatively optimistic about the team’s chances in the NHL playoffs this spring.
“Every year I think it’s the year for the Leafs,” he said before the start of the Leafs-Lightning series. “I have the same hope every year, that this is the year, and it feels we might get by the first round this year. I’m confident we’ll get by the first round this year, but after that, who knows.”
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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