Mark Critch is a Canadian comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work on the comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes, initially as a writer and then as a regular cast member beginning in 2013.
Career
He has been a guest on CBC Radio One's Madly Off in All Directions, the CBC Television show Republic of Doyle, and is the host of CBC TV's Halifax Comedy Festival. He has also performed at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. He played the recurring role of Gary Breakfast on the CTV sitcom Satisfaction. He has appeared in several films, including Anchor Zone, Rare Birds and Above and Beyond. In 2013, Critch played Henry Tilley in The Grand Seduction, a remake of Jean-François Pouliot's French-Canadian La Grande Séduction directed by Don McKellar, co-starring Taylor Kitsch, Brendan Gleeson, and Gordon Pinsent. Critch was named winner of the David Renton Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor at the Atlantic Film Festival for his role in The Grand Seduction. Critch and fellow Newfoundland actor Allan Hawco featured in a documentary entitled "Trail of the Caribou", which followed the Newfoundland Regiment'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. He reached national notoriety after a 22 Minutes piece aired in which Canadian MPCarolyn Parrish stepped on a President George W. Bush doll, later causing her to be removed from caucus. He is most famous for his road pieces on the show, in which he has accosted celebrities such as John Kerry, Michael Douglas, Alec Baldwin, former Canadian Prime MinisterPaul Martin, Howard Dean, Avril Lavigne, Hillary Clinton, Justin Trudeau and many more. Critch's impressions are another recurring feature on 22 Minutes, including those of Donald Trump, Rex Murphy, Don Cherry and Danny Williams. Along with his co-stars and co-writers on the show, Critch has won a Gemini Award, Canadian Comedy Awards, and Writers Guild of Canada Awards.
Book
In 2018, Critch announced the release of his early life memoir, Son of A Critch. Published by Penguin Random House 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 at the Atlantic Book Awards, and shortlisted for both the 2019 Leacock Medal and the 2019 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. It was also longlisted for the 2019 RBC Taylor Prize.
Charitable Work
Critch is also 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 also 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 Centre.
