Ron Sparks

Ron Sparks (born May 20, 1977) is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is known as an alternative comedian and frequent guest on CBC Radio's The Debaters, and on TV as a regular and favourite juror on MuchMusic's highest-rated show, Video on Trial, also starring as The Judge in the Stars on Trial Christmas special and various other VOT spin-offs.

Early life Sparks was born in Chatham-Kent, Ontario.

Comedy

Theatre

As a student at Chatham-Kent Secondary School Sparks enjoyed doing improv and performing in drama class and at assemblies. His first TV appearance was a televised swearing-in ceremony in which he and a friend did a sketch about a border officer interviewing an immigrant. In 1997 his farce Chuck Sent Me won the Grand Theatre Stage Presence Competition for young playwrights.

At York University his one act plays Richard Keats' Apartment of Doom and Home to Mother both won the Vanier College playwriting competition in 2000 and 2001 while A Thanksgiving That Would Even Make Great Aunt Gladys Proud and My Favourite Aunt also took 2nd and 3rd prize in 1999 and 2001. Apartment of Doom and My Favourite Aunt were both remounted as Toronto Fringe Festival shows. where he became a standout and met his sketch troupe mates The Minnesota Wrecking Crew. They would go on to be nominated four straight years (2003–2006) for the Best Sketch Troupe Canadian Comedy Award, winning in 2003 and 2004. In 2006 they won again for Best Taped Live Performance for the CBC special Sketch with Kevin McDonald.

The MWC became the "house troupe" at Second City Toronto's Sketchy at Best showcase, where they would perform sets of mostly new sketches every week.

Sparks was a member of the sketch troupes Rocket 9, Gazebo Pals and the CCA-nominated Shoeless, and has also hosted Comedy Bar's Sunday Night Live more than any other guest.

Stand-up

After performing on the show with the Wrecking Crew a few times, he began working the door for Toronto's legendary ALTdot COMedy Lounge at the Rivoli in 2002. At show producer Zoe Rabnett's urging he tried performing stand-up in 2003 at The ALTdot COMedy Lounge and went on to win that year's Tim Sims Award, given to Toronto's most promising new comedy act, in just his 20th set. He then also won the 2004 Best Stand-up Newcomer Canadian Comedy Award, becoming the first person to win both.

After his Tim Sims Cream of Comedy showcase, he was invited to write and star in his own series of shorts for The Comedy Network, From the Desk of Ron Sparks, based on real letters he has written since childhood.

Stand-up credits include Just for Laughs as well as the Halifax, Winnipeg, Laughing Gas and YYC Comedy Festivals. He was JFL's Toronto Homegrown Champion in 2007 and has performed in various JFL and JFL-42 shows including Set List, The Alternative Show with Andy Kindler and The Debaters. He has opened for such comedians as Kyle Kinane, Moshe Kasher, Russell Peters, Kevin Pollak, Marc Maron, Janeane Garofalo, Norm Macdonald, Joan Rivers, Brian Posehn, Mike Wilmot, David Cross, Andy Kindler, Tom Green, Doug Stanhope and Todd Barry.

His 2008 CTV Comedy Now! stand-up special won a WorldFest Award and two Canadian Comedy Awards.

When the ALTdot added a second weekly show, the SketchDot COMedy Lounge, Sparks was invited to do a weekly Weekend Update style segment, The News Desk with Ron Sparks.

Film & TV

On television he starred in MuchMusic's highest rated show Video on Trial and its spin-off, Stars on Trial, also writing for those and other MuchMusic series. He co-wrote and starred as Chris Christie in the series You Got Trumped, for which he won multiple awards. He was also a regular panelist on the Super Channel series Too Much Information and has been a regular on various Ed the Sock series (including co-hosting the cult hit This Movie Sucks!), and T1's The Toronto Show as Ron the Hollywood Reporter and other characters.

Other TV credits include NBC's The Firm, The Beaverton, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Meet the Family, Straight Man, Clumsy & Shy, Dark Rising: The Savage Tales of Summer Vale, The Jon Dore Television Show, Sox in a Box and The Invasion Report.

Film credits include Medium Raw, Dark Rising, By George, Sweetener and Ham & Cheese.

He is the subject of the book The Essential Actor's Guide: Spotlight on Ron Sparks.

Radio

Sparks is a regular and favourite guest on CBC Radio's The Debaters (which he also writes for). He has also appeared on Brave New Waves, Definitely Not the Opera and Out Front. He had his own weekly segment The News Desk with Ron Sparks on 102.1 The Edge.

Filmography Year Title Role 2003 The Toronto Show Ron the Hollywood Correspondent, The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (6 episodes) 2003 Ed's Nite Party Himself (various episodes) 2003 Cream of Comedy Nominee/Winner 2004 Ham & Cheese Comedy Club Patron 2005 From the Desk of Ron Sparks Ron Sparks (4 episodes) 2005 Ed's Nite In Park Ranger Ron, Himself 2005 Canadian Comedy Shorts Various Characters 2005 Stars on Trial The Judge 2006 The Ha!ifax Comedy Festival Himself (Stand-up) 2006 Sketch with Kevin McDonald Various Characters 2006 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards Presenter 2006 Video on Trial: Holiday Crap Juror 2006 Video on Trial: 80s Videos Special Juror 2007 Canadian Comedy Awards: Nice Special Stand-up 2007 Dark Rising Soldier 2008 The Jon Dore Television Show Farting Writer (1 episode) 2008 Comedy Now! Himself (Stand-up) (1 episode) 2008 Sox in a Box Beans 2008 Other People's Stuff: Jan & Wayne Skylar from Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job! Dr. Steve Brule 2009 The Newsdesk with Ron Sparks News Anchor Ron Sparks 2009 Snuff: The Film Snuff 2009 Medium Raw: Night of the Wolf Greg 2010 This Movie Sucks! Co-host 2005-2011 Video on Trial Himself (42 episodes) 2011 The Debaters: The TV Series Himself (2 episodes) 2011 The Invasion Report Blirn! (5 episodes) 2011 The Trial Mr. Testman 2011 iMobiles Gary the Penguin (voice) 2011 Dark Rising: The Savage Tales of Summer Vale Cartright 2011 Flu Bathrobed Dancer 2012 The Firm Bailiff (1 episode) 2012 The L.A. Complex Mental Patient (1 episode) 2012 By George Alan Ladd III / Chewbacco / Nien Nund 2012 The Train Alfred 2013 Straight Man The Doctor (4 episodes) 2010-2014 The Winnipeg Comedy Festival Himself, Tork the Cave Man (3 episodes) 2014 CLUMSY+shy CLUMSY (voice) 2014 Flickers! Various Characters (6 episodes) 2014 Satisfaction Lawn Tractor Customer (1 episode) 2014-2015 Meet the Family Various Characters (4 episodes) 2014-2015 Too Much Information Himself (14 episodes) 2015 Captain Blast!: Adventures in the 2nd Dimension The Vice President 2016 The Beaverton Food Scientist (1 episode) 2016 Big Boy's Big Brawl Big Boy's Rude Assistant 2016 You Got Trumped Chris Christie (13 episodes) 2017 SmartAssociates Himself (3 episodes) 2017 Fathers Support Group Father (12 episodes) 2018-2019 Bajillionaires Various (4 episodes) 2019 Fake News: A Trump Story

Awards and nominations YearNominated workEventAwardResult 2003 Ron Sparks Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award Tim Sims Award 2003 The Minnesota Wrecking Crew Canadian Comedy Awards Best Sketch Troupe 2004 Ron Sparks Canadian Comedy Awards Best Stand-up Newcomer 2004 The Minnesota Wrecking Crew Canadian Comedy Awards Best Sketch Troupe 2005 The Minnesota Wrecking Crew Canadian Comedy Awards Best Sketch Troupe 2005 From the Desk of Ron Sparks Canadian Comedy Awards Best One Person Show 2006 The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, Sketch with Kevin McDonald Canadian Comedy Awards Best Taped Live Performance 2006 The Minnesota Wrecking Crew Canadian Comedy Awards Best Sketch Troupe 2006 The Newsdesk with Ron Sparks Canadian Comedy Awards Best One Person Show 2007 Plan LIVE from Outer Space Canadian Comedy Awards Best Play 2008 The Newsdesk with Ron Sparks Canadian Comedy Awards Best One Person Show 2009 Life's A Zoo Banff Rockie Award Best Music or Variety Program 2009 Ron Sparks, Comedy Now! Canadian Comedy Awards Best Taped Live Performance 2009 Ron Sparks, Comedy Now! Canadian Comedy Awards Best Writing – TV 2009 Himself, Comedy Now! Worldfest - Bronze Remi Award Best TV Special, Comedy 2010 Debaters, Monotheism vs. Polytheism (Ron Sparks vs. Sean Cullen) Canadian Comedy Awards Best Radio Program 2011 This Movie Sucks! Canadian Comedy Awards Best TV Show 2012 The Trial Canadian Comedy Awards Best Film 2012 The Trial (Kevin MacDonald & Ron Sparks) Canadian Comedy Awards Best Direction – Film 2012 The Newsdesk with Ron Sparks Canadian Comedy Awards Best One Person Show 2012 Ron Sparks Canadian Comedy Awards Best Male Stand-up 2012 Ron Sparks' Celebrity Roasts Canadian Comedy Awards Best Comedic Play, Revue or Series 2012 Debaters, Fast Food is Evil (Alan Park vs. Ron Sparks) Canadian Comedy Awards Best Radio Program or Clip 2013 The Newsdesk on The Edge 102.1 Canadian Comedy Awards Best Radio Program or Clip 2013 Ron Sparks Canadian Comedy Awards Best Male Stand-up 2014 This Hour Has 22 Minutes WGC Awards Best Television Series – Comedy 2014 Ron Sparks Canadian Comedy Awards Best Male Stand-up 2014 Meet the Family Canadian Comedy Awards Best Writing – Television 2014 This Hour Has 22 Minutes Canadian Comedy Awards Best Writing – Television 2014 Meet the Family Canadian Comedy Awards Best TV Series 2015 Ron Sparks Canadian Comedy Awards Best Male Stand-up 2015 Meet the Family Canadian Comedy Awards Best Writing – Television 2015 This Hour Has 22 Minutes Canadian Comedy Awards Best Writing – Television 2015 Meet the Family Canadian Comedy Awards Best TV Series 2015 This Hour Has 22 Minutes WGC Awards Best Television Series - Comedy 2018 You Got Trumped Canadian Comedy Awards Best Web Series 2018 Ron Sparks, You Got Trumped Canadian Comedy Awards Best Performance in a Web Series 2018 You Got Trumped Canadian Comedy Awards Best Writing in a Web Series