Global Talent Directory

Comedians Directory

Browse comedian profiles, biographical summaries, country of origin, and official links.

1588 comedians

Charline Vanhoenacker

Charline Vanhoenacker is a Belgian journalist, humorist, radio host, and producer. Born on December 31, 1977, in La Louvière, Belgium, she grew up in the region, an experience that significantly shaped her perspective, particularly concerning industrial decline. Her parents, Philippe Vanhoenacker and Linette Douillet (Line), were both teachers at a secondary school in La Louvière, and she attended the Athénée provincial de La Louvière for her secondary education. Vanhoenacker’s education began in 1994 with French literature studies at the Université libre de Bruxelles, following this by attaining a journalism degree from the École supérieure de journalisme de Paris. Her master's thesis, completed in 1999, focused on the language of humor in Philippe Geluck's comic strip 'Le Chat,' titled 'Language of Cat: Typological analysis of linguistic humorous mechanisms in Le Chat by Philippe Geluck.' She began her career as a freelance writer for Le Soir news magazine and later worked as a correspondent for RTBF in Paris, succeeding Istvan Felkaï in 2010. She gained prominence covering the 2012 French presidential election campaign for La Première and was invited by Daniel Schneidermann to chronicle it on Arrêt sur images. Since 2012, Vanhoenacker has been a columnist for France Inter, hosting and producing popular radio shows known for political satire and left-wing tendencies. She has appeared regularly on Comme on nous parle and co-hosted daily shows such as Le Septante-cinq minutes and 5/7. From 2014 to 2022, she contributed a weekly humorous segment to the 7/10 program. She produced and co-hosted Si tu écoutes, j'annule tout with Alex Vizorek, which surpassed Cyril Hanouna’s audience on Europe 1 in 2015-2016. Originally titled Par Jupiter! in 2017, the program was later rebranded as C'est encore nous! in 2022. Its daily average audience totaled 1.3 million listeners in 2020, which also marked the year it received the highest number of complaints to the CSA. She published 'Bonjour la France' in 2015 and 'Debout les damnés de l'Uber' in 2020. In 2023, she hosted a new show called Bistroscopie. She announced the end of Par Jupiter! on June 23, 2024, and was temporarily removed from her duties at the end of 2023 due to pressure and death threats related to a controversial sketch.

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Ireland

Ed Byrne

Ed Cathal Byrne is an Irish performer who works as both an actor and a comedian. He served as host for the British series Just for Laughs and Uncut! Best Unseen Ads, has taken part as a guest on a wide array of television panel quizzes, and has shown up on multiple TV cooking programmes.

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Ireland

Frank Carson

Hugh Francis Carson KSG, a comedian and actor from Belfast, Northern Ireland, became a familiar television presence beginning in the 1970s, appearing in programmes such as The Comedians and Tiswas. He was noted for his catch‑phrase, “It’s the way I tell them!” and was a member of the entertainment charity Grand Order of Water Rats.

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Belgium

Gaston Berghmans

Gaston Petrus Bernardina Berghmans, a Belgian performer, built his career as both an actor and a comedian. From 1972 through 1993 he teamed up with Leo Martin, forming the comedy duo popularly called Gaston and Leo.

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Ireland

Graham Norton

Graham William Walker, who performs under the name Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, broadcaster, actor and writer. He became widely recognised as the host of the talk‑show The Graham Norton Show, a position he has held since 2007. His achievements include a record six BAFTA Television Awards for Best Entertainment Performance and an extra BAFTA for his work as a producer. Observers frequently highlight his dialogue full of innuendo and his bright, flamboyant presenting style.

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Belgium

Herr Seele

Peter Van Heirseele, known professionally as Herr Seele, is a multifaceted Flemish artist born on April 13, 1959, in Torhout, Belgium. He is recognized as a cartoonist, author, actor, and piano collector. His family background includes artistic influences; his father, Georges, worked as a bureau employee, while his mother, Odette Pannecoucke, was a professional painter, and his maternal grandmother, Valerie Haesaert, achieved recognition for her amateur painting skills. He has an older brother, Hans, and a younger sister, Mieke. Herr Seele’s artistic journey began with formal training at the Sint-Jozefsinstituut in Torhout and continued at the Ghent Academy of Fine Arts from 1973, initially studying fine arts before focusing on sculpture. He further expanded his skills by training as a piano tuner and restorer at the Ystrad Mynach School in Wales (1975-1977) and completing a year of restoration studies in Florence, Italy. This expertise informs his passion for collecting historical pianos; he owns over 200 early instruments, considered one of the most important worldwide collections, stored in Ostend. He is also a musicologist specializing in 19th-century pianos. He is best known for creating the absurdist comic strip 'Cowboy Henk' with Kamagurka, which debuted in 1981 and ran in HUMO magazine until October 2011. During a brief hiatus (2011-2013), he created the comic series 'Dikke Billie Walter'. Since spring 2013, 'Cowboy Henk' has reappeared in HUMO. The strip has been translated and published internationally, including in the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia, and the United States. Herr Seele’s comedic collaborations with Kamagurka extend beyond the comic strip; they created an annual theater show together starting in 1981 and co-hosted the radio show 'Studio Kafka'. He also starred in a 20-part television series, 'Kamagurka en Herr Seele', written by both of them (1985-1986). His television appearances began in 1983 with ‘Sfeervol Bullshitten’, and he has subsequently appeared in shows like 'Johnnywood', 'Wees Blij Met Wat Je Hebt', 'Lava', and 'Bob & George'. In 2019, he married the writer Katia Belloy.

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Ireland

Jennifer Maguire

Jennifer Zamparelli is an Irish stand‑up comic who also works as a television and radio presenter. She first came to public attention on the programme Republic of Telly, serving as one of its main writers, and later co‑hosted the 2FM morning show Breakfast Republic alongside Bernard O'Shea and Keith Walsh. She also appears in the sitcom Bridget & Eamon.

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Ireland

PJ Gallagher

P. J. Gallagher is an Irish stand‑up comic, actor and radio host who also helped create the TV series Naked Camera. In that programme he appears as a deranged cab driver, the womanising Jake Stevens and the “Dirty Auld One,” an elderly woman who makes lewd remarks. He is a devoted Leeds United fan and currently co‑hosts the breakfast slot on Radio Nova with the award‑winning presenter Jim McCabe.

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Belgium

Stéphane De Groodt

Stéphane De Groodt, born on March 3, 1966, in Brussels, is a Belgian comedian and humorist. His family included an engineer father who worked at Texaco and a mother who cared for children with disabilities. De Groodt experienced a challenging schooling period due to dyslexia. Before dedicating himself to comedy, De Groodt held diverse jobs, including barman, journalist, marketing assistant, editor, advertiser, and even a stint as a GO at Club Med. He initially aspired to be both a comedian and a race car driver. From 1985 to 2000, he was a professional racing driver, achieving success in Formula Renault, Formula 3000, Porsche Supercup, and the Belgian Procar, winning the BMW Compact Cup title. De Groodt’s creative output includes the television series File dans ta chambre , which he created and co-writes with his wife, Odile d'Oultremont, beginning in 2002. In this series, he portrays Lucien, a father addressing definitions. He has also appeared in television series like Faux Contact and Boulevard du Palais , and films such as Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008) and Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia (2012). His humor is characterized by its absurdity and literary style, drawing comparisons to Raymond Devos and Pierre Desproges. He has written books including 'Voyage en absurdie' and 'Retour en absurdie'. He became a member of the radio show Les Grosses Têtes in 2022 and is currently starring in the play Un léger doute . He has also appeared in films like Barbecue , Paris-Willouby , L'Un dans l'autre , and Le Jeu . His separation from his wife, Odile d'Oultremont, since 2000, does not affect their professional collaboration. Feuillate in the TV series Lycée Toulouse-Lautrec . He received the Male Interpretation Award at the Alpe d'Huez Comedy Film Festival in 2020.

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Belgium

Wim Opbrouck

Wim Opbrouck is a Flemish actor, singer, and television presenter from Belgium. Born on February 5, 1969, in Bavikhove, part of Harelbeke, he has become a popular figure in Flemish theater, film, and television. He studied at the Herman Teirlinck Studio, graduating in 1992, and began his career with the Blauwe Maandag Compagnie. Opbrouck's stage work is particularly well-known. He joined the Drama House following a merger with KNS (Antwerp) and played significant roles in productions like Aars! Leenane Trilogy , L. King of Pain , and Macbeth . In 1997, he participated in a 12-hour theatre marathon production of Ten oorlog . He later became an ensemble member of NTGent from 2010 to 2015, also serving as artistic director during that time. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with Wilfried De Jong on ‘We Free Kings’ and Frank Van Laecke and Alain Platel on ‘En Avant Marche,’ demonstrating a breadth of artistic engagement. Beyond the stage, Opbrouck has appeared in numerous films including Manneken Pis , Meisje , Everybody's Famous! , Bowling Balls , Ventoux , Café Derby , and Cobain . He is also recognized for his television appearances in shows like Windkracht 10 (where he played Nick Bouvry from 1997-1998) and In De Gloria , known for its provocative humor, where he portrayed Gerrit Callewaert. He has also taken on roles in Matrioshki , Salamandre , Albert II , and Tytgat Chocolat . Alongside Ron Reuman with TV Tunes KNT, he is involved, and also performs as both a singer and accordionist within The Dolfijntjes, a group established by Wim Willaert. Opbrouck has presented Bake Off Vlanderen since 2017 and will play uncle Tony in Young Hearts (2024). He received the award for Best Male Performance at the Aubagne - Music & Cinema International Film Festival in 2016, and a Golden Kalf for best supporting actor for his role in ‘Cobain’ (2018).

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Belgium

Xander De Rycke

Xander De Rycke is a Belgian (Flemish) stand-up comedian, born on December 19, 1987, in Gent. He spent his early years in Zelzate before moving to Eeklo at age eight and returning to Zelzate at sixteen. Raised by his mother, he never knew his father, and she struggled with alcoholism. At eighteen, he made the decision to leave school and pursue stand-up comedy as a career. His upbringing and experiences appear to inform much of his comedic material. De Rycke began his career earning recognition early on, winning the Homo Cabarectus talent competition on March 30, 2006, and reaching the final of the Lunatic Comedy Award in December 2006. He continued his success by winning the Comedy Casino Cup in early 2007, with Alex Agnew serving as his coach. Following this victory, he toured as an opening act for Alex Agnew’s show 'Morimos Solamente' from 2007 to 2008. He established the ‘A Joker Comedy Night’ series in August 2008 and debuted his first full-length show, Uw Zoete 666, in October of that year, which toured until May 2010 and was later released on DVD in October 2010. Throughout the 2010s, De Rycke continued to develop his comedic style with shows like Mijn Zwarte Parade (premiering in 2012), Zijn Derde Show (2013), and the anniversary show 10 jaar bezig (2015-2016). He launched the year-end show Houdt het voor bekeken in 2016, which he continues to host annually. His autobiography, titled 'Het leven is kak, en dan wordt het grappig,' was released in 2011. More recently, from 2022 to 2025, De Rycke co-hosted the radio show De Roo en De Rycke. Competing on 'De Slimste Mens ter Wereld' in 2024, and delivering a highly-regarded performance of 'XDR15' at the Lotto Arena in November 2021, showcased his ongoing involvement in Belgian entertainment.

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Belgium

Yvonne Verbeeck

Yvonne Verbeeck, a Flemish actress from Belgium, became known for her performances on stage and in television productions. She also acted in several Belgian movies. Her final credit was a part in the 2008 TV series Zone Stad. In Rumst, the town of her birth, a bronze bust has been erected in her honor.

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