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Jason Gann

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Jason Gann
Gann at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2011
Born
Jason Gann

Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Occupation(s)Actor, writer, producer, comedian, musician, entrepreneur
Years active1997–2014
Children2

Jason Gann is an Australian-born former actor, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known for his role as the title character in the Australian comedy series Wilfred, directed by Tony Rogers, and the U.S. reboot of the same name.

Biography

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Early life

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Jason Gann was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia,[1] At 14, while attending an all-boys school, Gann discovered his love for comedy when he performed as Suzanne, leader of the can-can dancers in a high school production of Paint Your Wagon.[2] After high school, he went on to study acting at the University of Southern Queensland. He earned a B.A. in Acting while also attending classes in humanities and the arts.[3]

Early career

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Immediately following his studies, Gann moved to Brisbane where he continued studying theatre and music.[3] He worked in children's theatre at the Twelfth Night Theatre in Bowen Hills for several years, performing in dozens of shows. He also played lead roles and toured the country in several comedy theatre productions for that theatre company. He developed and starred in several seasons of the Arts Council-funded play Keep Everything You Love, for which he won the Del Arte Award for Best Male Actor 1997.[citation needed] Gann then worked for the Queensland Theatre Company as an actor in several development projects and starred in the Sven Swenson play The Vertigo and the Virginia for QTC in 1999.[4]

Wilfred and Australian TV

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In 2001, Gann wrote and produced several short films that screened in festivals internationally. In 2002 he co-wrote and starred in the short Wilfred. He first came to national attention when he won Best Male Actor and the short won Best Comedy and the Peoples' Choice Award at Tropfest in 2002. Wilfred went on to screen at festivals including Sundance Film Festival in 2003.[4]

Gann won the Tropfest Best Male Actor award again in 2003 for Buried. He then appeared in Australian feature films including Gettin' Square, Thunderstruck, The Illustrated Family Doctor, and Kenny.[3][2][4]

In 2004, for Australian TV, Gann appeared in two episodes of Blue Heelers and had a cameo on Kath & Kim. In 2006, Gann wrote and starred in 52 episodes of the sketch comedy show The Wedge on Australia's Network Ten. Gann then created, produced, wrote and starred in the network's spin-off comedy series Mark Loves Sharon. The following year, Gann co-created and played the title character for the Australian comedy series Wilfred, based on the short film. It ran for two seasons, both of which went on to win awards at Tropfest in 2007 and 2009.[4]

US Television

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In 2010, Renegade Films sold the Australian format of Wilfred to the U.S. network FX. Faced with redeveloping the show for an American market without Tony Rogers, Gann teamed with Family Guy executive producer David Zuckerman. Actor Elijah Wood signed on to co-star with Gann.[5] The Wilfred debut became FX's highest-rated comedy series debut.[6]

Gann is managed by Jeff Kwatinetz at Prospect Park. Gann left ICM and signed with WME in 2012.[7] After Wilfred, Gann has been commissioned to produce and develop new television series by networks including ABC.[8]

Business career

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As of 2014 Gann has left both acting and writing to pursue his CBD business Wilfred CBD & Hemp.[9]

Awards and nominations

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In 2007 and 2010, Gann was nominated for an AFI Award for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Series. In 2007 he won for Best Comedy Series, for Wilfred, and in 2010 he won for Best Screenplay in a Television Series. In 2011, Gann was nominated for a Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actor for his work on Wilfred.[10] He was awarded the Australian GQ Comedian of the Year Award for 2011,[11] and was nominated for the annual Golden Collar Award, normally given solely to canine performers.[12]

Personal life

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In 2007, Gann pleaded guilty to assaulting a shuttle bus driver, Joseph Hosny. Gann's legal counsel advised him to plead guilty rather than fight the allegation, as a tough sentence could have threatened the production of Wilfred in the United States.[13] In September 2014, Gann was reassessing his legal options.[14][15] In March 2018, a California court ordered Gann to pay $594,452 (USD) to the bus driver.[16]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2002 Wilfred Wilfred Short film, Writer
2003 Ain't Got No Jazz Intruder
2003 Button It Jogger (Squealer A.C)
2003 Gettin' Square Wood-Duck Frank Feature film
2004 Thunderstruck Robbo Feature film
2005 The Illustrated Family Doctor Carl Lucas Feature film
2006 Kenny Buggy victim's friend Feature film
2007 Rats and Cats Feature film, writer

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2006–07 The Wedge Various characters

TV series, writer

2007–10 Wilfred Wilfred Australian TV series, co-creator, writer
2008 Mark Loves Sharon Mark Wary TV series, co-creator, writer, executive producer
2008 Jason and the Residents Jason
2008 Comedy Gold Himself TV series
2008 9am with David & Kim Himself / Mark Wary TV series, 1 episode
2009 The Squiz TV series, 2 episodes
2011–2014 Wilfred Wilfred U.S. TV series, creator, writer

Theatre

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Year Title Role Notes
2007 'Allo 'Allo! Herr Otto Flick Twelfth Night Theatre

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jason Gann Biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b "One on One with Jason Gann". Hobotrashcan.com. 23 June 2011. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "Of rats, cats and indiscretion". Brisbane Times. 8 May 2008. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d "Wilfred". IFC.com. 7 July 2006. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  5. ^ "Jason Gann on Bringing His Show to America". New York. 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  6. ^ "Louie and Wilfred Premiere Strongly". New York. 24 June 2011. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  7. ^ "WME Signs 'Wilfred's Jason Gann". Deadline Hollywood. 29 May 2012. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  8. ^ "'Wilfred's Jason Gann To Adapt Peruvian Comedy 'My Problem With Women' For ABC". Deadline Hollywood. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  9. ^ Carter, Lance (25 November 2020). "Interview: Jason Gann on Life After 'Wilfred' and Why He Stopped Acting to Start His Own CBD Business". Daily Actor. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  10. ^ Davies, Rebecca (2 May 2011). "In full: Logies 2011 - The Winners". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Men of the Year". GQ. Australia. 21 November 2011. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  12. ^ "Uggie is top dog at the Golden Collar Awards – of course". Reuters. 14 February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  13. ^ Deery, Shannon (1 September 2014). "Wilfred star Jason Gann reconsiders $325,000 compo payout for bashing bus driver". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  14. ^ Mickelburough, Peter (13 September 2014). "Wilfred star Jason Gann reconsiders $325,000 compo payout for bashing bus driver". The Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  15. ^ Mills, Tammy (1 September 2014). "Melbourne bus driver assaulted by Wilfred star Jason Gann appears in court". The Age. Victoria, Australia. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  16. ^ Carmody, Broede (14 March 2018). "Wilfred star Jason Gann ordered to pay $750,000 over 2007 assault". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
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