Greg Malone

Greg Malone

David Gregory Malone, actor, writer, director (born at St. John's 19 Oct 1948). Greg Malone attended Gonzaga High School in St. John's and in 1970 received a BA in English from Memorial University, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2000 for his contribution to Canadian art and culture.

In 1973 while in Toronto performing at various theatres Malone helped start the CODCO comedy troupe, whose first production, Cod on a Stick: Another Fun Food Show, was performed at Toronto's legendary THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE East. The show took them back to St. John's, where the troupe continued to write and perform in theatre and toured Canada, the US and England until 1977.

In 1978 Malone and Codco alumnus Tommy SEXTON teamed up with the Wonderful Grand Band (WGB), touring Canada from 1977-84. For CBC, the WGB created 42 original shows that had the highest ratings ever recorded for a television program. In 1984 after WGB disbanded, Malone and Sexton went back onstage to create Two Foolish to Talk About, toured to critical acclaim across the country. After winning a national competition for a TV series at the CBC, they created the S&M Comic Book, which was produced in Toronto and won 3 GEMINI AWARDS for writing, performing and best comedy series.

In 1986 they reunited with Codco's Andy JONES, Cathy JONES and Mary WALSH to reprise the Codco experience for Canadian theatre, and out of this reunion grew the Codco television series. Independently produced in Halifax, the series debuted on CBC in 1988 and ran for 5 seasons. Malone's spot-on impersonations included Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Queen Elizabeth II and journalist and radio show host Barbara Frum. The Codco troupe won Gemini Awards in 1992 and 1993 for best writing in a comedy or variety program and in 1994 for best writing and performance in a comedy. In 2002 the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television gave the troupe the EARLE GREY AWARD for lifetime achievement.

Greg Malone wrote and performed in a number of shows for the local CBC-TV station in St. John's, including The Root Seller (1977-78) with Sexton, WGB (1980-83) and 4 comedy specials, The S&M Comic Book (broadcast in 1985 and 1986). In 1992 Malone and Sexton, along with John Grey, wrote and performed in the CBC special The National Doubt. In 1999, Malone created a one-man special for the Comedy Channel, Greg Malone: Pocket Queen, which won awards including the Gold Award for Comedy at the Houston International TV and Film Festival. He directed the award-winning docudrama The Untold Story of the Suffragists of Newfoundland. In film he has appeared in Mike Jones' The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood (filmed in 1976 and released in 1986), Extraordinary Visitor (1998), Sturla GUNNARSSON's Rare Birds (2001), Heyday (2005) with Gordon PINSENT, and Grand Dame (2009).

Greg Malone wrote, directed and performed Sex Drugs and HIV as a training film for health-care professionals following the AIDS-related death of Sexton in 1993. In 2000 he ran for the NDP in the St. John's West federal by-election. He reunited with the Wonderful Grand Band in 2009, releasing The Best of WGB on 2 DVDs and touring Newfoundland. Malone's stories about growing up as a child in St. John's, You Better Watch Out: A Memoir, was published in 2009. His book Don't Tell the Newfoundlanders was launched in 2012. He performs regularly on stage and in television, appearing in Newfoundland's Republic of Doyle TV series as the snitch, Finn.