Paul Zerdin
Born (1972-08-21) 21 August 1972
London, England
NationalityEnglish
Occupation(s)Ventriloquist, comedian
Years active
  • 1993
  • 1996
  • 2008
  • 2015–present
Agenthttps://intertalentgroup.com/
Notable workAmerica's Got Talent (season 10) (Winner)
TelevisionSee list
Websitewww.paulzerdin.com

Paul Zerdin (born 21 August 1972)[1] is a British comedian and ventriloquist from London. He was the winner of the 10th season of America's Got Talent.

Early life

When Zerdin was 10, a family friend made him a puppet theatre which he used to put on shows. Having failed his GCSEs, Zerdin got a job in a magic shop, developing his magic skills along the way. Simultaneously, he was also developing a sideline as a children's entertainer.

Career

Zerdin made his TV debut as a magician on the BBC's Tricky Business. Shortly afterwards, at the age of 20, Zerdin landed a two-year contract presenting the Disney-produced children's programme Rise and Shine for GMTV.[2]

In 1996, Zerdin was the first outright winner – by over 100,000 votes – of LWT's The Big Big Talent Show, hosted by Jonathan Ross. The experience introduced him to Nigel Lythgoe, who took Zerdin under his wing, paving the way for appearances on shows including Tonight at the London Palladium and The Generation Game. Lythgoe secured Zerdin a spot on The Prince's Trust Gala Show in 1997.[3]

During the 2016-17 Christmas season, Zerdin played Cinderella's sidekick Buttons in the London Palladium production of the pantomime Cinderella, leading the Radio Times to dub him "inspired casting." The magazine added that "His quick wit, rapport with the crowd and astonishing skills with puppet Sam turn the often toe-curling audience participation bits (don't sit in the front row) into genuinely hilarious moments."[4]

Got Talent

In 2015, Zerdin auditioned for the tenth season of America's Got Talent, successfully earning a place in the live rounds of the contest, before eventually winning the finals on 16 September 2015. Alongside winning $1 million, Zerdin was given his own headline show in Las Vegas. Entitled Mouthing Off, it ran for four months in 2016, between 14 May and 4 September, at Planet Hollywood, before closing due to low attendance figures.[5] In 2019, Zerdin returned to partake in the programme's spin-off contest, America's Got Talent: The Champions, in January, and the spin-off contest, Britain's Got Talent: The Champions, in July later that year, but failed to reach the final of either show.

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1993 Rise and Shine Presenter GMTV (Kids)
1996 The Big Big Talent Show Himself Winner
Sooty & Co. Little Cousin Paul ITV
2008 The Convention Crasher Himself Channel 4
2015 America's Got Talent Winner
2016 Himself and Guest NBC
Newzoids Himself ITV
2017 Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? Himself and Guest ABC
2019 Britain's Got Talent Himself ITV
Tenable All Stars
2021 Justin's House CBeebies

Stage

Year Title Role Venue/ Place Notes
1998 Paul Zerdin in Paradise Himself Blackpool Pleasure Beach Paradise Room in The Casino (11 July - 7 November)
2017, 2018, 2020 Paul Zerdin LIVE Butlins (Minehead, Bognor and Skegness) School summer holidays only and February half term (2018 only) [6]
2016 Cinderella Buttons The London Palladium
2017 Paul Zerdin All Mouth Himself UK Tour
Dick Whittington Idle Jack The London Palladium
2018 Snow White Muddles
2019 Goldilocks & the Three Bears Silly Billy
2022 Jack and the Beanstalk Silly Simon

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Karts in Suzuka Sam Zerdin

See also

References

  1. ↑ Paul Zerdin [@paulzerdin] (21 August 2015). "Thanks for the #birthday wishes. I'm 23 again!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ↑ "British ventriloquist Paul Zerdin wins America's Got Talent". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  3. ↑ Paul Zerdin's biography – Paul Zerdin
  4. ↑ "Cinderella review: Paul O'Grady and Julian Clary are spectacularly bonkers ★★★★". RadioTimes. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "Zerdin's 'Mouthing Off' to go silent at Planet Hollywood". 24 August 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  6. ↑ "February Half Term Breaks - UK Holidays 2019 - Butlins". Butlins. Retrieved 20 September 2018.


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