Justine Smith

Justine Smith is a New Zealand comedian, writer, and actress.

Justine Smith
Born1967 or 1968 (age 54–56)[1]
Auckland, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealand
Occupations
Known for
  • 7 Days
  • Taskmaster NZ
AwardsBilly T Award (2003)
NZ Comedy Guild, Best Female Comedian (2008, 2015, 2017)
Comedy career
Medium
  • Television
  • stand-up
Years active1997–present
Websitejustinesmith.co.nz

Early life

Smith was born in Auckland and adopted by and raised in a self-described "conservative"[2] family in Wainoni in Christchurch, New Zealand.[3][4][5][1][6] Smith has an older sister.[2] Her grandfather, Bill Ramsay, had been a comedian.[2][5] She attended Avonside Girls' High School until she was sixteen, when she moved to Auckland to attend art school.[7][8]

Smith has a degree in film and photography.[2][5] After graduating, she worked in hospitality.[9]

Career

Smith started her career in comedy after doing a stand-up gig in 1997.[10] She went on to win the Billy T Award in 2003 for her show The Justine Smith Hour.[11][12][13] Smith briefly quit comedy in 2014.[5]

Smith is the first female head writer[5] and a regular panelist on 7 Days,[1] and she has appeared on The Project.[5] In 2022, Smith appeared on the third series of Taskmaster NZ.[5][14] She has also been on Pulp Comedy, Have You Been Paying Attention?, and hosted the New Zealand International Comedy Festival Comedy Gala in 2021.[2][15] Smith also appeared in an advertisement, produced by the New Zealand government for its "Keep It Real Online" campaign, that went viral.[16] In 2023, she appeared on the New Zealand version of The Traitors.[17]

She also won the NZ Comedy Guild's Best Female Comedian award three times, in 2008, 2015, and 2017.[13]

Shows performed by Smith include Actually I'm a Cat Person, The Justine Smith Hour (2003), Return of the Jussi (2008),[18] and Jussi Town (2010).[19] She and Irene Pink have performed two shows together, I'm Sorry I Said That and The Pitch.[20]

She has cited Bill Bailey as an inspiration,[1] as well as Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Bette Midler, and Betty White.[3]

Personal life

Smith lived in Japan for a year in her 20s.[8][4][21]

Smith married her husband Dan Crozier in 2015.[22][1] They live in Te Atatū Peninsula with their two cats.[23] She collects toys and enjoys decorating for Christmas.[14][9]

References
  1. Nealon, Sarah (31 October 2017). "NZ comedian Justine Smith: 'I always thought I was pretty funny'". Stuff.co.nz.
  2. "Justine Smith - Funny As Interview". NZ on Screen. 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  3. Papesch, Lynda (12 October 2021). "Justine Smith". Metropol. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  4. "7 Days comedian Justine Smith loves Disneyland so much she got engaged there". Stuff.co.nz. 21 May 2022.
  5. Brooks, Sam (9 July 2022). "Justine Smith's long road to Taskmaster glory". The Spinoff.
  6. "Taskmaster NZ comedian Justine Smith's favourite holiday memories". NZ Herald. 28 June 2022.
  7. Anderson, Vicki (24 January 2014). "Female comedian: 'I scare most people off'". Stuff.co.nz.
  8. Easther, Elisabeth (31 August 2020). "My Story: Justine Smith - 'Quite a lot of the hate towards women comes from other women'". NZ Herald.
  9. Yates, Siena (May 2021). "How Kiwi comedy queen Justine Smith is shaking up the stand-up scene for women". Woman (11): 30–35. ISSN 2703-6421.
  10. Johnson, Verity (16 March 2017). "You do what for a living?! Justine Smith, comedian". Newshub.
  11. Horan, Paul; Matthews, Philip (2019). Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy. Auckland: Auckland University Press. ISBN 9781776710447.
  12. "Comedians in Conversation: Alice Snedden and Justine Smith". The Spinoff. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  13. "Billy T' Billy: Dai Henwood, Justine Smith and Irene Pink on NZ comedy in the 00s". NZ Herald. 15 May 2023.
  14. Hebenton, Rebekah (9 December 2022). "Justine Smith loves everything about Christmas". Woman's Weekly. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  15. Nealon, Sarah (22 April 2021). "Justine Smith hosting this year's Comedy Gala". Stuff.co.nz.
  16. Graham-McLay, Charlotte (15 June 2020). "New Zealand government deploys nude 'porn actors' in web safety ad". The Guardian.
  17. Casey, Alex (8 August 2023). "The Traitors NZ power rankings, week one: Gather round, chickadees". The Spinoff.
  18. "Justine Smith: The Return of the Jussi". Theatreview. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  19. Walker, Zoe (2 May 2010). "Favourite things: Funny business". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  20. "Justine Smith". The Sit Down Comedy Club. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  21. "Advice to my 22 year old self: Justine Smith". The Big Idea. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  22. Hebenton, Rebekah (14 April 2023). "Comedian Justine Smith's Disney proposal". New Zealand Women's Weekly.
  23. Mann, Britt (12 November 2017). "At home with Auckland comedian Justine Smith". Stuff.co.nz.
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