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OTTAWA (Ont.) – Today Canada Post is honouring Great Canadian Comedians by issuing a series of stamps featuring them and some of their most memorable roles. The stamps honour the work of Jim Carrey, Olivier Guimond, Mike Myers, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Short, all chosen for their talent in entertaining and making us laugh.

“Canada is the birthplace of some of the world’s most successful comedians and our series is about some of the many Canadian comedians who keep us laughing,” says Jim Phillips, Director of Stamp Services at Canada Post.

• Jim Carrey: Born in Newmarket (Ontario), Carrey was a natural entertainer, giving his first stand-up performance at the age of 14. It wasn’t long after Carrey became a staple on Toronto’s comedy circuit. He then moved to Los Angeles where he appeared on An Evening at the Improv and The Tonight Show and as a regular on the sketch comedy series In Living Color. Carrey then starred in some of the most successful movies of all time, including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Liar, Liar, The Truman Show, Bruce Almighty and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

• Olivier Guimond: Rising to fame on Quebec’s burlesque scene, Guimond continued to shine at the Théâtre National, the Théâtre des Variétés, the Théâtre Odéon-Mercier, the Comédie-Canadienne and Place des Arts. Guimond starred on the popular TV series Cré Basile and appeared on the well-known Radio-Canada comedy review Bye Bye. He will always be remembered for his portrayal of Basile Lebrun on Télé-Métropole, which stands as one of Guimond’s greatest achievements.

• Mike Myers: Born in Scarborough (Ontario), he learned to love Monty Python and Benny Hill from his father. In the early 80s, he joined Toronto’s Second City ensemble before making his mark as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, where some of his characters vaulted from the TV sketch to the big screen. He also created memorable characters, from Wayne Campbell in Wayne’s World to Austin Powers/Dr. Evil and voiced the green ogre in the Shrek movies. In 2013, he made his directorial debut with Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon.

• Catherine O’Hara: O’Hara’s first appearance on stage was with Toronto’s Second City troupe. She moved on to television on the SCTV show, where she is remembered for playing a range of hilarious characters. Her film career took off with After Hours followed by Beetlejuice. She was memorable in the Home Alone movies, and lent her comedic talent as a voice actor in The Nightmare Before Christmas, Chicken Little, Over the Hedge and Frankenweenie.

• Martin Short: A native of Hamilton (Ontario), Short’s comedic career kicked off by joining Toronto’s Second City troupe. He moved on to the SCTV show, creating several memorable characters that would later reappear in The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley and I, Martin Short, Goes Home. When SCTV ended, he jumped to the big screen, co-starring in Three Amigos. He also lent his voice to hit animated movies, including Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and more recently, Frankenweenie.

About the stamps
The stamps measure 40 mm x 26 mm and are available in booklets of 10. The five separate Official First Day Covers measure 191 mm x 113 mm and the souvenir sheet featuring all five comedians measures 130 mm x 95 mm. The stamps were printed by the Canadian Bank Note. Kosta Tsetsekas, Mike Savage and John Belisle of the Signals design group designed the stamps. The Official First Day Cover cancellation sites are: Jim Carrey, Newmarket, Ont.; Olivier Guimond, Montréal, Que.; Mike Myers and Catherine O’Hara, Toronto, Ont. and Martin Short, Hamilton, Ont. To download images of the stamps or to purchase philatelic products, please visit canadapost.ca/shop.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery; Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me; Austin Powers in Gold Member; Dumb and Dumber; The Mask:
TM/MC & © New Line Productions, Inc.
Beetlejuice and For Your Consideration:
TM/MC & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
A Mighty Wind:
TM/MC & © Castle Rock Entertainment
(s14)

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective -
Courtesy of Morgan Creek Productions.