Justine Smith
New Zealand comedian and actor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Justine Smith is a New Zealand comedian, writer, and actress.
- Comedian
- actress
- writer
- 7 Days
- Taskmaster NZ
NZ Comedy Guild, Best Female Comedian (2008, 2015, 2017)
Justine Smith | |
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Smith in 2017 | |
| Born | 1967 or 1968 (age 57–58)[1] Auckland, New Zealand |
| Occupations |
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| Known for |
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| Awards | Billy T Award (2003) NZ Comedy Guild, Best Female Comedian (2008, 2015, 2017) |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Medium |
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| Website | justinesmith |
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] Smith was a contestant on Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee in 2024. She hosted the Wellington Raw Comedy Quest final in August 2024.[18]
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),[19] and Jussi Town (2010).[20] She and Irene Pink have performed two shows together, I'm Sorry I Said That and The Pitch.[21]
She has cited Bill Bailey as an inspiration,[1] as well as Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Bette Midler, and Betty White.[3]