Emma Hunter isn’t the first Canadian to make a great impression with her hilarious takes on celebrities. Here are some others who have added lots of personality to their world-class impersonations.
Rich Little
One of the pioneers of the art form, Little and his Rock of Gibraltar features channel sturdy male celebs with minor quirks (Johnny Carson, Jimmy Stewart) and at least half a dozen U.S. presidents. Shame he got so chummy with the Republican ones.
André-Philippe Gagnon
In 1985, the Quebec-born Gagnon made a spectacular appearance on The Tonight Show – back when it could kick-start careers – recreating every voice from the We Are The World fundraising song and video. That led to a Vegas act and international acclaim.
Jessica Holmes
Her Liza Minnelli and Céline Dion impressions are untouchable and, after gaining exposure on The Royal Canadian Air Farce, she did some decent political impersonations, too, like Belinda Stronach. Costumes and props help her immensely, and her writing talent adds a touch of social satire so she’s not just mimicking.
Gavin Crawford
With jaw-dropping skill and lots of mischief, Crawford fearlessly sends up everyone from fey pop stars (Rufus Wainwright) to androgynous journalists (Chantal Hébert). His impressions are spot-on, but it’s his subversive writing (he had Harry Potter’s Severus Snape tape an It Gets Better ad) that catapults his material into the realm of fine art.
SCTV ensemble
The cast was best at sending up entertainment icons like those ass-kissing phonies on the Sammy Maudlin Show. But when they got specific, they struck comedy gold: Rick Moranis as Woody Allen, John Candy as Orson Welles, Catherine O’Hara as Brooke Shields, Andrea Martin as Brenda Vaccaro, Martin Short as Brian Linehan, Joe Flaherty as William F. Buckley, Dave Thomas as Carl Sagan, Eugene Levy as Alex Trebek…. Oh how we miss Melonville.
