New Zealand comedian and actor
For the Australian ophthalmic surgeon and vision researcher, see
Justine R. Smith .
Justine Smith
Born 1967 or 1968 (age 55–56)[ 1] Occupations Known for Awards Billy T Award (2003) NZ Comedy Guild, Best Female Comedian (2008, 2015, 2017)Comedy career Medium Years active 1997–present
Website justinesmith .co .nz
Justine Smith is a New Zealand comedian , writer, and actress.
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]
Personal life
Smith lived in Japan for a year in her 20s.[ 8] [ 4] [ 22]
Smith married her husband Dan Crozier in 2015.[ 23] [ 1] They live in Te Atatū Peninsula with their two cats.[ 24] She collects toys and enjoys decorating for Christmas.[ 14] [ 9] [ 18]
References
^ a b c d e Nealon, Sarah (31 October 2017). "NZ comedian Justine Smith: 'I always thought I was pretty funny' " . Stuff.co.nz.
^ a b c d e "Justine Smith - Funny As Interview" . NZ on Screen. 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2023 .
^ a b Papesch, Lynda (12 October 2021). "Justine Smith" . Metropol. Retrieved 2 September 2023 .
^ a b "7 Days comedian Justine Smith loves Disneyland so much she got engaged there" . Stuff.co.nz. 21 May 2022.
^ a b c d e f g Brooks, Sam (9 July 2022). "Justine Smith's long road to Taskmaster glory" . The Spinoff.
^ "Taskmaster NZ comedian Justine Smith's favourite holiday memories" . NZ Herald . 28 June 2022.
^ Anderson, Vicki (24 January 2014). "Female comedian: 'I scare most people off' " . Stuff.co.nz.
^ a b Easther, Elisabeth (31 August 2020). "My Story: Justine Smith - 'Quite a lot of the hate towards women comes from other women' " . NZ Herald.
^ a b 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 .
^ Johnson, Verity (16 March 2017). "You do what for a living?! Justine Smith, comedian" . Newshub.
^ Horan, Paul; Matthews, Philip (2019). Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy . Auckland: Auckland University Press. ISBN 9781776710447 .
^ "Comedians in Conversation: Alice Snedden and Justine Smith" . The Spinoff. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2023 .
^ a b "Billy T' Billy: Dai Henwood, Justine Smith and Irene Pink on NZ comedy in the 00s" . NZ Herald. 15 May 2023.
^ a b Hebenton, Rebekah (9 December 2022). "Justine Smith loves everything about Christmas" . Woman's Weekly. Retrieved 2 September 2023 .
^ Nealon, Sarah (22 April 2021). "Justine Smith hosting this year's Comedy Gala" . Stuff.co.nz.
^ Graham-McLay, Charlotte (15 June 2020). "New Zealand government deploys nude 'porn actors' in web safety ad" . The Guardian .
^ Casey, Alex (8 August 2023). "The Traitors NZ power rankings, week one: Gather round, chickadees" . The Spinoff.
^ a b Walker Ahwa, Zoe (17 August 2024). "Comedian Justine Smith's stylish must-haves" . The Post . Retrieved 2 December 2024 .
^ "Justine Smith: The Return of the Jussi" . Theatreview. Retrieved 3 September 2023 .
^ Walker, Zoe (2 May 2010). "Favourite things: Funny business" . NZ Herald. Retrieved 2 September 2023 .
^ "Justine Smith" . The Sit Down Comedy Club. Retrieved 2 September 2023 .
^ "Advice to my 22 year old self: Justine Smith" . The Big Idea. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2023 .
^ Hebenton, Rebekah (14 April 2023). "Comedian Justine Smith's Disney proposal" . New Zealand Women's Weekly.
^ Mann, Britt (12 November 2017). "At home with Auckland comedian Justine Smith" . Stuff.co.nz.
External links