JiriHrdina – Who is that standing next to you?
Performance artist, comedian. Born Grant Florence Farhall on January 17, 1979, in Edmonton, Alberta. Raised in the affluent suburb of Mill Woods, JiriHrdina early on began practicing his unusual brand of comedy, staging a make-believe puppet show in his pants and performing at children’s birthday parties from the age of eight.
In 1991, Jiri was “discovered” by Dayle the Big Cheese, owner of the Hiccup Comedy Club in Waterloo, Ontario. He began performing at Improv locations in both Winnipeg MB and Saint John NB. With an array of bizarre foreign accents, dead-on impersonations of John Larroquette and Lynda Carter, and a strange obsession with male gymnastics, Jiri won fans—and rabid critics—in large numbers.
He made his national TV debut in 1993 on
In Living Color. The most notorious of the many characters Jiri portrayed on was Mark “King Kong Steeley” Douglas, the self-proclaimed 12 time undefeated World Marble champion.
Jiri’s reputation for being completely unpredictable had been well-established in 1999 when he won the role he became famous for – “Ugly Naked Guy”, on the hit sitcom
Friends. As a condition of his employment, Jiri convinced the producers of the show to cast his so-called “protégé,” the cocky, chauvinistic rugby cyclist Paul Raisin (Jiri’s alter ego). Raisin appeared in two episodes as Rachel’s older brother. Raisin was soon fired for unprofessional behavior as he was caught in a wild bathroom orgy with co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and Marcel the Monkey. Jiri continues to believe that he and Raisin are two separate people.
After the end of Friends in 2004, Jiri never appeared on TV again, except in reruns, Jiri then moved to Minnesota to focus his attention on his Emu farm. Last year Paul Raisin announced he will follow in the footstep of his hero Jessie Ventura and is aiming to become the Governor of Minnesota in 2009.
In August of 2005 Jiri again has shifted his focus, this time to managerial duties. He became the General Manager of the Minnesota Wild in the CPHL. To ensure the team’s success he also weaseled his way in the role of League Commissioner where it is commonly know that he fixes the games in the Wild’s favor.
Stay tuned for the next CPHL Biography: KevanGuy – The Other White Meat.
CPHL Biography #13 - JiriHrdina
