Steady Eddy

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This article is about the Australian comedian and actor. For the snooker player nicknamed Steady Eddie, see Eddie Charlton.

Steady Eddy
Born
Christopher Widdows

(1968-12-07) December 7, 1968 (age 55)
Occupation(s)Comedian, actor

Christopher Widdows (born 7 December 1968) is an Australian stand-up comedian and actor primarily known by the stage name Steady Eddy. Born with Cerebral palsy,[1] his disability became a key part of his comedy, hence his performing moniker.

Steady Eddy's mainstream career began in 1992 with appearances on popular Australian TV programs like Nine Network's The Midday Show[2] and Seven Network's Tonight Live with Steve Vizard, becoming a frequent personality throughout much of the nineties and early naughts. He was one of the first differently abled performers to be featured prominently in Australian mainstream media.

Stand-up comedy

He began performing stand-up in 1991, with his first Australian stand-up tour kicking off in 1993 with "Ready Steady Go!". The performance recording won the ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release.[3] He followed up in 1994 with “Quantum Limp”, which won him the Young Australian Achievers Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Steady performed internationally throughout the nineties including at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, the Austrian Comedy Festival in Vienna, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the LA Comedy Store.

In 1999, Steady Eddy served as Master of Ceremonies for the national tour by Australian band Midnight Oil. As of 2016, he has been part of the musical-comedy duo The Jingo Brothers, with Steady Eddy and Jolly Jingo performing a mix of skits, stand-up, original songs and covers with Adelaide Fringe saying "critics compare them with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore".[4]

Film & TV

Across his career, he has appeared in numerous film and television productions, including a 1994 episode of A Country Practice titled "There Was a Crooked Man".[5] That same year he made his big screen debut in Ben Lewin's romantic-comedy Paperback Romance (also known as Lucky Break in the US) with Anthony LaPaglia and Rebecca Gibney.[6]

In 2004, Steady Eddy co-starred as Trevor in the Australian-made comedy, Under the Radar, alongside Nathan Phillips, Chloe Maxwell and Clayton Watson.[7] He appeared as a character playing himself in the 2007 ABC TV miniseries Bastard Boys.[8]

Discography

Albums

Title Details
Ready Steady Go!
  • Released: 1993
  • Label: Festival Records (D31046)
  • Format: CD
Born To Be Bent
  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Belly Laugh Records (SW98007)
  • Format: CD

Awards and nominations

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.[9]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1994 Ready Steady Go! Best Comedy Release Won

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Steady Eddy won four awards in that time.[10]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
1993 Steady Eddy Comedy Performer of the Year Won
New Wave Comedy Performer of the Year Won
1994 Won
1995 Won

References

  1. ^ "Steady Eddy". IMDb. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Steady Eddy for MardiGrass Comedy - Nimbin Town Hall". The HEMP Chronicle. 29 April 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Stand Up Comedians - Steady Eddy Comedian Bookings". standupcomedians.com.au. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  4. ^ "The Jingo Brothers. Aka Steady Eddy and Jolly Jingo | Adelaide Fringe". adelaidefringe.com.au. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Steady Eddy". IMDb. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  6. ^ Stratton, David (3 October 1994). "Lucky Break". Variety. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  7. ^ Clarry, Evan (29 July 2004), Under the Radar (Adventure, Comedy, Thriller), Macquarie Film Corporation, retrieved 5 January 2023
  8. ^ "Australian Television: Bastard Boys: articles". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Winners by Year 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 9 January 2012.
  10. ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.

See also

  • Josh Blue – (born 1978) American comedian with cerebral palsy
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