29 Facts About Nina Conti

Nina Margarita Conti was born on 25 August 1973 and is a British actress, comedian, and ventriloquist.

Nina Conti attended King Alfred School, London, and graduated with a first class honours degree in philosophy from the University of East Anglia in 1995.

Nina Conti was inspired and mentored by experimental theatre director Ken Campbell.

Nina Conti appeared as half-Afghan camera operator Azadine in Henry Naylor's play Finding Bin Laden at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

In 2005, Nina Conti voiced Latrina in the animated comedy series Bromwell High.

Nina Conti has appeared in several television shows, including Black Books, Holby City, Single, and the Australian panel show Spicks and Specks.

Nina Conti was awarded joint "Best Performance" in the Maverick Movie Awards for her 2012 film Her Master's Voice, in which she took the bereaved puppets of Ken Campbell to a puppet graveyard in Kentucky.

In 2002, Nina Conti won the BBC New Comedy Awards, came second in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year and came third in "Laughing Horse New Act of the Year" competitions.

Nina Conti took her first solo full-length show, Complete and Utter Conti, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2007, where she introduced some new characters as well as performed familiar routines.

On that episode, Nina Conti noted that she inherited the Granny puppet from Ken Campbell on Campbell's death.

In 2012, Nina Conti appeared in Russell Howard's Good News with Granny.

Nina Conti used a mask on an audience member to persuade him to dance.

In March 2013, Nina Conti appeared on Let's Dance for Comic Relief with Monkey.

Nina Conti danced to "I Like to Move It" by Reel 2 Real.

In June 2013, Nina Conti appeared on Channel 4's Comedy Gala.

Nina Conti appeared as a guest host on the final episode of the ninth series of the BBC stand-up comedy programme, Live at the Apollo, performing her act with Monkey and an additional dummy-mask routine.

In October 2014, Nina Conti appeared on Channel 4's The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night raising awareness of testicular cancer.

In 2015, Nina Conti appeared on BBC Four's Clowning Around, where she trained to be a giggle doctor and clown, and performed to children in hospitals.

In May 2015, Nina Conti appeared on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown in Dictionary Corner and used Fabio, the show's regular prop guy, as a dummy.

Nina Conti played a part in Blunder, The Golf War and featured in Comedy Cuts in 2006,2007 and 2008, respectively.

Nina Conti has appeared on Pointless Celebrities twice: 10 November 2018 with Sally Phillips and 30 October 2021 partnering Tim Vine.

Nina Conti has appeared in a number of diverse forms of media including films, television shows, and shorts, listed below.

Monkey is a cynical monkey who is continually insulting Nina Conti and swearing when he does not have his demands fulfilled.

Granny is an elderly Scotswoman to whom Nina Conti refers as someone who is a lot like her own grandmother.

The original prop was donated to Vent Haven Museum in July 2009, in memory of Ken Campbell, from whom Nina Conti received her, but Nina Conti had a replica made which she continues to use in her acts.

The face mask, rather than an actual puppet with a personality, is a mask that covers the lower half of an audience participant's face and can be manipulated by a hand-piece held by Nina Conti to make it look like the participant is talking.

Nina Conti often uses this to put the participant in awkward and embarrassing situations, such as making them say that they want nothing more than to dance in front of the audience, while their body language suggests the opposite.

Nina Conti was in a relationship with the comedian and actor Ken Campbell, from whom she inherited his collection of ventriloquist dummies after he died.

Nina Conti has two sons, including actor Arthur Conti, from her marriage with fellow comedian Andrew "Stan" Stanley, from whom she is separated.