Bio
Nina Conti is an English actress, comedian and ventriloquist best known for her stage act which features her most iconic character, a puppet sidekick who is a depressed monkey named Monk.
Her directorial debut film, Her Master's Voice, received the audience award when it world-premiered at South by Southwest film festival in March 2012. She subsequently made a second documentary for BBC4, Make Me Happy, which was nominated for two British Comedy Awards.
Nina began her career as an actress with the Royal Shakespeare Company before theatre director Ken Campbell inspired her to become a ventriloquist. In the UK she shot to fame after winning the BBC New Comedy Award in 2002.
In 2008 she won the prestigious BARRY at the Melbourne comedy festival with her solo show Complete and Utter Conti. Her live show Talk to the Hand sold out seasons in Edinburgh, London, Melbourne, the Sydney Opera House and New York.
Nina's act appears frequently on television; UK television credits include Let's Dance for Comic Relief, QI, The Rob Brydon Show and Live at the Apollo.
US appearances include Ellen, The Late Late Show, Craig Ferguson's International House of Comedy Gala and BBC America: Funny As Hell.
In 2003, she stared as Mary in a series called Single, then in 2005 voiced characters in another series entitled Bromwell High. In 2006, 2007 and 2008 she played a part in Blunder, The Golf War and featured in Comedy Cuts, respectively.
In 2013 she was a starring cast member of the mockumentary comedy series Family Tree as Bea Chadwick/Monkey, Tom's sister who uses a hand puppet named "Monk" to communicate her feelings after an embarrassing incident with a puffin in her childhood.