Anh Do

{{short description|Vietnamese-born Australian author, actor and comedian}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Anh Do

| image = Anh Do 2011 cropped.jpg

| caption = Do in 2011

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|6|2|df=y}}

| birth_place = Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NDEZPTldDjQC | title=The Happiest Refugee: The Extraordinary True Story of a Boy's Journey from Starvation at Sea to Becoming One of Australia's Best-loved Comedians | isbn=9781459616059 | last1=Do | first1=Anh | date=22 March 2011 | publisher=ReadHowYouWant.com }}

| death_date =

| death_place =

| resting place =

| resting place coordinates =

| othername =

| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|Stand-up comedian|Author}}

| years_active =

| relatives = Khoa Do (brother)

| spouse = Suzanne Do

| children = 4

| website = https://www.anhdo.com/

}}

Anh Do (born 2 June 1977){{Cite web |title=Do, Anh - Full record view - Libraries Australia Search |url=https://librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au/search/display?dbid=auth&id=40652566 |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au}} is a Vietnamese-born Australian author, actor, comedian, and painter.

He has appeared on Australian TV shows such as Thank God You're Here and Good News Week, and was runner-up on Dancing with the Stars in 2007. He studied a combined Business Law degree at the University of Technology, Sydney.[http://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/brspeaker_bio.asp?Speaker_Index_Text=425 Celebrity Speakers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029162050/http://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/brspeaker_bio.asp?Speaker_Index_Text=425 |date=29 October 2009 }} Anh Do He is the brother of film director Khoa Do and has acted in several of Khoa's films, including Footy Legends, which he co-wrote and produced. In 2012, his TV show Anh Does Vietnam began airing. He has been four times a finalist in the Archibald Prize and won the 2017 People's Choice Award.{{Cite web |title=Archibald Prize Archibald 2022 work: Peter, up close by Anh Do |url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2022/30417/ |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=Art Gallery of New South Wales |language=en}} From 2016 to 2021, Do hosted Anh's Brush with Fame on ABC TV in which he concurrently interviews and paints a portrait of prominent Australians.

Early life as a refugee

Anh Do and his family fled to Australia as refugees in 1980.{{cite news| url=http://www.theage.com.au/money/investing/profile-anh-do-20110201-1abk3.html | location=Melbourne | work=The Age | title=Profile: Anh Do | date=2 February 2011}} In his 2010 autobiography, The Happiest Refugee, Do tells of how his family survived five days in a leaky fishing boat nine and a half metres long and two metres wide. During the trip his family and the rest of the passengers were attacked by two different bands of pirates. The first group stole one of the two engines and the second group of pirates stole the second engine, which had been broken but repaired by Do's father using a piece of rubber from a thong. It was reported that as the second band of pirates left, one of them threw a gallon of water onboard which kept all but one of the refugees alive, until they were finally rescued by a German merchant ship.{{Cite book|last=Do|first=Anh|title=The Happiest Refugee |url=https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/general-books/biography-autobiography/The-Happiest-Refugee-Anh-Do-9781742372389 |publisher=Allen&Unwin|year=2010|isbn=978-1-74237-238-9}} The boat was packed with 40 Vietnamese refugees fleeing across the Indian Ocean. "We were crammed in like sardines," he said.{{cite web | url=http://www.stevedow.com.au/Default.aspx?id=403 | title=No laughing matter | publisher=Steve Dow | date=10 May 2009 | access-date=16 May 2018}} Do's family settled in the Sydney suburb of Yagoona.{{cite news |author=Steve Dow |agency= |title=No laughing matter |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/no-laughing-matter-20090513-gdtj1j.html |quote= |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |date=2019-05-13 |access-date=2023-02-16 }}

The Happiest Refugee has won awards, including the 2011 Australian Book of the Year, Biography of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, as well as the Indie Book of the Year Award 2011, Non-fiction Indie Book of the Year 2011, and it was shortlisted for the 2011 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Community Relations Commission Award.

Career

File:Anh Do walking the red carpet.jpg]]

Do attended St Aloysius' College in Milsons Point for his secondary education.{{cite web|last=McCowen|first=Sharyn|title=Happiest refugee gives 'all credit to big fella upstairs'|url=http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/article.php?classID=3&subclassID=9&articleID=7334&subclass=A%20conversation%20with|publisher=The Catholic Weekly|access-date=7 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222175106/https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/article.php?classID=3&subclassID=9&articleID=7334&subclass=A%20conversation%20with|archive-date=22 February 2014}} When he was 14 he started a small business breeding tropical fish. While studying his first year of law at the University of Technology, Sydney, he owned a stall which sold American Indian artifacts, which he later expanded to four franchised stores. Six months before finishing his combined Business Law degree, law firms offered him jobs which required 60 hours of work a week. He opted to take up stand-up comedy instead. Since 2013 Do has cut back on comedy to focus on painting full-time. He was a finalist in the Archibald Prize in 2014, 2017 and 2019.

From 2016 to 2021, Do hosted Anh's Brush with Fame on ABC-TV.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2016/07/airdate-anhs-brush-with-fame.html|title=Airdate: Anh's Brush with Fame |date=30 July 2016|access-date=30 July 2016|work=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox}}{{cite web|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2019/03/returning-anhs-brush-with-fame-3.html|date=14 March 2019|access-date=14 March 2019|work=TV Tonight|author=David Knox|title=Returning: Anh's Brush with Fame}} In this popular program, Anh Do concurrently interviews and paints a portrait of prominent Australians. He has been criticised for pre-painting the portraits from photographs and enlisting help from his art tutor.{{Cite web |last=Perry |first=Kevin |date=2019-07-18 |title=Should ABC viewers feel cheated by ANH DO and that 7 year old image of Chef KYLIE KWONG? |url=https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2019/07/18/2019-7-18-should-abc-viewers-feel-cheated-by-anh-do-and-that-7-year-old-image-of-chef-kylie-kwong/ |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=TV Blackbox |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |last=Hornery |first=Andrew |date=2021-07-02 |title=Anh Do refuses to let critics, doubters take gloss off his celebrity portraits |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/celebrity/anh-do-refuses-to-let-critics-doubters-take-gloss-off-his-celebrity-portraits-20210622-p5836r.html |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}

Personal life

Do is married to Suzanne (Suzie) Do and they have three sons and a daughter.{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/why-comedian-anh-do-turned-his-hand-to-painting-for-the-archibald-prize-20140902-10azr0.html|title=Why comedian Anh Do turned his hand to painting for the Archibald Prize|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=5 September 2014|first=Andrew|last=Taylor|access-date=14 December 2015}} Do met Suzie whilst they were both studying at university.{{cite news |author=Catie Powers |agency= |title=Anh Do was initially rejected by his wife Suzie before they fell in love |url=https://www.newidea.com.au/anh-do-wife |quote= |newspaper=New Idea |date=2021-11-19 |access-date=2023-02-16 }} His mother, Hien, played the role of Van Nguyen's mother, Kim, in Better Man, a film which was produced by Anh's brother Khoa Do.[http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2013/07/david-wenham-proud-of-better-mans-message.html David Wenham proud of Better Man's message], TV Tonight, 30 July 2013

Awards

2011 Independent Booksellers Book of the Year[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-03-15/comedian-anh-do-wins-indie-book-prize/2655756 Comedian Anh Do wins indie book prize | ABC Radio 26 July 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2013] (for The Happiest Refugee)
2011 Joint winner (with musician Paul Kelly) of the Biography of the Year[http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3277776.htm Comedian wins top book prize | ABC News 15 March 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2013] (for The Happiest Refugee)
2011 Best Newcomer (for The Happiest Refugee)
2011 Book of the Year (for The Happiest Refugee)
2017 People's Choice Award, Archibald Prize (for portrait of Jack Charles)
2024 Young Australian Best Book Award for Fiction for younger readers (for Hot Dog #10: Beach Time!, illustrated by Dan McGuiness){{Cite web |date=2024-10-29 |title=YABBA Awards 2024 winners announced |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2024/10/29/261021/yabba-awards-2024-winners-announced/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |publisher=Books+Publishing}}

=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. Anh Do won one award in that time.{{cite web|url=https://www.moawards.com.au/awardwinners|title=MO Award Winners|website=Mo Awards|access-date=16 March 2022}}

{{awards table}} (wins only)

| 2012

| Anh Do

| Rodney Rude Stand Up Comedian of the Year

| {{won}}

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable"

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Notes

|The NRL Footy Show

|Himself

|Comedian

|Short and Curley

|Host

2000

|SeaChange

|Quan Tho

2002

|Don't Blame Me

|Vinnie

rowspan="2" |2003

|All Saints

|Tim Salter

|Episode: "The Devil to Pay"

The Finished People

|Factory Worker

rowspan="2" |2005

|Little Fish

|Tran

Blue Water High

|Robbo

|Episode: "It's Hard to Be Normal"

2005-2007

|Pizza

|Chong Fat

rowspan="3" |2006

|Two Twisted

|Paramedic

Solo

|Nguyen

Footy Legends

|Luc Vu

2006 & 2007

|Thank God You're Here

|Himself

|Improvised comedy series

Contestant

rowspan="3" |2007

|Kick

|Hoa Tran

Dancing with the Stars

|Contestant

|Reality television series

Deal or No Deal

|Contestant

|Reality television series

Celebrity special

Won maximum prize of $200,000

rowspan="3" |2008

|Crooked Business

|Benny Wing

Double the Fist

|Krakbot

Made in China

|Host

rowspan="2" |2009

|The Squiz

|Host

|Game show television series

Top Gear Australia

|Guest

|Motoring reality television series

rowspan="2" |2010

|Matty Johns Show

|Himself

|Anh Can Do segment

Talking Heads

|Guest

|Series 6, Episode 33

2012

|Pictures of You

|Guest

|Talk show

2012-2014

|Anh Does

|Host

|Travel and lifestyle television series

2014-2016

|Long Lost Family (Australia)

|Co-host

|Documentary series

2016-2021

|Anh's Brush with Fame

|Host

|Talk show

Books

class="wikitable sortable"

!Year

!Title

!Publisher

!Unique identifier

!Notes

2010

|The Happiest Refugee

Anh Do

Early life as a refugee

Career

Personal life

Awards

=Mo Awards=

Filmography

Books

References

External links