Ant (comedian)
{{short description|American stand-up comedian and actor|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ant
| image = Anthony_Kalloniatis.jpg
| caption =
| birth_name = Anthony Steven Kalloniatis
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|8|23|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Actor
Comedian
Television host
| years_active = 1991 – present
| spouse =
| children =
| website = {{url|http://www.antcomic.com/}}
}}
Ant (born Anthony Steven Kalloniatis; August 23, 1967){{cite web|url=http://podcast.itm-1014.com/klsx1/520762.mp3 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2007-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929152548/http://podcast.itm-1014.com/klsx1/520762.mp3 |archive-date=2007-09-29 }}{{cite news|url = https://ew.com/article/1993/04/02/ticket-stardom/|publisher = Entertainment Weekly|title = Ticket to Stardom: L.A.'s Traffic Schools for Offenders put Actors' Careers in the Fast Lane | first=Alan|last=Carter|date=April 2, 1993}} is an American stand-up comedian and actor.{{cite web|url = http://www.jubmag.com/issues/july-2007/ant.html|publisher = JustUsBoys.com Magazine|format = Blog | title = ANT}} He was born as 'Anthony Kalloniatis', but later legally changed his name to 'Ant' in 1993.[http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/cacdce/2:2009cv07672/456853/132 ANT v Anthony McPartlin et al. – Document 132] Justia US Law
Early life
Ant was born Anthony Steven Kalloniatis on August 23, 1967, in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1993, he legally changed his name to 'Ant'.
Career
Ant performed at comedy clubs across the US beginning in 1991.
In 1995, he was a semi-regular cast member on the WB series Unhappily Ever After,{{Cite podcast|url=http://secondchances.tv/2017/11/19/bobby-lee-provoked-panda/|title=Bobby Lee is a Provoked Panda|website=Second Chances Podcast|date=November 19, 2017|access-date=January 28, 2020|last=Baldwin|first=Greg|last2=Kalloniatis|first2=Anthony}} spending four seasons on the sitcom.
Ant appeared as a contestant on Last Comic Standing, competing in seasons two and three.{{cite web|title=IMDB Online Resource|website=IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054282/ |access-date= March 27, 2003 }}
He was the host of VH1 reality series Celebrity Fit Club and was a regular judge of talent on Steve Harvey's Big Time. His television series U.S. of Ant premiered on MTV's gay-targeted Logo cable channel in the summer of 2006. Ant also frequently appeared as a commentator on shows such as VH1's Best Week Ever and CNBC's Dennis Miller, and was a regular guest on The Tyra Banks Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as well as The Howard Stern Show.
In 2007, he appeared along with Snoop Dogg as a guest star on MTV{{'}}s sketch comedy show Short Circuitz.
Ant appeared as a regular celebrity guest on the game show To Tell the Truth, alongside Jackée Harry, Meshach Taylor and John O'Hurley.
In 2008, he was a contestant on VH1's reality competition Celebracadabra, where celebrities trained with established magicians, and competed in an elimination-format contest. Ant was eliminated in episode 2 and brought back in episode 4, but did not go on to win.
Ant is a former host of the Second Chances podcast with comedian Greg Baldwin.{{Cite web|url=https://secondchances.gregbaldwin.co/2019/11/24/ants-second-chance/|title=ANT's Second Chance|last=ANTcomic|date=2019-11-24|website=Second Chances Podcast|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-29}}
Legal issues
On September 30, 2008, Ant sued English presenter Ant McPartlin, best known as half of the presenting duo Ant & Dec, for US$30 million for using the name 'Ant' in the United States. The lawsuit, among other things, alleged trademark infringement and fraud. The suit was dismissed in May 2010.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.antcomic.com}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0030714|name=Ant}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091257/http://www.tv.com/ant/person/54282/biography.html TV.com entry]
{{Last Comic Standing}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ant}}
Category:Male actors from Boston
Category:American people of Greek descent
Category:American male comedians
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American stand-up comedians
Category:Last Comic Standing contestants
Category:LGBTQ people from Massachusetts
Category:20th-century American comedians
Category:21st-century American comedians
Category:Comedians from Boston