Urzila Carlson is a multi-award-winning South African-New Zealander comedian who has become a household name in Australia and New Zealand. She is a television favourite in both countries, known for her trademark deadpan humour and cheeky wit.
As a series regular on both the Australian and New Zealand versions of the award-winning comedy panel show Have You Been Paying Attention?, Urzila has won fans over with her television appearances and live shows. She is a touring powerhouse, selling out live shows year after year and has toured the globe.
In 2019, Urzila became the highest-selling comedian in the 33-year long history of The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world. She also took home the coveted People's Choice Award and made her Netflix debut as part of the streaming service's unprecedented world-wide comedy series, Comedians Around the World.
Urzila's autobiography, Rolling With the Punchlines, was originally published in 2016 and re-released in 2019. She has also been a regular panellist on various television shows, including Hughesy We Have A Problem, The Project, Spicks and Specks, Dirty Laundry, and The Great Debate with Barry Humphries.
Urzila has earned numerous awards and nominations, including the 2019 Rielly Comedy Award, Best Female Comedian at the New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards, and the New Zealand International Comedy Festival's coveted People's Choice Award. She was also a nominee for Australia's Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer in 2018.
In 2020, Urzila joined the panel of The Masked Singer Australia and released her standalone one hour Netflix stand-up special Overqualified Loser. She will be returning to the stage in 2021 with her stand up show Token African and will also be a regular panellist on Have You Been Paying Attention NZ.
Urzila has also released her premiere podcast That's Enough Already!, which has shot to the top of the Comedy charts in Australia & New Zealand. She will be making her mark in feature animation as the voice of Honkus in Ozi, alongside Donald Sutherland, Laura Dern, Ru Paul and Amandla Stenberg, due for release in 2022.
