Howie Miller

Howie Miller is a Cree comedian from Edmonton, Canada. He is best known for his stand-up comedy performances and his role in the main cast of the sketch comedy show Caution: May Contain Nuts.

Personal life

Miller was born into the Paul Band before being fostered by, then adopted into, a German family in south Edmonton starting at the age of six months. His adoptive family encouraged him to connect with his Indigenous heritage. He worked a number of odd jobs, including as a firefighter and at a car wash, before starting to perform stand-up comedy in his early 20s as a way of supporting his family.[1]

One of Miller's sons, Tyson Houseman, is an actor who played Quil Ateara in the Twilight films.[2] Another son, Todd Houseman, performs with Ben Gorodetzky as the comedy duo Folk Lordz.[3]

Career

Miller is best known as a main cast member of the APTN sketch comedy show Caution: May Contain Nuts, which received many nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards. Miller, in drag, plays Marta, one half (along with Sheldon Elter's Delmer) of an Indigenous couple living in a trailer park. The characters originated as part of Miller and Elter's stand-up routines and improv work.[4] The couple's story was eventually spun off into the sitcom Delmer and Marta, which follows them as they move to "big city" of Morningside, where Marta gets a job as the host of a news show.[4][5]

Miller continues to perform stand-up, and has performed in such settings as Just for Laughs, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and the Halifax Comedy Festival.[2] In 2022, he released the stand-up album Colonize This.[6] He makes regular appearances on CBC Radio One comedy show The Debaters.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Howie Miller bridges cultures with comedy". CBC Radio. 2016-12-09. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  2. ^ a b Purvis, Michael (2012-12-11). "Success runs in Howie Miller's family". The Sault Star. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  3. ^ Muzyka, Kyle (2020-01-17). "'I'm Indigenous and I'm proud of it': Cree comic inspires sons to follow in his footsteps". CBC Radio.
  4. ^ a b "Delmer and Marta make it big: Local comedians land sitcom". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2015-11-13. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  5. ^ Griwkowsky, Fish (2016-03-08). "Edmonton's Delmer and Marta premiere their own comedy on APTN". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  6. ^ a b Amato, Sean (2022-04-13). "'Be proud': Edmonton funnyman Howie Miller celebrates 25 years with new album". CTV News. Retrieved 2026-02-10.