D'yan Forest (born 1934) is an American comedian. She was named the Oldest Working Female Comedian in the World by the Guinness Book of World Records at age 87. Her award was presented by Ross Mathews of RuPaul's Drag Race.[1]
Early life and education
editForest lived though World War II and lost her whole family in Riga in the Holocaust.[2] She grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. After a divorce, she spent two years in Paris and then moved to Manhattan in 1966.[2]
Career
editForest worked as a singer and pianist, performing cabaret songs mostly in French. In 2003, she hired a comedy coach and began to perform standup sets in clubs in Manhattan.[2] She has performed on Saturday Night Live, France's Got Talent, Comedy Central and The Drew Barrymore Show, in the Gotham Comedy Club, Caroline's, the Broadway Comedy Club, and at the New York Fringe Festival.[3]
One-woman shows
editAt 88, Forest performed an autobiographical one-woman show, Swinging on the Seine: Searching for Amour in 1960s Paris, at Joe's Pub in Manhattan,[1][4] after performing it at La Nouvelle Seine in Paris and the Duplex Cabaret Theatre in New York.[5] She previously performed I Married A Nun[3] and Around the World in 80 Years.[6][7]
Book
edit- I Did It My Ways: An 86-year-old stand-up comedian's lifelong journey from prudish Bostonian to scandalous Parisienne, and beyond (2021, with Stephen Clarke) ISBN 978-2952163873
Personal life
editForest has joked that she "didn't beat cancer twice not to become the oldest at something".[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Boye, Josephine (February 6, 2023). "World's oldest female comedian is still up for a laugh at 88". Guinness World Records. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c Strauss, Alix (September 14, 2024). "How a 90-Year-Old Comedian Spends Her Sundays". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Sayej, Nadja (January 5, 2024). "The Style Evolution Of D'yan Forest, 89, The Oldest Female Comedian". Forbes. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ^ Lester, Marilyn (August 4, 2022). "D'Yan Forest—Swinging on the Seine". Theater Pizzazz. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ^ Hughes, Jenny (November 6, 2019). "Dyan Forest Swinging on the Seine: An English Stand-Up show about Paris in the 60s". Frenchly. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ^ Palm, Matthew J. (June 15, 2018). "Orlando Fringe Review: Around the World in 80 Years". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ^ Malesevic, Dusica Sue (October 1, 2015). "Singing and Strumming" (PDF). The Villager. NYC Community Media. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
