Howie Mandel Hospitalized with Irregular Heartbeat

Comedian Howie Mandel, who hosts the wildly popular TV game show "Deal or No Deal" has been hospitalized in Toronto, Canada, due to an irregular heartbeat. According to UPI.com, Mandel was in Toronto shooting his latest TV show "Howie Do It." Mandel's publicist emphasizes that Howie Mandel has not suffered a heart attack, and, in fact, is expected to be released later today.

Howie Mandel is a member of a rather extraordinary, and, dare I say, elite group of tremendously talented comedians who all hail from Ontario, Canada. I say this with a measure of pride as I was born in Canada and have a slew of relatives who live in the beautiful city of Toronto.

Here is a brief list of other popular comedians from Toronto/Ontario:

Jim Carrey

Rubber-faced Jim Carrey, one of the most successful comedians of his generation, hails from Newmarket, Ontario. Carrey got his start doing stand-up comedy at Yuk Yuks, a popular comedy club in Toronto. Carrey was paid an astonishing $20 million to star in The Cable Guy, which was a record-breaking sum for a comedian.

John Candy

The late John Candy was born in Toronto on October 30, 1950. The portly and enormously lovable actor delighted audiences in such classics as "Uncle Buck" and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles."

Dan Aykroyd

The multi-talented Dan Aykroyd enjoys the enviable distinction of being one of the original cast members of "Saturday Night Live." Aykroyd was born in Ottawa, Ontario on July 1, 1952. He got his start with the Toronto comedy troupe Second City.

Eugene Levy

Eugene Levy is another alumnus of Second City. Levy was born in Hamilton, Ontario on December 17, 1946. As is the case with Dan Aykroyd, Levy is extraordinarily multi talented. He is an actor, director, producer, musician and writer.

I don't know what they put in the water in Ontario, but there must be something in it that makes people funny. When you stop and think about it, it really is quite astonishing that so many enormously talented comedians come from Ontario, Canada.

Sources:

Howie Mandel Hospitalized, upi.com

Jim Carrey Bio, imdb.com

John Candy Bio, imdb.com

Dan Aykroyd Bio, answers.com

Eugene Levy, wikipedia