# Susie Youssef

Susie Youssef is an Australian writer, actor and comedian who works in television, on radio and stage. She is best known for her appearances in the television series The Project, Whose Line Is It Anyway? Australia, and Rosehaven, and has performed stand-up comedy at various Australian and international festivals.

## Early life and education

Susie Youssef is the daughter of Lebanese immigrants. She grew up with five sisters and she often uses her family for comedy inspiration.
Youssef began comedy writing in high school, where she wrote her own plays. She began studying education, to become a teacher. A friend took her to an improvisational comedy show at the Enmore Theatre in Newtown in Sydney, which sparked a more serious interest in comedy.
She quit college and attended iO Chicago, in the United States, where she studied improvisational performance and comedy.

## Career

Youssef began her comedy career as a writer for The Ronnie Johns Half Hour in 2006, and made her acting debut in the short film Clicked in the role of Lina in 2011.

### Stage

In 2014, Youssef played the lead role of Sarah in the Hayloft Project's stage play The Boat People.
She started performing improvisational comedy live, and later became a member of the Improv Theatre Sydney ensemble.
Youssef made her solo debut in her sketch comedy show Sketchual Chocolate at the Melbourne and Sydney Comedy Festivals. In 2015, she returned to the comedy festival circuit with her comedy show Owl Eyes On You and in 2016 made her debut in London and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with her stand-up show Check Youssef Before You Wreck Youssef. She has also performed at the Australian musical festival Homebake.
In 2017, Youssef toured with her comedy show Behave Youssef. In the same year, she hosted season two of the comedy TV series Stand and Deliver on ABC ME, which featured comedic acts from Australia and overseas.
In September–October 2018, she performed with the Sydney Theatre Company at the Sydney Opera House in Dario Fo's political comedy Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Later that year, she co-wrote and performed The Smallest Hour with writer and comedian Phil Spencer at the Griffin in Sydney, a "comedy about broken dreams, second chances and velcro pants". in a sold-out season.
In February 2025 Youssef played MP Ruth Mandour in the State Theatre Company South Australia political satire Housework, written by Emily Steel and directed by Shannon Rush, with Emily Taheny playing her chief-of-staff. The play was well-reviewed, with Catherine Campbell, writing in The Conversation, calling it "a future Australian classic – a Housework is a future Australian classic – a Don's Party for our time".

### TV appearances

In 2015, she appeared in other television series, including Community Kitchen, About Tonight, The Checkout and Game Night. She had recurring roles in the television comedy series How Not to Behave, Whose Line Is It Anyway? Australia, No Activity and Rosehaven, and a guest role in Here Come the Habibs in 2016.
She has also been a guest on The Project, All Star Family Feud, Celebrity Name Game, Have You Been Paying Attention?, and Hughesy, We Have a Problem.
In August 2024, the second 10-episode series of Julia Zemiro's Great Australian Walks launched, co-hosted by Youssef and Gina Chick owing to other commitments by Zemiro. Youssef covers walks in Victoria and South Australia.
Youssef will appear in the Australian adaptation of The Office, which is scheduled to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on 18 October 2024.

## Recognition

In 2014, Youssef won the Best on Stage award at the FBi SMAC Awards, for her role as Sarah in The Boat People.
In 2020, Youssef was selected as one of ten Australian comedians to compete for $100,000 on the experimental reality television series Last One Laughing Australia hosted by Rebel Wilson and screening on Amazon Prime in June.

## Stand-up comedy tours

Tours :
| Year | Title | Notes | Role |
| 2014 | Sketchual Chocolate | Debut solo stand-up show at the Melbourne and Sydney Comedy Festivals and Sydney Fringe Festival | Writer/performer |
| 2015 | Owl Eyes on You | Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Comedy Festival | Writer/performer |
| 2016 | Check Youssef Before You Wreck Youssef | Edinburgh Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival and Brisbane Comedy Festival | Writer/performer |
| 2017 | Behave Youssef | Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival | Writer/performer |

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | Clicked | Lina | Actor |
| 2014 | Kevin Needs to Make New Friends: Because Everyone Hates Him for Some Reason | Jane | Actor |
| 2016 | Scare BNB | Ksenia | Actor |
| 2018 | The Call Back | Sam | Actor |

### Television appearances

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | The Ronnie Johns Half Hour | Writer | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Game Night | Player Number 3 | 1 episode |
| 2015 | We Live to Science Another Day | Susie | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Here Come the Habibs | Marie | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Miles Holbeck: The Member | Sophie | 1 episode |
| 2016 | No Activity | Anousha | 3 episodes |
| 2016–2021 | Rosehaven | Gez | 10 episodes |
| 2017 | Get Krack!n | Egg Woman | 1 episode |
| 2018 | Squinters | Simoni | 6 episodes |
| 2021 | Making It Australia | Host | |
| 2023 | Deadloch | Aleyna Rahme | 8 episodes |
| 2024 | The Office | Georgia | 1 episode |

### Television self appearances

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2020 | Last One Laughing | Herself | 6 episodes |
| 2019–present | The Project | Herself | |
| 2018–2019 | Hughesy, We Have a Problem | Herself | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | Celebrity Name Game | Herself | 5 episodes |
| 2017 | Screen Time | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2017 | All Star Family Feud | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2017–2019 | Have You Been Paying Attention? | Herself | 11 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? Australia | Herself | 5 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | Comedy Up Late | Herself | 11 episodes |
| 2015 | How Not to Behave | Herself | 15 episodes |
| 2015 | The Chaser's Media Circus | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2015 | Community Kitchen | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | About Tonight | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | The Checkout | Herself | 1 episode |

## Theatre

Theatre :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | The Boat People | Sarah | Hayloft Project (Best on Stage, FBi SMAC Awards) |
| 2020 | Home, I'm Darling | Fran | Southbank Theatre, Melbourne |

## Footnotes

* ↑ Bio note describes him as "writer, comedian, theatre-maker & creative producer".