Billie Holiday

Who is Billie Holiday?

Billie Holiday is the professional name of Canadian radio and television personality Amanda Dunn.

The daughter of a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, Holiday first became involved in radio at the age of 15.

She later attended Humber College's TV and Film Production and Radio Broadcasting programs. She began her professional radio career at CKDX, then a marginal dance music station in Newmarket, Ontario, north of Toronto. She moved to Toronto's KISS 92.5 FM as entertainment reporter, then became full co-host of the Mad Dog and Billie morning show with the departure Jay "Mad Dog" Michaels's first partner Daryn Jones. The show continued at KISS when it transitioned to an urban contemporary format, then moved to the sister station of KISS, adult contemporary station CHFI from 2003 to 2005. After a year-long absence from the dial, Mad Dog and Billie returned to the Toronto airwaves on August 8, 2006 on MIX 99.9 FM.

She was also a reporter of the Sound Source radio network, a host of the Canadian edition of televised talent search Popstars, and co-host of Rogers Cable community series Daytime.

Also an actress, she played the character Vanessa on Showtime show Soul Food: The Series opposite Vanessa A. Williams. Billie also started 'GO', a program for the Toronto District School Board to promote self-esteem to high school girls. She received the Public Education HERO Award in 2002.