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Well, I was born in Montreal, Quebec. Don't remember much of the formative years (apparently the years before five last the rest of their lives)… but I can tell you, I thought I wanted to be a pro baseball player. My first taste of the theatre was elementary school. 7 years old. My class was doing a small play in front of the rest of the school at Solomon Schecter Academy, and that was it. The acting bug got me hook, line and sinker. Summer camp plays at Walden in Diamond Point, New York, followed. Leading roles of Fagin in Oliver, Geppetto in Pinnochio and The Invisible Man in The Invisible Man - yes, I actually was on stage and not invisible - well, the camp experience only furthered my desire to continue performing. So, when was your first taste of actual 'show biz'? If by show biz you mean film and television, it was 1983. I shot a pilot called My Lovely Bank starring Walter Massey. My father knew someone who was involved with the show and happened to get his 13 year old son an audition. I got the part and shot a two episode pilot, which to the best of my knowledge, never sold and never aired. Between you and me, I think someone was trying to launder some money through this project, if you know what I mean. You must have wanted to continue acting through school... was that difficult? Well, no, not really. Only a few small roles followed from there, as school and "the biz" co-existed throughout my high school and college years. Had a slight detour taking Commerce, of all things, at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, until finally ending up at Toronto's Ryerson University in the Radio and Television Arts program. I had to make sure that if I failed as an actor, I had a back up plan, right? It keeps the parents' blood pressure down. It was only after I graduated from University that I was able to shift my focus over to becoming a "full time" actor. And that's when you landed your first regular gig, is that right? I'm hoping my producer gave me the right notes, because I have it down that you went to YTV, straight out of school. Yeah, (laughs out loud) that's it. Don't worry, no one's getting fired. Right, well... uh, what was I saying... oh right. After University, I landed a spot with the ensemble cast of YTV's It's Alive, which lasted 3 seasons. Sorry, I almost forgot the question, there! You obviously love to play characters. We love the tape your agency sent to the office. You're a nutbar, you know that? Well, my family certainly thinks so... thanks for noticing. (laugh) But you're right. I do love playing a good character role. What characters stick in your mind as some of the favorites you've played? I played the part of Harvey Moon, an environmental, vigilante hippie on Alliance/Atlantis' John Woo's Once a Thief a couple of years back. That was fun. I got to fire off a rifle too, so you can't beat that! I played an alien character named Jezebutt...this frenetic, holographic "cyberguide" in the Fox Family show I Was a Sixth Grade Alien. Kind of like Jim Carrey in Pet Detective. Man was I sweating bullets doing that character. You want to talk about expending some energy? Yikes. What can we see you doing in the next little while? Any projects on the go? Actually, just landed a sweet gig at SUN TV here in Toronto. I have taken over as the signature Promo Voice of the network, so you can tune in and hear me there. They broadcast nationally... if you have cable or satellite you should be able to pick up the station mostly anywhere in Canada... Oh and if you like baby magazines, and I knooooow you do, my family will be in the Fall 2007 edition of Parents Canada Magazine. You can pick it up at any Coles, Chapters or Indigo bookstore in Canada. Check it out, there are some great shots of my daughter, Alexa. So proud. So cute! Excellent. Well, I want to thank you for sitting down and talking with us today...and you have my word. I promise I won't print the story about the monkey incident. My lawyers and I are very happy to hear that. |