Louis Del Grande
Louis Del Grande | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 23, 1943 Union City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, screenwriter, producer |
| Spouse | Martha Gibson |
Louis Del Grande (born March 23, 1943) is a Canadian-American television writer and actor. He is best known for starring in the Canadian mystery/comedy series Seeing Things.
Early life[edit]
Del Grande was born and raised in Union City, New Jersey.[1] By the late-1980s, he moved to Cape Breton Island.[2]
Career[edit]
Del Grande moved to Toronto in 1964, drawn to Canada by the Stratford Festival,[1] and soon found work as a stand-up comedian and comedy writer. In 1975, he was hired as head writer for a new sitcom, The King of Kensington, which became a hit in Canada until the end of the decade. He also appeared in the show a handful of times as Fred, a friend of Al Waxman's lead character Larry King. Del Grande later became (with Jack Humphries) the show's co-producer (a Fifth Estate documentary said the two producers ran Kensington "with an iron hand").
When asked by the CBC if he had any projects he could star in, Del Grande created, wrote and produced Seeing Things,[1] which aired from 1981 to 1987. Del Grande played a crime-solving clairvoyant tabloid reporter who was separated from his wife Marge (played by Del Grande's real-life wife, actress Martha Gibson). The series was popular and won Del Grande four Gemini Awards, two for best actor in a comedy and two for the show itself.[citation needed]
Outside Canada, Del Grande is probably best known as the ConSec scanner in the infamous "head explosion" scene in the David Cronenberg movie Scanners.[3] He has also appeared in numerous theatrical and television movies and series, including Monkeys in the Attic, Due South, The Outer Limits and Goosebumps.
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Second Wind | Howie | |
| 1980 | Atlantic City | Mr. Shapiro | |
| 1981 | Scanners | First Scanner | |
| 1981 | Happy Birthday to Me | Surgeon | |
| 1983 | Of Unknown Origin | Clete | |
| 1989 | Speed Zone | Mr. Benson | |
| 1992 | Buried on Sunday | Prime Minister | |
| 1993 | Cadillac Girls | Adam | |
| 1997 | Hostile Intent | Soames | |
| 2016 | The Second Time Around | Charlie |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–1975 | Dr. Simon Locke | Man / Al Kutner / Boulder | 3 episodes |
| 1975, 1979 | King of Kensington | Fred | 2 episodes |
| 1978 | Home to Stay | Richard | Television film |
| 1978 | Tom and Joann | Norman, guest | |
| 1980, 1981 | The Littlest Hobo | Kent / Detective Woods | 2 episodes |
| 1981 | A Far Cry from Home | Lawyer | Television film |
| 1981–1987 | Seeing Things | Louis Ciccone / King Stefan | 43 episodes |
| 1988 | The Elephant Show | Willy Bookem | Episode: "The Early Years" |
| 1990 | Sanity Clause | Leo | Television film |
| 1990 | Clarence | Brimmer | |
| 1991 | Tropical Heat | Glenn Lawson | Episode: "Big Brother Is Watching" |
| 1995 | Sugartime | Chuckie English | Television film |
| 1996 | Due South | Lyndon Buxley | Episode: "We Are the Eggmen" |
| 1997 | F/X: The Series | Director | Episode: "Medea" |
| 1997 | North Shore Fish | Markie | Television film |
| 1997 | Let Me Call You Sweetheart | Joe | |
| 1997 | Galileo: On the Shoulders of Giants | Colombe | |
| 1998 | The Outer Limits | Detective Renfro | Episode: "Criminal Nature" |
| 1998 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | Frank Stonehouse | Television film |
| 1998 | Goosebumps | Mr. Saur | Episode: "Say Cheese and Die... Again" |
| 1998 | The Dumb Bunnies | Mr. Grudge | Episode: "Stressed to Impress" |
| 1998 | Traders | Sonny Palin | Episode: "Independence Days" |
| 1999 | Family of Cops 3 | Sean the Bartender | Television film |
| 1999 | Ned's Newt | Dump Hermit / Big Criminal | 2 episodes |
| 1999, 2002 | Lexx | Louie / Roada | |
| 2000 | Big Wolf on Campus | Dr. Frank Stein | Episode: "Frank Stein" |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Kaufman, Michael T. (1984-05-21). "AMERICAN MYSTERY SERIES FOR CANADIAN TV A HIT". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ^ Berger, Nadine (1 February 1985). "Keeping an eye on Seeing Things creator Louis Del Grande" (Interview). CBC. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ Meyers, Ric (2011). For One Week Only: The World of Exploitation Films. Eirini Press. ISBN 978-0-9799989-3-5.
External links[edit]
- 1943 births
- Living people
- Canadian male television actors
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian male screenwriters
- American emigrants to Canada
- People from Union City, New Jersey
- Best Actor in a Comedy Series Canadian Screen Award winners
- 20th-century Canadian screenwriters
- 20th-century Canadian male writers
- 21st-century Canadian screenwriters
- 21st-century Canadian male writers