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Louis Negin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Louis Negin photographed in Montréal,  Québec, Canada at La Sala Rossa.

Louis Negin (20 October 1929 – 2 December 2022) was a British-born Canadian actor, best known for his roles in the films of Guy Maddin.[1]

Career

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Born in London, England, and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Negin had his earliest film and television roles in the 1950s Canadian dramatic anthology series First Performance, and as a chorus member in Tyrone Guthrie's 1957 film of the Stratford Festival production of Oedipus Rex. He appeared in the Stratford Festival production of Tamburlaine, which had a run on Broadway in 1956,[2] and later appeared in London productions of Fortune and Men's Eyes and his own play Love and Maple Syrup; in Fortune and Men's Eyes, he became one of the first actors ever to appear fully nude on stage in England.[2]

Negin later appeared in films including The Ernie Game, Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?, Ooh… You Are Awful, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Rabid, Two Solitudes and Highpoint. As well as appearing in TV series such as Brett, Mousey and The Zoo Gang and episodes of King of Kensington and The Littlest Hobo. In the 1980s he had a recurring role on Seeing Things, as well as acting in the television films Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner and Charlie Grant's War.

In 1994, he acted in drag as Mrs. White in a Toronto production of John Wimbs and Christopher Richards' play Molly Wood.[3] In 1998, he played Noël Coward in a production of Linda Griffiths' play The Duchess at Theatre Passe Muraille.[2] He played Truman Capote, both in a Toronto stage production of the play Tru in 1996[4] and in the film 54.[1]

In later years, he acted in several of Guy Maddin's films, including Cowards Bend the Knee, Sissy Boy Slap Party, The Saddest Music in the World, Keyhole, and The Forbidden Room as well as narrating Maddin's semi-documentary films Brand Upon the Brain! and My Winnipeg.[1] He also had guest roles in the television series Lord Have Mercy!, Mona the Vampire, ReGenesis and Slings and Arrows, and in Bruce McDonald's film Pontypool.

In 2008, he performed The Glass Eye, a semi-autobiographical play which he wrote in collaboration with Marie Brassard, in Montreal and Toronto.[2]

In 2019, he appeared in Matthew Rankin's film The Twentieth Century, acting in drag as the mother of Prime Minister Mackenzie King.[5] He received a Vancouver Film Critics Circle award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film.[6]

Personal life and death

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Negin, who was gay, was the partner of former television and film designer Charles Dunlop.[1] In a 2007 interview with Xtra!, Negin described his age as "Write that I'm 95 years old, and that I've been to Hungary to have some work done."[7]

Guy Maddin announced Negin's death on his Instagram on December 3, 2022.[8] Negin had died the previous day, in Montreal, at the age of 93.[9]

Filmography

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Films

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1967 The Ernie Game Ernie's friend
1969 Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? Producer Peter
1972 Get Charlie Tully Emilio Ferruchi
1974 Barry McKenzie Holds His Own Hugo Cretin
1977 Rabid Maxim
1978 Two Solitudes Cardinal's Canon
Blackout (Unnamed role)
1980 Deadline Older Man
1982 Highpoint Dance Instructor
1985 Big Deal Eugene Leach
1986 Keeping Track Conductor
1987 City of Shadows Bamji
1988 Last Man Standing Cyril
1989 Physical Evidence Jake Farley
1990 Love & Murder Ginger
1994 Sissy Boy Slap Party Older Man Short film
1998 54 Truman Capote
1999 Eye of the Beholder Bartender
The Devil's Arithmetic Uncle Morris
2002 Left Behind II: Tribulation Force Witness Moishe
2003 Cowards Bend the Knee Dr. Fusi
The Saddest Music in the World Blind Seer
2006 Brand Upon the Brain! Theatre tour narrator
2007 My Winnipeg Mayor Cornish
2008 Pontypool Conversationalist
2011 Keyhole Calypso / Camille
2013 Gerontophilia Crossing Guard
2015 The Forbidden Room Marv / Smithy / Mars /
2019 The Twentieth Century Mother (drag-role)

TV

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Television
Year Title Role Notes
1954-1960 Encounter Bernie Altman (TV Series), 3 episodes: "The Man Who Ran Away", "The Silent Partner" and "Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz"
1955 Folio (Unnamed role) (TV Series), 1 episode: "The Hand and the Mirror"
1957 First Performance (TV Series) (Unnamed role) (credited as Louis Negan) (TV Series), 1 episode: "Seeds of Power"
Oedipus Rex Chorus (credited as Louis Negan) (TV Movie)
1960 The Play of the Week The Husband (TV Series), 1 episode: "Two by Saroyan: 'Once Around the Block' and 'My Heart's in the Highlands'"
1961 The Man Born to Be King (Unnamed role) (TV Movie)
1961-1966 Festival First Komsomol (TV Series), 4 episodes
1964 Twelfth Night (Unnamed role) (TV Movie)
Quest Prisoner (TV Series), 1 episode: "The Brig"
1968 Man in a Suitcase Amin Hammoud (TV Series), 1 episode: "The Revolutionaries"
Mogul First Official (TV Series), 1 episode: "Not for My Friend - He's Driving"
1970 Vile Bodies Archie Schwert (TV Movie)
1971 Brett Zurkin (TV Series), 1 episode: "The Hollow Men"
1974 The Zoo Gang Claude (TV Series), 1 episode: "Mindless Murder"
Mousey Couturier (TV Movie)
1975 On the Evidence (Unnamed role) (TV Series), 1 episode: "Murder: Regina Vs. Willis"
1976 Teleplay Mouette (TV Series), 1 episode: "The Italian Machine"
The Wayne & Shuster Comedy Special (Unnamed roles) (TV Series), 2 episodes: "Canadianization" and "Rinse the Blood Off My Toga"
1977 King of Kensington Waiter (TV Series), 1 episode: "The Comic"
1980-1982 The Littlest Hobo Dr. McQuarter (TV Series), 2 episodes: "The Pied Piper" and "Once Upon a Tyme"
1981 Standing Room Only (TV Series) Louis - Maitre 'D (TV Series), 1 episode: "Red Skelton's Christmas Dinner" (also known as Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner)
1981-1987 Seeing Things Marlon (TV Series), 16 episodes
1983 A Matter of Cunning (Unnamed role) (TV Movie)
American Playhouse Pierre (TV Series), 1 episode: Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
Cook & Peary: The Race to the Pole Maitre D' (TV Movie)
1984 Charlie Grant's War Otto Schmidt (TV Movie)
1985 In Like Flynn Dr. Howe (TV Movie)
1986 Hot Shots Goldsmith (TV Series), 1 episode: "Tails You Lose"
Philip Marlowe, Private Eye Martin (TV Series), 1 episode: "Red Wind"
1986-1987 Night Heat Broffey (TV Series), 2 episodes: "Every Picture Tells a Story" and "Limo"
1987 Check It Out Maitre D' (TV Series), 1 episode: "Love and Marriage"
Adderly Antoine (TV Series), 1 episode: "A Matter of Discretion"
Diamonds (Unnamed role) (TV Series), 1 episode: "Domestic Spirits"
1991 Tropical Heat Mr. Charles / Jonathan (TV Series), 2 episodes: "Hard Case" and "She"
The Cutaway Soap Opera Surgeon (TV Movie)
1993 Counterstrike (Unnamed role) (TV Series), 1 episode: "French Twist"
Class of '96 Professor Glick (TV Series), 1 episode: "Midterm Madness"
1999-2000 Mona the Vampire (TV Series) Reverend Gregory (TV Series), 15 episodes
2001 Queer as Folk Older Gay Male #2 (TV Series), 1 episode: "Queens of the Road"
2003 Lord Have Mercy! Father White (TV Series), 1 episode: "Tangled Web"
2006 Slings and Arrows (Unnamed role) (TV Series), 1 episode: "Divided Kingdom"
ReGenesis Salvador Charringa (TV Series), 2 episodes: "Our Men in Havana" and "Listen to Him"

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Enchantment". In Toronto, September 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d Louis Negin at the Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.
  3. ^ "Molly Wood goes the way of all flash". Toronto Star, October 27, 1994.
  4. ^ "Toronto Tru Delays Opening" Archived 2012-10-22 at the Wayback Machine. Playbill, May 23, 1996.
  5. ^ Kevin Ritchie, "Review: The Twentieth Century is an absorbing visual delight". Now, December 12, 2019.
  6. ^ Adrian Mack, "Marriage Story dominates Vancouver Film Critics Circle noms". The Georgia Straight, December 13, 2019.
  7. ^ "Silver screen: Louis Negin's shocking disclosures". Xtra!, May 24, 2007.
  8. ^ "Guy Maddin on Instagram: "Rest in Peace, beloved and unforgettable Louis Negin! My longtime Marlene Dietrich, Divine and Edith Massey rolled into one! We shared a million laughs and as many loving moments! Thank you for EVERYTHING! I shall miss and love you forever. ❤️❤️❤️"".
  9. ^ Chandler Levack (21 December 2022). "Veteran actor Louis Negin became a muse for director Guy Maddin". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
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