Kenneth Welsh
 |
Kenneth Welsh | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1964–present |
Kenneth Welsh, CM is a Canadian film and television actor (sometimes credited as Ken Welsh). He is known as the multi-faceted villain, Windom Earle, in Twin Peaks and played the father of Katharine Hepburn as portrayed by Cate Blanchett in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator. He lives outside of Toronto.
Career
Welsh has portrayed historical figures including Thomas E. Dewey, Colin Thatcher, Harry S. Truman (twice), Thomas Edison, James "Scotty" Reston, General Harry Crerar and James Baker. He has made guest appearances on the acclaimed TV series Due South and Slings and Arrows.
In 1984, he was nominated for a Genie Award as Best Actor for his portrayal of Reno Colt in the film Reno and the Doc, written and directed by Charles Dennis. In 1997, Welsh directed Dennis in the latter's play SoHo Duo at the West Bank Theatre in New York City. In 2003, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.
His role as the Vice-President of the United States in the 2004 environmental disaster film The Day After Tomorrow, sparked some controversy due to his physical resemblance to Dick Cheney, who at the time was the real Vice-President. Director Roland Emmerich later confirmed that he deliberately chose Welsh for that very reason. Emmerich stated that the character of the Vice-President in the film was intended to be a not-so-subtle criticism of the environmental policies of the George W. Bush Administration.[1]
Personal life
Welsh was a follower of Adi Da, an American spiritual teacher, whose focus was primarily on the priority of spiritual enlightenment. In 2000, Welsh narrated Da's audiobook, "What, Where, When, How, Why, and Who to Remember to Be Happy".[2]
Welsh's son Devon was the lead singer of the musical group Majical Cloudz.[3]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | The Overfamiliar Subordinate | Short documentary | |
| 1974 | Piaf | ||
| 1975 | The School for Scandal | Oliver Surface | For TV production, WNET/13 NYC |
| 1980 | F.D.R.: The Last Year | Thomas E. Dewey | TV movie |
| Double Negative | Dr. Klifter | ||
| Phobia | Sgt Wheeler | ||
| 1983 | Tell Me That You Love Me | David | |
| Of Unknown Origin | James Hall | ||
| Hot Money | Parker | ||
| Empire, Inc. | Sir James Munroe | TV Mini-Series | |
| 1984 | Covergirl | Harrison | |
| Reno and the Doc | Reno | TV movie | |
| Falling in Love | Doctor | ||
| 1985 | Perfect | Joe McKenzie | |
| Love & Larceny | Ira Reynolds | TV movie | |
| The Cuckoo Bird | Harry | TV movie | |
| The War Boy | Stephan Berecky | ||
| The Ray Bradbury Theater | Crane | Season 1, Episode 1: Marionettes, Inc. | |
| 1986 | Lost! | Jim | |
| The Climb | Walter Frauenberger | ||
| Heartburn | Dr. Appel | ||
| Murder Sees the Light | The Evangelist | TV movie | |
| 1987 | Radio Days | Radio Voice | Voice |
| Loyalties | David Sutton | Won Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role [4] | |
| And Then You Die | Eddie Griffin | ||
| 1988 | The House on Carroll Street | Hackett | |
| Crocodile Dundee II | Brannigan | ||
| Liberace: Behind the Music | TV movie | ||
| Another Woman | Donald | ||
| The Twilight Zone | Jack Simonson | Episode: "Acts of Terror" | |
| The Murder of Mary Phagan | Luther Rosser | TV Mini-Series, 2 episodes | |
| 1989 | The January Man | Roger Culver | Credited as Ken Welsh |
| Physical Evidence | Harry Norton | ||
| Dick Francis: Blood Sport | Harry Teller | TV movie | |
| Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher | Colin Thatcher | TV movie | |
| 1990 | Straight Line | Dr. Hammel | |
| The Freshman | Dwight Armstrong | ||
| The Ray Bradbury Theater | Captain Wilder | Season 4, Episode 7: "And the Moon Be Still as Bright" | |
| Murder Times Seven | Nick Ruggieri | TV movie | |
| The Widowmaker | Atkinson | TV movie | |
| 1990-1991 | Twin Peaks | Windom Earle | 10 episodes |
| 1991 | The Big Slice | Lieutenant Bernard | |
| 1992 | Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster | Sam Skinner | TV movie |
| The Good Fight | Dick Chandler | TV movie | |
| Eli's Lesson | Uncle Yakub | ||
| 1993 | Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story | Judge Norton | TV movie |
| Woman on the Run: The Lawrencia Bembenek Story | Don Eisenberg | TV movie | |
| Les amoureuses | David | ||
| 1994 | Death Wish V: The Face of Death | Lt. Mickey King | |
| Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Vance Cavanaugh | Episode: "Temple" | |
| And Then There was One | David Burns | TV movie | |
| Whale Music | Kenneth Sexstone | ||
| Timecop | Senator Utley | ||
| Legends of the Fall | Sheriff Tynert | ||
| Boozecan | Tim | ||
| 1995 | Hideaway | Detective Breech | |
| Hiroshima | President Harry S. Truman | TV movie | |
| Margaret's Museum | Angus MacNeil | ||
| Kissinger and Nixon | James 'Scotty' Reston | TV movie | |
| The X Files | Simon Gates | Episode: "Revelations" | |
| 1996 | Portraits of a Killer | Jim Miller | |
| Rowing Through | Harry Parker | ||
| Turning April | Father | ||
| 1997 | Habitat | Coach Marlowe | |
| Absolute Power | Sandy Lord | ||
| The Wrong Guy | Mr. Nagel | ||
| 1998 | Law & Order | Ben O'Dell | Episode: "Disappeared" |
| Thunder Point | Armstrong | TV movie | |
| Thanks of a Grateful Nation | Sen. Shelby | TV movie | |
| Edison: The Wizard of Light | Thomas Edison | TV movie | |
| 1999 | External Affairs | Michael Riordan | |
| 2000 | Who Killed Atlanta's Children? | William Kunstler | TV movie |
| Deliberate Intent | Peder Lund | TV movie | |
| Witchblade | Joe Siri | TV movie | |
| Love Come Down | Ira Rosen | ||
| Bad Faith | Chief Inspector Brodsky | ||
| The Hound of the Baskervilles | Dr. Watson | TV movie | |
| 2001 | Haven | Harry Truman | TV movie |
| The Sign of Four | Dr. Watson | TV movie | |
| Focus | Father Crighton | ||
| The Royal Scandal | Dr. Watson | TV movie | |
| The Day Reagan Was Shot | James Baker | TV movie | |
| 2002 | The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire | Dr. Watson | TV movie |
| 2003 | The Pentagon Papers | John McNaughon | TV movie |
| Ice Bound: A Woman's Survival at the South Pole | Dr. Ben Murdoch | TV movie | |
| Eloise at the Plaza | Sir Wilkes | TV movie | |
| Eloise at Christmastime | Sir Wilkes | TV movie | |
| 2004 | Miracle | George Nagobads | |
| The Day After Tomorrow | Vice President / President Raymond Becker | ||
| ReGenesis | Dr. Shelby Sloane | 3 episodes | |
| The Aviator | Dr. Hepburn | Credited as Kenneth Walsh | |
| The Wild Guys | Andy | ||
| H₂O | Randall Spear | 2 episodes | |
| 2005 | This Is Wonderland | Episode #2.3 | |
| Tilt | Seymour Annisman | 2 episodes | |
| Our Fathers | Bishop Murphy | TV movie | |
| Four Brothers | Robert Bradford | ||
| Bailey's Billion$ | Mouse Delaney | ||
| The Exorcism of Emily Rose | Dr. Mueller | (as Ken Welsh) | |
| The Fog | Tom Malone | ||
| Smallville | Drunk Santa | Episode: "Lexmas" | |
| Category 7: The End of the World | Chief of Staff Alan Horst | TV Mini-Series, 2 episodes | |
| The Snow Queen | King | TV movie | |
| 2006 | The Covenant | Provost Higgins | |
| One Way | William Henderson | ||
| Above and Beyond | Lord Beaverbrook | mini TV Series, in post-production | |
| 2007 | Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer | Dr. Jeff Wagner | |
| Silk | Mayor Joncour | ||
| 2008 | Adoration | Morris | |
| Kit Kittredge: An American Girl | Uncle Hendrick | ||
| Nothing Really Matters | Joe | ||
| 2009 | Survival of the Dead | Patrick O'Flynn | |
| 2010 | Human Target | Belvilacqua | Episode: "Corner Man" |
| 2011 | Haven | Cole Glendower | Episode: "The Tides That Bind" |
| 2012 | The Riverbank | Joe Mason | |
| The Story of Luke | Grandpa Jonas | ||
| 2013 | Cottage Country | Earl | |
| The Art of the Steal | 'Uncle' Paddy McCarthy | ||
| 2014 | The Best Laid Plans | Angus McClintock | 6 episodes |
| Wet Bum | Ed | ||
| 2015 | The Ballad of Immortal Joe | Narrator | Short |
| The Expanse | Frank Degraff | Episode: "Remember the Cant" | |
| 2016 | The Void | Dr. Richard Powell | |
| 2017 | Chicanery | Pringle Hewitt | |
| Awakening the Zodiac | Ben | ||
| Undercover Grandpa | Harry | ||
| 2018 | Lodge 49 | Larry Loomis | 6 episodes |
| 2019 | And the Birds Rained Down (Il pleuvait des oiseaux) |
References
- ^ 'The Day After Tomorrow' heats up a political debate by Scott Bowles, USA Today, May 26, 2004. (retrieved on January 12, 2009).
- ^ "What, Where, When, How, Why, and Who to Remember to Be Happy". The Utne Reader (103–108): 98. 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
In this CD, Avatar Adi Da tells children exactly what to do every day to remember, feel, and breathe everlasting happiness. Narrated by award-winning actor Kenneth Welsh (Legends of the Fall, Perfectly Normal), with music by acclaimed composer Ray Lynch. Listen to this magical CD and be transported into the feeling of the Mystery!
- ^ "We Talked To Majical Cloudz". Vice, January 4, 2013.
- ^ "Awards for Loyalties". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian male television actors
- Canadian male voice actors
- Best Supporting Actor Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners
- Living people
- Members of the Order of Canada
- Male actors from Edmonton
- 20th-century Canadian male actors
- 21st-century Canadian male actors
- Canadian people of British descent
- Canadian emigrants to the United States