Chas Lawther
Charles "Chas" Lawther is a British-born Canadian actor, comedian and writer.
Lawther came to local prominence in Toronto when in the 1980s he created the character of Chuck The Security Guard for CFMT-TV's The All-Night Show, on the ostensible premise that as the station's night security he would be allowed to use the broadcast facilities to play classic television shows, short films and music videos between sign-off and 6 a.m.
CFMT bulk-erased all episodes of The All Night Show to reuse the tapes. (Jeff Silverman, the show's producer, did not want the station to reuse the program tapes of the live segments when contract negotiations failed. The show's budget was $450,000 for the year, he wanted $50,000 more for the next year and CFMT wanted the show done for $50,000 less, so the station was going to cancel the show. Silverman ordered the covert bulking of all the program tapes, but 3/4" u-matic copies of some of the show's best moments still survive.)
Lawther and his comedy partner Suzette Couture formed the comedy duo Joined at the Hip, regularly playing comedy venues across Canada and at one point getting their own special on CBC. Lawther has written and hosted several comedy "stand-up mockumentaries" on CBC Radio.[1]
He also wrote episodes for television shows such as Bob and Margaret, King of Kensington, The Raccoons, Rupert, Blazing Dragons and The Neverending Story.
Many know him for his role hosting "The Showcase Revue" after the Showcase channel launched in Canada in the early 1990s.
He also voices several characters in animated TV series such as Babar, The Busy World of Richard Scarry, Tales from the Cryptkeeper, Birdz, Hello Kitty and Friends, Redwall, Corduroy, Ned's Newt, Sylvanian Families, The Adventures of Tintin, Anatole and Rupert.
Lawther is still a working actor, and was a recurring character as a seemingly gormless television executive on CBC's Made in Canada.
Filmography
- 1966: Blowup
- 1979: Matt and Jenny on the Wilderness Trail
- 1980: The All-Night Show (CFMT-TV, TV series host)
- 1983: The Littlest Hobo
- 1985: Terminal Choice
- 1986: Mafia Princess
- 1986: Police Academy 3: Back in Training
- 1987: Ford: The Man and the Machine
- 1987: Sylvanian Families
- 1988: Friday the 13th: The Series
- 1989: George's Island
- 1989: Champagne Charlie (TV movie)
- 1989: Babar
- 1990: Dracula: The Series
- 1991: Street Legal
- 1992: The Shower
- 1992: The Adventures of Tintin
- 1993: Shining Time Station
- 1993: E.N.G.
- 1993: The Busy World of Richard Scarry
- 1993: Tales from the Cryptkeeper
- 1994: Paint Cans
- 1994: The Ref
- 1994: Hello Kitty and Friends
- 1994: Rupert
- 1994: The Mighty Jungle
- 1995: Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story (TV movie)
- 1995: Iron Eagle IV
- 1995: Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
- 1996: F/X: The Series
- 1997: Lexx: The Dark Zone Stories (TV series regular)
- 1997: Good Will Hunting
- 1998: Elimination Dance
- 1998: Made in Canada
- 1998: Birdz
- 1998: Ned's Newt
- 1998: Anatole
- 1998: La Femme Nikita
- 1999: Power Play
- 1999: Love Letters (TV movie)
- 1999: Redwall
- 2000: Corduroy
- 2000: Urban Legends: Final Cut
- 2000: The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
- 2002: Puppets Who Kill
- 2003: Slings and Arrows
- 2004: Wonderfalls
- 2004: This is Wonderland
- 2004: Zixx: Level One
- 2007: Is It Art? (CBC Television)[2]
- 2007: Full of It
- 2008: The Border
- 2009: Little Mosque on the Prairie
- In development: Things That Intimidate Me (TVOntario)[3]
References
- ^ "Hotsheet - 3. Richardson's Roundup". CBC Radio One. 18 September 2001. Retrieved 2008-09-29. [dead link]
- ^ "Is It Art?". Canadian Accents. 25 January 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-29.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Things That Intimidate Me". Canadian Accents. Retrieved 2008-09-29.[permanent dead link]
External links
- Northern Stars: Chas Lawther
- Chas Lawther at IMDb
- Weisblott, Marc (21 January 2008). "All-Night Show's new dawn". Eye Weekly. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - Foolish Earthling Productions: 10,000 Shiftless Nights production information All-Night Show reunion programme.
- Chas Lawther at TV Guide