Peter Blais

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Peter Blais (born 1949) is a Canadian actor, best known for his frequent roles in the plays of George F. Walker.[1]

Background[edit]

A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Blais is the grandson of John Peter Macmillan, a naturalist who played a key role in establishing Cape Breton Highlands National Park.[2] He attended Carleton University and joined the campus drama society, where he met Dan Aykroyd. They performed together in several amateur productions during the 1960s.[3]

Through the early 1970s he continued to have stage acting roles,[4] while also working as a textile artist and theatrical costume and set designer, most notably on a 1977 production of King Lear for Halifax's Neptune Theatre.[5]

It was as a designer that he first began to collaborate with Walker, although he soon began to appear in acting roles in Walker's plays as well as designing them.[6]

He was additionally the designer of the original Arthur Ellis Award statuette for the Crime Writers of Canada.[7]

Acting career[edit]

His performances in Walker's plays included Beyond Mozambique (1978),[6] Rumours of Our Death (1980),[8] Theatre of the Film Noir (1981),[9] Criminals in Love (1984),[10] Better Living (1987),[11] Zastrozzi, The Master of Discipline,[12] Beautiful City (1987),[13] Nothing Sacred (1988),[14] and Love and Anger (1989).[15] By the time of Love and Anger, Blais had a reputation as "the quintessential Walker actor", to the point that Walker wrote Love and Anger specifically for Blais to play the lead.[6]

He did not appear in the original cast of Escape from Happiness, although he designed the sets,[16] and subsequently stepped into the role of Rolly Moore after Eric Peterson departed the cast.[17]

His other stage roles included productions of The Lark (1980),[18] Glengarry Glen Ross (1986)[19] and The Nerd (1988).[20]

He has also had supporting and guest roles in film and television, most prominently recurring roles as Lennox Cooper in PSI Factor and Geoff/Parson Hubbard in Made in Canada.

In the late 1990s he retired from the theatre and moved to Nova Scotia, where he became a partner with artist Tom Alway in the Maritime Painted Saltbox Gallery in Petite Riviere, although he continued to appear in occasional film and television roles thereafter.[21]

Awards[edit]

He has been a two-time Dora Mavor Moore Award nominee, receiving nods for Best Leading Actor, General Theatre at the 1985 Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Criminals in Love,[22] and Best Supporting Actor, General Theatre at the 1988 Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Nothing Sacred.[23]

He won a Golden Sheaf Award for Best Performance - Male at the 1999 Yorkton Film Festival for The Wager.

He received a Gemini Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Program or Series at the 14th Gemini Awards in 1999, for his work in PSI Factor.[24]

Partial filmography[edit]

Films[edit]

Made-for-television films[edit]

Television[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Blais returning to Love and Anger". Toronto Star, April 29, 1990.
  2. ^ Janice Middleton, "The fabric of in Nova Scotia". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, May 6, 2017.
  3. ^ Dave Brown, "Orpheus is 100, still having fun". Ottawa Citizen, April 9, 2007, Page 2.
  4. ^ Herbert Whittaker, "A splendid Scandal reaches Sussex". The Globe and Mail, February 6, 1975.
  5. ^ Herbert Whittaker, "Neptune's Lear defies traditional approach, remains compelling". The Globe and Mail, January 13, 1977.
  6. ^ a b c Vit Wagner, "Walker's friend Blais at centre of his stage". Toronto Star, October 6, 1989.
  7. ^ "Crime Writers of Canada honors Murdoch, Wright". The Globe and Mail, May 25, 1984.
  8. ^ Ray Conlogue, "Actors the best feature of Rumors of Our Death". The Globe and Mail, January 21, 1980.
  9. ^ Carole Corbeil, "Walker's Film Noir is a-buzz with fun". The Globe and Mail, May 16, 1981.
  10. ^ Stephen Godfrey, "Criminals in Love hilarious despite flaws in second act". The Globe and Mail, November 8, 1984.
  11. ^ Ray Conlogue, "Better Living less than sum of parts". The Globe and Mail, May 27, 1986.
  12. ^ Robert Crew, "Zastrozzi returns in splendid form". Toronto Star, May 14, 1987.
  13. ^ Robert Crew, "Play's real anger diluted". Toronto Star, October 1, 1987.
  14. ^ Ray Conlogue, "Nothing Sacred best play the city has seen in years". The Globe and Mail, January 15, 1988.
  15. ^ Robert Crew, "Love And Anger simply stunning". Toronto Star, October 12, 1989.
  16. ^ Liam Lacey, "Theatre Review: Escape from Happiness". The Globe and Mail, February 24, 1992.
  17. ^ "Walker play to get new cast for extended run". The Globe and Mail, March 25, 1992.
  18. ^ Norma Harris, "Lark doesn't really soar". The Globe and Mail, May 31, 1980.
  19. ^ Robert Crew, "Glengarry Glen Ross beautifully cast". Toronto Star, November 7, 1986.
  20. ^ Henry Mietkiewicz, "Burghoff's gamble pays off". Toronto Star, November 2, 1988.
  21. ^ Anne Calder, "A feast of colour and joy". Saltscapes, March 2022.
  22. ^ Henry Mietkiewicz, "Cats leads pack of Dora nominees". Toronto Star, September 5, 1985.
  23. ^ Robert Crew, "CentreStage play tops Dora Award nominees". Toronto Star, May 11, 1988.
  24. ^ "Major Gemini Awards nominations". Toronto Star, September 22, 1999.

External links[edit]

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