Kenneth Welsh
| Kenneth Welsh | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 30, 1942 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian / American |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1964–present |
Kenneth Welsh, CM (born March 30, 1942) is a Canadian-American film and television actor (sometimes credited as Ken Welsh). He is known to Twin Peaks fans as the multi-faceted villain Windom Earle, and played the father of Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator. He lives outside of Toronto.
Life and career
Welsh was born in Edmonton, Alberta, to a father who worked for the Canadian National Railway.[1] He grew up in Alberta and studied drama at school. He later moved to Montreal and attended the National Theatre School. Following graduation, he auditioned for the Stratford Festival in Ontario and then spent the first seven years of his career on stage.
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.[2]
Welsh's son Devon is the lead singer of the musical group Majical Cloudz.[3]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | The Overfamiliar Subordinate | ||
| 1980 | F.D.R.: The Last Year (TV) | Thomas E. Dewey | |
| Phobia | Sgt Wheeler | ||
| 1983 | Hot Money | Parker | |
| Empire, Inc. (mini TV series) | Sir James Munroe | ||
| Tell Me That You Love Me | David | ||
| Of Unknown Origin | James Hall | ||
| 1984 | Reno and the Doc (TV) | Reno | |
| Covergirl | Harrison | ||
| Falling in Love | Doctor | ||
| 1985 | The War Boy | Stephan Berecky | |
| The Cuckoo Bird (TV) | Harry | ||
| The Ray Bradbury Theater (Season 1, episode 1 Marionettes, Inc.) | Crane | ||
| Love & Larceny (TV) | |||
| 1986 | Lost! | Jim | |
| Murder Sees the Light (TV) | The Evangelist | ||
| 1987 | And Then You Die | ||
| Loyalties | David Sutton | ||
| Radio Days | Radio Voice | voice only | |
| 1988 | The Murder of Mary Phagan (TV) | Luther Rosser | |
| The House on Carroll Street | Hackett | ||
| "Crocodile" Dundee II | Brannigan | ||
| Liberace: Behind the Music | |||
| The Twilight Zone (Episode: - Acts of Terror) | Jack Simonson | ||
| Another Woman | Donald | ||
| 1989 | The January Man | Roger Culver | Credited as Ken Welsh |
| Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher (TV) | Colin Thatcher | ||
| Physical Evidence | Harry Norton | ||
| Dick Francis: Blood Sport | Harry Teller | ||
| 1990 | The Ray Bradbury Theater (Season 4, Episode 7, And the Moon Be Still as Bright) (TV) | Captain Wilder | |
| The Widowmaker (TV) | Atkinson | ||
| Twin Peaks (TV) | Windom Earle | ||
| Murder Times Seven (TV) | Nick Ruggieri | ||
| 1992 | Eli's Lesson | Uncle Yakub | |
| Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster (TV) | Sam Skinner | ||
| The Good Fight (TV) | Dick Chandler | ||
| 1993 | Woman on the Run: The Lawrencia Bembenek Story (TV) | Don Eisenberg | |
| Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story (TV) | Judge Norton | ||
| 1994 | Boozecan | Tim | |
| Death Wish V: The Face of Death | Lt. Mickey King | ||
| Kung Fu: The Legend Continues: episode Temple (TV) | Vance Cavanaugh | ||
| And Then There was One | David Burns | ||
| Timecop | Senator Utley | ||
| Legends of the Fall | Sheriff Tynert | ||
| 1995 | Hiroshima (TV) | President Harry S. Truman | |
| Kissinger and Nixon (TV) | James 'Scotty' Reston | ||
| The X Files - episode Revelations (TV) | Simon Gates | ||
| 1996 | Portraits of a Killer | Jim Miller | |
| 1997 | Habitat | Coach Marlowe | |
| The Wrong Guy | Mr. Nagel | ||
| Edison: The Wizard of Light (TV) | Thomas Edison | ||
| Absolute Power | Sandy Lord | ||
| 1998 | Law & Order - episode Disappeared (TV) | Ben O'Dell | |
| Thunder Point (TV) | Armstrong | ||
| Thanks of a Grateful Nation (TV) | Sen. Shelby | ||
| 1999 | External Affairs | Michael Riordan | |
| 2000 | Who Killed Atlanta's Children? (TV) | William Kunstler | |
| Love Come Down | Ira Rosen | ||
| The Hound of the Baskervilles (TV) | Dr. Watson | ||
| Witchblade (TV) | Joe Siri | ||
| 2001 | The Royal Scandal (TV) | Dr. Watson | |
| The Sign of Four (TV) | Dr. Watson | ||
| Haven (TV) | Harry Truman | ||
| Focus | Father Crighton | ||
| The Day Reagan Was Shot (TV) | James Baker | ||
| 2002 | The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire (TV) | Dr. Watson | |
| 2003 | Ice Bound: A Woman's Survival at the South Pole (TV) | Dr. Ben Murdoch | |
| Eloise at the Plaza (TV) | Sir Wilkes | ||
| The Pentagon Papers (TV) | John McNaughon | ||
| Eloise at Christmastime | Sir Wilkes | ||
| 2004 | Miracle | George Nagobads | |
| The Wild Guys | Andy | ||
| The Day After Tomorrow | Vice President/President Raymond Becker | ||
| H₂O (TV) | Randall Spear | ||
| The Aviator | Dr. Hepburn | ||
| 2009 | Survival of the Dead | Patrick O'Flynn |
- Bailey's Billion$ (2005) as Mouse Delaney
- This Is Wonderland
- Episode #2.3 (2005) TV Episode
- Tilt
- The Aftermath (2005 TV Episode) as Seymour Henderson
- The Whale (2005 TV Episode) as Seymour Henderson
- Risk Tolerance (2005 TV Episode as Seymour Annisman
- The Game (2005 TV Episode) as Seymour Henderson
- Our Fathers (2005) (TV) as Bishop Murphy
- Four Brothers (2005) as Robert Bradford
- The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) (as Ken Welsh) as Dr. Mueller
- The Fog (2005) as Tom Malone
- ReGenesis
- Spare Parts (2004 TV Episode) as Dr. Shelby Sloane
- Baby Bomb (2004 TV Episode) as Dr. Shelby Sloane
- The Face of God (2005 TV Episode) as Dr. Shelby Sloane
- Category 7: The End of the World (2005) (mini TV Series) as Chief of Staff Alan Horst
- Smallville
- The Snow Queen (2005) (TV) as King
- Above and Beyond (2005) (mini TV Series, in post-production) as Lord Beaverbrook
- Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) as Uncle Hendrick
- Survival of the Dead (2009)
- Human Target (2010) as Belvilacqua
- Haven (2011) (episode "The Tides That Bind") as Cole Glendower
- The Story of Luke (2012) as Jonas
- The Art of the Steal (2013) as 'Uncle' Paddy McCarthy
- The Best Laid Plans (2014) as Angus McClintock
- The Expanse (2016) as Frank Degraff
- The Ballad of Immortal Joe (2016) - Narrator
References
- ↑ Kenneth Welsh Biography ((?)-)
- ↑ 'The Day After Tomorrow' heats up a political debate by Scott Bowles, USA Today, May 26, 2004. (retrieved on January 12, 2009).
- ↑ "We Talked To Majical Cloudz". Vice, January 4, 2013.
External links
- Kenneth Welsh at the Internet Movie Database
- Kenneth Welsh at northernstars.ca
- Excerpts from an Interview with Kenneth Welsh, conducted by Charles Prepolec on September 8, 2000.
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