Christopher Jay Potter (born August 23, 1960) is a Canadian actor, director, musician, and pitchman. He is primarily known for his roles on soap operas and prime-time television. Potter is known for his roles as Peter Caine, the son of

Kwai Chang Caine Kwai Chang Caine () is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ABC 1972–1975 action-adventure western television series ''Kung Fu''. He has been portrayed by David Carradine as an adult, Keith Carradine as a younger Caine, Radames ...

(played by

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', playi ...

) on the 1990s

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

'' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'', Dr. David Cameron on the first season of '' Queer as Folk'', as the voice of

Gambit A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage. The word '' gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe sim ...

in the animated X-Men series, and for his recurring role as con-artist Evan Owen on ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

''. He plays Tim Fleming on the drama ''

Heartland Heartland or Heartlands may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution * Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States * Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization i ...

''.

Early life

The oldest of three children, Potter was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, to Ron Potter, an ex-pro-football player and insurance executive, and Judith Potter, a singer. Potter was raised in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

and attended

Oakridge Secondary School Oakridge Secondary School is one of the government-operated high schools (as opposed to collegiate institutes) in the neighbourhood of Oakridge in London, Ontario, Canada. This school is well-known for being 1 out of 2 schools in London Ontario wi ...

. He developed an interest in sports as well as in music and community theater. Potter wanted a career as a professional athlete; however, his father would not permit it. He later quit college to start a career as a rock musician. He discovered a love for the theater and became a professional stage actor. He also worked on an oil rig in Northern Canada, sold cars, and later became an insurance salesman. He left the insurance company to start his career on TV, as an actor and a pitchman.

Career

After being a spokesman on many commercials in the 1980s, and his role in ''Material World'', he finally made his mark in TV playing David Carradine's son and crime-fighting partner, Det. Peter Caine on '' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'', after receiving a contract with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in 1992, and remained close friends with Carradine until his death in 2009. His first role, in 1993, was a hit in both Canada and United States. He also appeared on ''

Silk Stalkings ''Silk Stalkings'' is an American crime drama television series that premiered on CBS on November 7, 1991, as part of the network's late-night ''Crimetime After Primetime'' programming package. Broadcast for two seasons until CBS ended the ''Crim ...

'' and provided the voice of

for at least the first four seasons of the X-Men animated series. Potter was featured in ''Rocket's Red Glare'' (2000). He appeared on the first season as Dr. David Cameron on '' Queer as Folk'' opposite

Hal Sparks Hal Harry Magee Sparks III (born September 25, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, political commentator, television and radio host and television personality. He made contributions to VH1, hosting E!'s ''Talk Soup'', and ...

, and he starred in a mini-series ''A Wrinkle in Time'' (2003) for ABC. He also co-starred with Joely Fisher in Zoe Busiek: Wild Card from 2003 to 2005. Potter also appeared in ''

Spymate ''Spymate'' is a 2006 Canadian adventure comedy film directed by Robert Vince, written by Calvin Hansen, and starring Emma Roberts and Chris Potter. It was released to Canadian theatres on February 24, 2006, and on DVD in North America on April 1 ...

'' (2006). The following year, he landed another role opposite Amber Marshall in the

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

series ''

'' playing the role of Tim Fleming. Also in 2007, Potter joined the cast of ''

'' in a recurring role as Evan Owen, playing opposite

Judith Chapman Judith Chapman (born Judith Shepard on November 15, 1951) is an American actress, best known for soap opera roles, particularly as Natalie Bannon Hughes in ''As the World Turns'' (1975–1978), Charlotte Greer on ''Ryan's Hope'' (1983), Ginny Bla ...

, with whom he had previously appeared on an episode of ''

''; Potter remained on ''The Young and the Restless'' until being written out in early 2008. From 2008 to 2014 Potter was in a series of TV movies featuring ''

The Good Witch ''The Good Witch'' is a television film that aired on the Hallmark Channel on January 19, 2008. It stars Catherine Bell as Cassandra "Cassie" Nightingale and Chris Potter as chief of police Jake Russell. The film has spawned six followup telev ...

'', portraying Jake Russell. On three of the films, ''

The Good Witch's Charm ''The Good Witch'' is a Hallmark franchise that is centered on a series of films and a television series. The franchise is centered upon Cassandra "Cassie" Nightingale, the titular "Good Witch" who uses her abilities to bring positive change in t ...

'', ''

The Good Witch's Destiny ''The Good Witch's Destiny'' is a 2013 Canadian-American television film and Hallmark Channel original movie written by Annie Young Frisbie and directed by Craig Pryce. The film stars Catherine Bell, Chris Potter, Hannah Endicott-Douglas, Matthe ...

'' and ''

The Good Witch's Wonder ''The Good Witch'' is a Hallmark franchise that is centered on a series of films and a television series. The franchise is centered upon Cassandra "Cassie" Nightingale, the titular "Good Witch" who uses her abilities to bring positive change in t ...

'', he was co-executive producer. One of his co-stars

Catherine Disher Catherine Disher is a British-born Canadian actress. She has won two Gemini Awards: in 2005 for Best Actress for her role in the Canadian mini-series '' Snakes and Ladders'', and in 2010 for her role in '' The Border''. She was also nominated for ...

had previously worked with him, on the X-Men and two episodes of KF:TLC. Potter was unable to continue the role on the Good Witch television series because of scheduling conflicts with his work on ''

''.

Personal life

Potter is married to Karen, and they have four children.

Selected filmography

Films

Television

Director

* ''

'' ** episode #45: " The Happy List" - January 31, 2010 ** episode #64: " The River" - February 27, 2011 ** episode #65: " Never Surrender" - March 6, 2011 ** episode #98: " Waiting For Tomorrow" - February 10, 2013 ** episode #110: "

Best Man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony and performs the first speech at the wedding. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be ...

" - November 17, 2013 ** episode #111: " Hotshot" - December 1, 2013 ** episode #128: " Walk a Mile" - November 9, 2014 ** episode #129: " The Family Tree" - November 23, 2014 ** episode #144: "

Back in the Saddle "Back in the Saddle" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It is the first track on Aerosmith's hard rock album '' Rocks'' released in 1976. The song was also released as the thir ...

" - November 1, 2015 ** episode #145: " Over and Out" - November 8, 2015 ** episode #164: "

Riding Shotgun "Riding shotgun" was a phrase used to describe the bodyguard who rides alongside a stagecoach driver, typically armed with a break-action shotgun, called a coach gun, to ward off bandits or hostile Native Americans. In modern use, it refers ...

" - November 13, 2016 ** episode #165: " Here and Now" - November 20, 2016 ** episode #182: " Our Sons and Daughters" - November 12, 2017 ** episode #183: " Truth Be Told" - November 19, 2017 ** episode #194: " Dare to Dream" - January 6, 2019 ** episode #195: " Hearts Run Free" - January 13, 2019 ** episode #200: " Running Scared" - March 3, 2019 ** episode #211: " The Art of Trust" - November 3, 2019 ** episode #212: "

Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

" - November 10, 2019 ** episode #217: " Making Amends" - January 24, 2021 * ''

'' ** episode #168: " It's The Great Pumpkin, Harry" - January 24, 1999 ** episode #160: " Hidden Agenda" - August 30, 1998 ** episode #154: "

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

" - April 19, 1998

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Chris 1960 births Living people Male actors from Toronto Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors