Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage, television, and film actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – '' Street Legal'' (1987–1994), ''

Corner Gas ''Corner Gas'' is a Canadian television sitcom created by Brent Butt. The series ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. Re-runs still air on CTV, CTV2, CTV Comedy Channel, Much, MTV, E! and are streaming on Crave and Amazon Prime. The serie ...

'' (2004–2009), and '' This is Wonderland'' (2004–2006), as well as ''

Corner Gas Animated Corner may refer to: People *Corner (surname) *House of Cornaro, a noble Venetian family (''Corner'' in Venetian dialect) Places *Corner, Alabama, a community in the United States *Corner Inlet, Victoria, Australia *Corner River, a tributary of ...

'' (2018–2021).

Career

Stage

In 1971, Peterson began his acting career when he helped found the collective theatre company ''Tamahnous Theatre'' in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia. There he received major roles in versions of ''

The Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; grc-gre, Βάκχαι, ''Bakchai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. ...

'' and ''Nijinsky'', both directed by John Gray. In 1974, he moved to Toronto, Ontario, and joined

Theatre Passe Muraille Theatre Passe Muraille is a theatre company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Brief history One of Canada's most influential alternative theatres, Theatre Passe Muraille ("theatre beyond walls") was founded in 1968 by director and playwright Jim Gar ...

, a leading collective ensemble in Canada. He had main roles in productions of ''The Farm Show'', ''The West Show'', ''Them Donnelly’s'', and ''1837: The Farmers' Revolt''. It was in this latter

Rick Salutin Rick Salutin (born August 30, 1942) is a Canadian novelist, playwright, journalist, and critic and has been writing for more than forty years. Until October 1, 2010, he wrote a regular column in ''The Globe and Mail''; on February 11, 2011, he be ...

production that he gained the greatest recognition, playing

William Lyon Mackenzie William Lyon Mackenzie (March12, 1795 August28, 1861) was a Scottish Canadian-American journalist and politician. He founded newspapers critical of the Family Compact, a term used to identify elite members of Upper Canada. He represented Yor ...

and Lady Backwash. In 1976, Peterson began to collaborate with John Gray again, writing ''

Billy Bishop Goes to War ''Billy Bishop Goes to War'' is a Canadian musical, written by John MacLachlan Gray in collaboration with the actor Eric Peterson. One of the most widely produced plays in Canadian theatre, the two-man play dramatizes the life of Canadian World ...

''. The play, which premiered in Vancouver in 1978, went on tour internationally, garnering positive reviews on Broadway, where Peterson won the

Clarence Derwent Award The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom. Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 Aug ...

for most promising performer, in

London's West End The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buil ...

. He was also nominated for Best Actor at the

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Festival Mainstage. In 1998, Peterson acted in the play once more at the

Canadian Stage Canadian Stage is a non-profit contemporary performance arts company based in Toronto, Ontario, ''Canada''. About Canadian Stage Canadian Stage is one of Canada's largest not-for-profit contemporary theatre companies, based in Toronto, Ontari ...

in Toronto. Peterson's later stage appearances include '' Love and Anger'' at the

Factory Theatre Factory Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded as Factory Theatre Lab in 1970 by Ken Gass and Frank Trotz, and it was run for almost 20 years by Dian English. Factory was the first theatre to announce that it would ...

, ''Health'' (another collaboration with John Gray) at the Vancouver Playhouse and the lead role in ''Richard Ill'' at the ''Young People’s Theatre''. In October 2000, he performed in ''Hysteria'' at the Canadian Stage and in January 2001, he appeared in ''Clout'' at the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a Arts centre, performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre build ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. Between November 20 and December 13, 2008, Peterson starred as family patriarch and business man Helge Klingenfeldt in The Company Theatre's production of

Festen ''The Celebration'' ( da, Festen) is a 1998 Danish dark comedy-drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and produced by Nimbus Film. The film tells the story of a family gathering to celebrate their father's 60th birthday, juggling subjects of ...

at the Berkeley Street Theatre in

Toronto, Ontario 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 ...

, Canada. Between August 8 and 29, 2009, Peterson reprised the lead role in ''

'' at the

Soulpepper Theatre Company Soulpepper is a theater company based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest non-profit theater in the city. History Soulpepper was founded in 1998 by twelve Toronto artists aiming to produce lesser-known theatrical classics. Soulpepper has sinc ...

in Toronto. The company announced that the production was planned to return in 2010. In the same year, he played Wiff Roach in Soulpepper's revival of David French's 1973 play ''

Of the Fields, Lately ''Of the Fields, Lately'' is a Canadian theatrical play by David French, first staged by Tarragon Theatre in 1973. It is the second in his Mercer Plays series, following '' Leaving Home'' (1972) and preceding ''Salt-Water Moon'' (1984), '' 1949'' ( ...

''. He's currently playing the role of

Percy Schmeiser Percy Schmeiser (5 January 193113 October 2020) was a Canadian businessman, farmer, and politician. In 1954, he took over the operations of the family owned farm, gas station, and farm equipment dealership. He renamed the farm equipment dealersh ...

in the docu-drama Seeds.

Television

Until ''Corner Gas'', his most famous role on television was his award-winning role as Leon Robinovitch, a left-wing lawyer, on ''Street Legal''. His more notable television work includes 1998's '' Nothing Sacred'' (a movie for which he also co-produced and appeared in the stage version), ''

Night Heat ''Night Heat'' is a Canadian police crime drama series that aired on both CTV in Canada and CBS in the United States. Original episodes were broadcast from 1985 to 1989. ''Night Heat'' was the first Canadian original drama series that was also ...

'' and '' This Is Wonderland''. He also appeared as Hank Stewart in the ''Hippocratic Oath'' episode of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' for AHF Film Productions. In total, Peterson has appeared in fifty-two movie and television productions. He also appeared in an

infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of dire ...

for

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

.Eric Peterson's other work on the Internet Movie Database
/ref> He also appeared in the Goosebumps episode "Shocker on Shock Street" as Mr. Wright Peterson's most famous television role was that of Oscar Leroy on the

Canadian television Television in Canada officially began with the sign-on of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, a ...

program ''Corner Gas''. Peterson played the father of Brent Leroy (played by

Brent Butt Brent Leroy Butt (born August 3, 1966) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Brent Leroy on the CTV Television Network, CTV sitcom ''Corner Gas'', which he created. He also created the television serie ...

), who inherited the

gas station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoline ...

after his father decided to retire. Much to the dismay of his son and his wife Emma (played by

Janet Wright Janet Wright (March 8, 1945 – November 14, 2016) was an English-born Canadian actress and theatre director. She was best known for her role as Emma Leroy on the Canadian sitcom, ''Corner Gas''. She performed in many film and television shows, a ...

), he uses his new-found free time to unwittingly annoy his family and the town at large. Following the end of that show's run, Peterson made a guest appearance on the show ''

Dan for Mayor ''Dan for Mayor'' is a Canadian television sitcom starring Fred Ewanuick that debuted on March 1, 2010 on CTV and The Comedy Network. It premiered the same night as ''Hiccups'', a show created by ''Corner Gas'' star Brent Butt that also features ...

'', a show starring his former ''Corner Gas'' co-star

Fred Ewanuick Fred Ewanuick ( /əˈwαnɪk/; born June 23, 1971) is a Canadian actor known for his roles in the television series ''Corner Gas'' as Hank Yarbo and as the title character in the CTV sitcom ''Dan for Mayor''. He was also a regular in a CTV anthol ...

.'Gas' star guests on 'Dan For Mayor'
''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'', July 14, 2011. As of 2014 he appears in ''

The Best Laid Plans ''The Best Laid Plans'' is a 1997 novel by Sidney Sheldon. The story details the rise of a handsome, charismatic attorney named Oliver Russel, to political fame, while his jilted fiancée, Leslie Stewart, grows a media empire to eventually destro ...

'' as Jerry Stockton. Since January 2007, he has been performing in ''Half Life'', a play by

John Mighton John Mighton, OC (born October 2, 1957) is a Canadian mathematician, author, and playwright. Education and career Mighton was born in Hamilton, Ontario on and lives in Toronto, Ontario with partner Pamela Sinha and daughter Chloe. In 1998 M ...

, at the Canadian Stage. According to

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

, "his fresh, energetic, natural acting style has made him popular with Canadian audiences, and he continues to be a mainstay of Canadian television."

Personal life

Peterson was born in

Indian Head, Saskatchewan Indian Head is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada, east of Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina on the Trans-Canada Highway. It "had its beginnings in 1882 as the first settlers, mainly of Scottish origin, pushed into the area in advance of the ra ...

, Canada. He is married to fellow actor and ''People for Education'' executive director Annie Kidder, who is the sister of

Margot Kidder Margaret Ruth Kidder (October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018), known professionally as Margot Kidder, was a Canadian-American actress whose career spanned five decades. Her accolades include three Canadian Screen Awards and one Daytime Emmy Awa ...

.Biography for Annie Kidder on the Internet Movie Database
/ref> Peterson and his wife live 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 ...

, with their two daughters, although he still frequents his home

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, where he owns a cottage on

Katepwa Lake Katepwa Lake () is a recreational lake in the Qu’appelle Valley in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The lake's name likely originated from the Cree word , which means 'What is calling?' Katepwa Lake is eastern most and farthest downs ...

in the

Qu'Appelle Valley The Qu'Appelle River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba that flows east from Lake Diefenbaker in south-western Saskatchewan to join the Assiniboine River in Manitoba, just south of Lake of the Prairies, near t ...

near his hometown.

Awards

Peterson has won numerous awards over his career. For his portrayal of Leon Robinovitch on ''Street Legal'', he was nominated for the

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Continuing Dramatic Role six times in 1987, 1989, and every year from 1992 through 1995. He tied for the win with

Winston Rekert Winston Houghton Rekert (June 10, 1949 – September 14, 2012) was a Canadian actor. He was best known for starring in the television series ''Adderly'' and ''Neon Rider''. Career A Vancouver native, Rekert started acting at age 12, appearing i ...

(for ''

Adderly ''Adderly'' is a Canadian television adventure-drama series which aired from 1986 to 1988. It was broadcast on both Canadian TV and on CBS in the United States. It starred Vancouver-born Winston Rekert as "charming and witty V.H. Adderly," an ope ...

'') the first year and won in outright the next two. He has also been nominated twice under Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series with ''Corner Gas'' at the Gemini Awards and once for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series for Episode 4 of ''This is Wonderland'' for his portrayal of Judge MaloneEric Peterson's Awards at the Internet Movie Database
/ref> His fourth Gemini Award came in 2001 for Best Performance in a Pre-School Program. He has also been nominated four times for

Canadian Comedy Awards The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000. The ...

for his role on ''Corner Gas''. In 2004, he was nominated (alongside fellow ''Corner Gas'' actor

) in the "Pretty Funny Television Performance – Male" category. In 2007, he was nominated for "Best Male Performance."'Corner Gas' nabs a leading six nominations for Canadian Comedy Awards
/ref> In addition, on May 21, 1996, Peterson received an honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

in drama from the University of Saskatchewan; the head of the drama department,

Henry Woolf Henry Woolf, (20 January 1930 – 11 November 2021) was a British actor, theatre director, and teacher of acting, drama, and theatre who lived in Canada. He was a longtime friend and collaborator of 2005 Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter, having st ...

, made the presentation. In 1999, the 20th anniversary edition of his play ''Billy Bishop Goes To War'' won him

Dora Award The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped estab ...

s for Best Play, Best Direction, and Best Performance. He had previously received a Dora Award nomination for his role in ''

Escape from Happiness ''Escape From Happiness'' is a play by Canadian playwright George F. Walker."Escape a race to the punchline". ''Toronto Star'', February 23, 1992. It was first produced in July 1991 in New York City, and was first produced in Canada at the Factor ...

''. A 1982 CBC television adaptation garnered him an

ACTRA The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is a Canadian trade union representing performers in English-language media. It has 25,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media. The org ...

award nomination. In May 2013 he received a

Governor General's Performing Arts Award A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

for his work for his lifetime contributions to Canadian theatre. For his lifelong contributions to the arts he received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the University of Regina (2019).

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Eric Peterson
at Northern Stars {{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Eric 1946 births Living people Male actors from Saskatchewan Canadian male film actors Canadian male stage actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Clarence Derwent Award winners Dora Mavor Moore Award winners Best Actor in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners Members of the Order of Canada University of British Columbia alumni Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners Canadian Comedy Award winners Male actors from Toronto