Louis Negin (20 October 1929 – 2 December 2022) was a British-born Canadian actor, best known for his roles in the films of

Guy Maddin Guy Maddin (born February 28, 1956) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, author, cinematographer, and film editor of both features and short films, as well as an installation artist, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since completing his first film i ...

."Enchantment". ''In Toronto'', September 2011.

Career

Born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, and raised 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 anch ...

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 ...

, Negin had his earliest film and television roles in the 1950s Canadian dramatic anthology series ''First Performance'', and as a chorus member in

Tyrone Guthrie Sir William Tyrone Guthrie (2 July 1900 – 15 May 1971) was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at ...

's 1957 film of the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...

production of ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

''. He appeared in the Stratford Festival production of '' Tamburlaine'', which had a run on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 1956,Louis Negin
at the Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia. and later appeared in London productions of '' Fortune and Men's Eyes'' and his own play ''Love and Maple Syrup''; in ''Fortune and Men's Eyes'', he became one of the first actors ever to appear fully nude on stage in England. Negin later appeared in films including ''

The Ernie Game ''The Ernie Game'' is a 1967 Canadian drama film directed by Don Owen. Plot The film centres on Ernie Turner and his attempts to survive in the world after he's released from an asylum. He grows increasingly alienated and his fragile mental s ...

'', ''

Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? ''Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?'' is a 1969 British musical film directed by and starring Anthony Newley. Plot Merkin is an internationally successful singer approaching middle age who retells his life s ...

'', ''

Ooh… You Are Awful ''Ooh... You Are Awful'' is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Cliff Owen. It is a feature-length adaptation of ''The Dick Emery Show''. It starred Dick Emery, Derren Nesbitt, Ronald Fraser and Cheryl Kennedy. Its alternative title on its N ...

'', '' Barry McKenzie Holds His Own'', ''

Rabid Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, ...

'', '' Two Solitudes'' and ''

Highpoint Highpoint can refer to: * Highpoint, Florida, an unincorporated community near Tampa Bay *Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne, Australia *Highpoint (building), an apartment building in London, United Kingdom. *Highpoint I, a set of 1930s apartme ...

''. As well as appearing in TV series such as ''Brett'', ''Mousey'' and ''The Zoo Gang'' and episodes of '' King of Kensington'' and ''

The Littlest Hobo ''The Littlest Hobo'' is a Canadian television series (French title: ''Le Vagabond'') based upon a 1958 well-known film of the same name directed by Charles R. Rondeau. The series first aired from 1963 to 1965 in syndication, and was revived fo ...

''. In the 1980s he had a recurring role on '' Seeing Things'', as well as acting in the television films '' Overdrawn at the Memory Bank'', ''Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner'' and '' Charlie Grant's War''. In 1994, he acted in drag as Mrs. White in a Toronto production of John Wimbs and Christopher Richards' play ''

Molly Wood Molly Kristin Wood (born May 23, 1975) is an American venture capitalist, podcast host, and journalist. Early life and education Molly Wood was born in Helena, Montana on May 23, 1975. She graduated in May 1997 with a BA in journalism with a mi ...

''."Molly Wood goes the way of all flash". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and par ...

'', October 27, 1994. In 1998, he played

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

in a production of

Linda Griffiths Linda Pauline Griffiths (7 October 1953 – 21 September 2014) was a Canadian actress and playwright best known for writing and starring in the one woman play ''Maggie and Pierre'', in which she portrayed both Pierre Trudeau and his then-estran ...

' play ''The Duchess'' at Theatre Passe Muraille. He played

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...

, both in a Toronto stage production of the play '' Tru'' in 1996 and in the film '' 54''. In later years, he acted in several of Guy Maddin's films, including ''

Cowards Bend the Knee ''Cowards Bend the Knee'' (also known as ''The Blue Hands'') is a 2003 film by Guy Maddin. Maddin directed ''Cowards Bend the Knee'' while in pre-production on ''The Saddest Music in the World'', shooting entirely on Super-8mm film with a budget o ...

'', '' Sissy Boy Slap Party'', ''

The Saddest Music in the World ''The Saddest Music in the World'' is a 2003 Canadian film directed by Guy Maddin. Budgeted at $3.8-million and shot over 24 days, the film marks Maddin's first collaboration with actor Isabella Rossellini. Maddin and co-screenwriter George Toles ...

'', '' Keyhole'', and '' The Forbidden Room'' as well as narrating Maddin's semi-documentary films '' Brand Upon the Brain!'' and '' My Winnipeg''. He also had guest roles in the television series ''

Lord Have Mercy! ''Lord Have Mercy!'' is a Canadian television sitcom, produced by Leda Serene Films, first shown on Vision TV in 2003. It received further showings in Canada on Toronto One, APTN and Showcase later the same year. The series, one of the first ...

'', '' Mona the Vampire'', ''

ReGenesis ''ReGenesis'' is a Canadian science-fiction television series produced by The Movie Network and Movie Central in conjunction with Shaftesbury Films. The series, which ran for four seasons from 2004 to 2008, revolves around the scientists o ...

'' and ''

Slings and Arrows ''Slings & Arrows'' is a Canadian television series set at the fictional New Burbage Festival, a Shakespearean festival similar to the real-world Stratford Festival. It stars Paul Gross, Stephen Ouimette and Martha Burns. Rachel McAdams appeared ...

'', and in Bruce McDonald's film ''

Pontypool Pontypool ( cy, Pont-y-pŵl ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales. It has a population of 28,970. Location It is situated on the Afon Lwyd r ...

''. In 2008, he performed ''The Glass Eye'', a semi- autobiographical play which he wrote in collaboration with

Marie Brassard Marie Brassard is a Canadian actress,Histoire du théâtre au Canada'. Graduate Centre for Study of Drama, University of Toronto; 1990. p. 158. theatrical writer and director. She is known for her work with playwright and actor Robert LepageNew Yo ...

, in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

and Toronto. In 2019, he appeared in Matthew Rankin's film ''

The Twentieth Century ''The Twentieth Century'' was a documentary television program sponsored by the Prudential Insurance Company that ran on the CBS network from 20 October 1957 until 4 January 1970. It was hosted by Walter Cronkite. The opening and closing theme ...

'', acting in drag as the mother of Prime Minister Mackenzie King. He received a

Vancouver Film Critics Circle The Vancouver Film Critics Circle (VFCC) was founded in 2000 by David Spaner and Ian Caddell, in order to help promote Canadian films and the British Columbia Film and Television Industry. Its membership includes print, radio, on-line, and telev ...

award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film.Adrian Mack
"Marriage Story dominates Vancouver Film Critics Circle noms"
''

The Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

'', December 13, 2019.

Personal life and death

Negin, who was gay, was the partner of former television and film designer Charles Dunlop. In a 2007 interview with ''

Xtra! ''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former ...

'', Negin described his age as "Write that I'm 95 years old, and that I've been to Hungary to have some work done." Guy Maddin announced Negin's death on his Instagram on December 3, 2022. Negin had died the previous day, in

, at the age of 93.

Filmography

Films

TV

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Negin, Louis 1929 births 2022 deaths Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian male stage actors Canadian male soap opera actors English emigrants to Canada Male actors from London Writers from London Canadian gay writers Canadian gay actors LGBT dramatists and playwrights Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian male writers Jewish Canadian male actors 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors