Rusty DeWees (born November 15, 1960) is an American actor, producer and writer. He works regionally in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

, in television, and films. He is best known for his one-man comedy show, ''The Logger''.

Early life

Rusty DeWees was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, the son of Marilyn Mason DeWees, a homemaker and newspaper business manager, and William Wallace DeWees, a

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...

bus driver. He is the younger brother of Holly DeWees. DeWees is Dutch, meaning "the orphan". He attended Stowe High School, where he played basketball, and percussion in the school band. He also performed in high school theater productions. After graduating high school DeWees, worked as a school bus driver, basketball coach, stonemason, and logger. During a town team basketball game, Champlain College coach Robert Tipson noticed him and recruited him to play basketball on the team. After graduating, he worked as a gas jockey in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

Career

DeWees acted in

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

with Vermont Repertory Theater under the direction of Robert R. Ringer before moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1989 to pursue an acting career. In New York, DeWees worked as an assistant to William J. Doyle of William Doyle Galleries, while doing commercials and movies on the side. Known for his authentic rural appearance, DeWees appeared in the films: '' Black Dog,'' ''A Stranger in the Kingdom,'' ''

Pieces of April ''Pieces of April'' is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Hedges. Marking Hedges' directorial debut, the film stars Katie Holmes, Derek Luke, Sean Hayes, Alison Pill, Oliver Platt and Patricia Clarkson. The film f ...

, Radical Jack'', ''Mud Season,'' ''

Where the Rivers Flow North ''Where the Rivers Flow North'' is a 1993 American drama film directed by Jay Craven and starring Rip Torn, Tantoo Cardinal, Treat Williams and Michael J. Fox. It is based on Howard Frank Mosher's novel of the same name. Cast * Rip Torn as Noe ...

'', and ''

The Devil's Own ''The Devil's Own'' is a 1997 American action thriller film starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt, with Rubén Blades, Natascha McElhone, Julia Stiles, Margaret Colin, and Treat Williams in supporting roles. It was the final film directed by Ala ...

''. DeWees also appeared in ''

Law and Order In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...

'', ''

The Cosby Mysteries ''The Cosby Mysteries'' is an American mystery drama television series starring Bill Cosby that aired on NBC from September 21, 1994, to April 12, 1995. 19 episodes were made. It was the first television series to star Cosby since ''The Cosby Sh ...

'', and various soap operas. While working on the

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

movie, ''Black Dog'', he met the singer

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

, who gave DeWees advice on how to produce his one-man play, ''The Logger, a comedy in Two Ax'', for which he is best known in and around

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

. DeWees has also written two books, ''Scrawlins'', and ''Scrawlins Too'' compilations of short essays.

Awards

DeWees won Best Actor at the Los Angeles

Method Fest Film Festival Method ( grc, μέθοδος, methodos) literally means a pursuit of knowledge, investigation, mode of prosecuting such inquiry, or system. In recent centuries it more often means a prescribed process for completing a task. It may refer to: *Scien ...

for his role as Jerry in ''Mud Season''.

Personal life

DeWees was raised in Stowe, Vermont, and attended the Stowe Community Church. In addition to acting, DeWees is a musician and plays with his band, The Fellers. DeWees also races stock cars at Thunder Road Speedbowl. DeWees works with charities, Ronald McDonald House, Make-a-Wish, and Meals on Wheels. He does motivational speaking to high schools and businesses.

Filmography

The following is the Filmography by American Actor, Producer, Writer, and Comedian Rusty DeWees.

Film

Television

References

External links

Personal website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dewees, Rusty Living people 1960 births Male actors from Philadelphia American male comedians Comedians from Pennsylvania Writers from Philadelphia 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American writers Comedians from Vermont Writers from Burlington, Vermont Male actors from Vermont 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American comedians Champlain College alumni