Shawn Alex Thompson (born January 13, 1958,

Berwick, Nova Scotia Berwick is a Canadian town in Kings County, Nova Scotia. The town is located in the eastern part of the Annapolis Valley on the Cornwallis River. The town site stretches south from the river and Exit 15 of Highway 101 to Highway 1. Berwick occu ...

is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, television producer, and television director, as well as a professional magician. Notably he is one of the producers of ''

Puppets Who Kill ''Puppets Who Kill'' is a Canadian television comedy programme produced by PWK Productions and originally broadcast on The Comedy Network. It premiered in Canada in 2002, and in Australia on The Comedy Channel in 2004. It has also been broadcast ...

'', which aired on Canada's

The Comedy Network CTV Comedy Channel (often shortened to CTV Comedy and formerly known as The Comedy Network) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Bell Media which focuses primarily on comedy programming. The channel first launched on Octo ...

. Thompson's first foray into showbiz came as a magician and circus performer, dangling by his ankles from a burning rope while struggling to escape from a straight jacket. From those early, auspicious beginnings, Shawn migrated into stand-up comedy, first taking a stance at Yuk Yuks, alongside prominent actor

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

. During this time Thompson guest hosted eleven times on ''

The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' for Fox Television. Also on Fox, Shawn became a series regular on the sketch comedy series ''

The Newz ''The Newz'' was a half-hour syndicated sketch comedy television series that aired in 1994 and 1995. It starred Tommy Blaze, Mystro Clark, Deborah Magdalena, Dan O'Connor, Stan Quash, Brad Sherwood, Nancy Sullivan, Shawn Alex Thompson, and L ...

'', where he also wrote and directed several short films. From December 1985 to April 1987, Shawn Thompson was cast as Simon Hall, a fictional character on the CBS series ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

''. It was the first daytime role for the Canadian born actor. Simultaneously during this period, Thompson also hosted the Toronto regional edition of 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 ...

teen-oriented weekend talk/variety show '' Switchback'', as well as appearing alongside

Howard Busgang Howard Busgang is a Canadian comedian and television producer."A comic with chutzpah: He opens a Montreal-style deli in B.C". ''Montreal Gazette'', August 25, 2018. Comedy career Originally from Montreal, Quebec, he studied political science at Mc ...

in the short-run comedy series ''We Don't Knock'', in which Busgang and Thompson performed improvised pranks on real people. In 1985 Thompson was arrested in the United States for illegal dumping after throwing a doll over Niagara Falls as part of a ''Switchback'' stunt. In 1988, he played dance television host Corny Collins in John Waters' film ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

''. He has directed episodes of the series ''

'', winning a

Canadian Comedy Award 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 Best Director in 2003, and a

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 Direction in 2004. Furthermore, in 1995, Thompson wrote episodes for MGM's “The Outer Limits”, one of which episodes included a young Josh Brolin. Recently, he has directed shows such as '' The Next Step'' and ''

Murdoch Mysteries ''Murdoch Mysteries'' is a Canadian television drama series that premiered on Citytv on January 20, 2008, and currently airs on CBC. The series is based on characters from the ''Detective Murdoch'' novels by Maureen Jennings and stars Yannick B ...

'', and is currently acting in "My Perfect Landing" for BBC kids.

References

External links

* Canadian male film actors Film directors from Nova Scotia Canadian male television actors Canadian television directors Canadian television producers Living people Male actors from Nova Scotia 1958 births Canadian Comedy Award winners {{Canada-tv-bio-stub