Saul Hersh Rubinek (born July 2, 1948) is a German-born Canadian actor, director, producer, and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. He is widely known for his television roles, notably Artie Nielsen on ''

Warehouse 13 ''Warehouse 13'' is an American science fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on the Syfy network, and was executive produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins for Universal Cable Productions. Describ ...

,'' Donny Douglas on ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

'', Lon Cohen on ''

A Nero Wolfe Mystery ''Nero Wolfe'' is a television series adapted from Rex Stout's series of detective stories that aired for two seasons (2001–2002) on A&E. Set in New York City sometime in the 1940s–1950s, the stylized period drama stars Maury Chaykin as Ne ...

'', and Louis B. Mayer on '' The Last Tycoon.'' He also starred in the films '' Against All Odds'' (1984), ''

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for ...

'' (1987), ''

The Bonfire of the Vanities ''The Bonfire of the Vanities'' is a 1987 novel by Tom Wolfe. The story is a drama about ambition, racism, social class, politics, and greed in 1980s New York City, and centers on three main characters: WASP bond trader Sherman McCoy, Jewish ass ...

'' (1990), '' Unforgiven'' (1992), '' Nixon'' (1995), ''

True Romance ''True Romance'' is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt ...

'' (1993), '' The Express'' (2008), '' Barney's Version'' (2010), and '' The Ballad of Buster Scruggs'' (2018). Rubinek is a five-time

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for sc ...

nominee, winning Best Supporting Actor for ''

Ticket to Heaven ''Ticket to Heaven'' is a 1981 Canadian drama film directed by Ralph L. Thomas and starring Nick Mancuso, Saul Rubinek, Meg Foster, Kim Cattrall, and R.H. Thomson. The plot concerns the recruiting of a man into a group portrayed to be a reli ...

'' (1981), and a two-time

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 ...

nominee. His directorial film debut, ''

Jerry and Tom ''Jerry and Tom'' is a 1998 American black comedy film directed by Saul Rubinek in his directorial debut. The screenplay was adapted by Rick Cleveland from his own 1994 one-act play. The film stars Joe Mantegna and Sam Rockwell as contract kill ...

'' (1998), was nominated for the

Grand Jury Prize A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

at the 1998

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

. He was previously a stage actor and director, working with the

Stratford Shakespeare 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 ...

and Theatre Passe Muraille, and co-founding the

Canadian Stage Company 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 ...

Early life

Rubinek was born in

Föhrenwald Föhrenwald () was one of the largest displaced persons camps in post-World War II Europe and the last to close, in 1957. It was located in the section now known as Waldram in Wolfratshausen in Bavaria, Germany. The camp facilities were origin ...

, a displaced-persons camp in

Allied-occupied Germany Germany was already de facto occupied by the Allies from the real fall of Nazi Germany in World War II on 8 May 1945 to the establishment of the East Germany on 7 October 1949. The Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Franc ...

, in 1948. His parents, Frania and Israel Rubinek, were both

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

-speaking

Polish Jews The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the l ...

who were hidden by Polish farmers for over two years during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The family emigrated to Canada the same year Rubinek was born. He attended Camp B'nai Brith in

Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts is a town in the province of Quebec, Canada, in the regional county municipality of Les Laurentides in the administrative region of Laurentides, also known as the "Laurentians" or the Laurentian Mountains (in English). Sa ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

. Rubinek wrote the book ''So Many Miracles'' (Penguin Canada) on his parents' experiences in the war.

Career

At the encouragement of his parents, Rubinek began taking acting lessons and joined the Ottawa Little Theatre. In 1969, he began performing at 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 ...

. He contributed to the Toronto theatre scene, co-founding the

and working with Theatre Passe Muraille as an actor and producer. He began working in the United States in the 1970s, acting in

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 th ...

productions. In 1984, he won a

Drama-Logue Award The Drama-Logue Award was an American theater award established in 1977, given by the publishers of Drama-Logue newspaper, a weekly west-coast theater trade publication. Winners were selected by the publication's theater critics, and would rece ...

for Des McAnuff's

La Jolla La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...

production of ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 h ...

''. Early in his career, Rubinek gained the attention of Canadian audiences when he starred as detective Benny Cooperman in two TV films, ''The Suicide Murders'' (1985) and ''Murder Sees the Light'' (1986), which are based on books in author Howard Engel's series of mystery novels set in the Niagara Region of Canada. Rubinek starred as Owen Hughes, the antagonist, in '' Obsessed'' (1987). In another TV film, '' Liberace: Behind the Music'' (1988), he played

Seymour Heller Seymour Heller (September 9, 1914 – October 8, 2001) was an American talent agent and artist's manager. Beginning his career during the Big Band Era, Heller spent more than 60 years in the entertainment industry. He was best known for his ass ...

, the long-time friend and manager of

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

. In 1982, he played Allan in the sex-themed romantic comedy '' Soup for One'', directed and written by Jonathan Kaufer and produced by Marvin Worth. Rubinek appeared in Taylor Hackford's '' Against All Odds'' (1984),

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war come ...

's '' Sweet Liberty'' as director Bo Hopkins,

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sc ...

's ''

'' (1987), as a lawyer, '' The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick'' (1988), as a fun-loving rabbi,

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...

's ''

'' (1990), again as a lawyer, and in a lead part as a rabbi in ''

The Quarrel ''The Quarrel'' is a 1991 Canadian film directed by Eli Cohen and starring Saul Rubinek and R. H. Thomson. The film was written by David Brandes and Joseph Telushkin. Plot Two estranged friends – one a rabbi and the other an agnostic write ...

'' (1991). He is noted for his performance in

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...

's '' Unforgiven'' (1992) as a

pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Vin ...

writer. He had a notable role in

Tony Scott Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was an English film director and producer. He was known for directing highly successful action and thriller films such as '' Top Gun'' (1986), '' Beverly Hills Cop II'' (1987), ''D ...

's ''

'' (1993) as Lee Donowitz a pompous, cocaine-addicted film producer based on Joel Silver. He co-starred in the 1993

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning American made-for-television

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

'' And the Band Played On'' as Dr. Jim Curran. Rubinek played the character Kivas Fajo in the '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode " The Most Toys." Rubinek, an ardent ''Star Trek'' fan, abruptly took over the part after David Rappaport, the actor who was originally cast in the role, attempted suicide shortly after the filming of the episode had begun. (Rappaport later died by suicide just before the episode premiered.) Photographs of Rubinek in character were used on two cards in Decipher's 1994 ST:TNG card game: a character card entitled "Kivas Fajo" and an event card entitled "Kivas Fajo: Collector." In 1998, "The Fajo Collection," a limited (40,000 copies) edition set of 18 new cards, was released as an addition to this card game. Another science fiction role portrayed by Rubinek was as a documentary film director named Emmett Bregman, on the seventh season of the

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 ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

military science fiction television series ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, ...

'', in a two-part episode called " Heroes, Parts 1 & 2". He played

Donny Douglas The main character of the American television sitcom ''Frasier'' is Frasier Crane. Other regular characters include: his father Martin, brother Niles, producer Roz Doyle, and his live-in caregiver Daphne Moon. Other minor characters made regula ...

(

Daphne Moon Daphne Crane (née Moon; born September 1961) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom '' Frasier'', played by Jane Leeves. An English immigrant from Manchester, Daphne is employed by Frasier as a live-in housekeeper and phy ...

's fiancé and Niles Crane's divorce lawyer) in several episodes of the American sitcom ''

''. He appeared, in various roles, in two episodes of the 1995 revival of '' The Outer Limits''. He played the role of Louis the Lion on YTV's '' The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon'' (1995). He had a cameo appearance as a casino pit boss in the film '' Rush Hour 2''. Rubinek played Alan Mintz opposite

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gui ...

in the 2000 film ''

The Family Man ''The Family Man'' is a 2000 American romantic fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Brett Ratner, from a screenplay by David Diamond and David Weissman. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni, with Don Cheadle, Saul Rubinek, and Jerem ...

''. In 2000, Rubinek played Detective Saul Panzer in '' The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery'', the series pilot for the 2001-02 A&E TV series ''

'', in which he would subsequently play the recurring role of reporter Lon Cohen. In 2005 he appeared in the short-lived American television series '' Blind Justice'', and has appeared from 2006 to 2012 in the supporting role of Hasty Hathaway in the ''

Jesse Stone Jesse Albert Stone (November 16, 1901 – April 1, 1999) was an American rhythm and blues musician and songwriter whose influence spanned a wide range of genres. He also used the pseudonyms Charles Calhoun and Chuck Calhoun. His best-know ...

'' series of TV films, starring

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations ...

Saul_Rubinek_and_Eddie_McClintock_cropped

His single-episode guest appearances during the 2000s include two 2004 episodes of ''

Curb Your Enthusiasm ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' is an American television sitcom produced and broadcast by HBO since October 15, 2000, and created by Larry David, who stars as a semi-fictionalized version of himself. It follows David's life as a semi-retired televi ...

'' as Dr. Saul Funkhouser, the "

Adrift Adrift may refer to: Media * Adrift (band), a Tampa, Florida-based American heavy rock band * ''Adrift'' (video game), a first-person adventure video game * "Adrift", a song by God Is an Astronaut from the album '' Ghost Tapes #10'' Film * ''A ...

" episode in the beginning of ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

s second season in 2005, the 2006 "

Invincible Invincible may refer to: Film and television * ''Invincible'' (2001 drama film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism * ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy / martial arts TV movie starring Billy Zane ...

" episode of '' Eureka'', the 2007 episode of the TV series '' Masters of Horror'' "

The Washingtonians "The Washingtonians" is the twelfth episode of the second season of ''Masters of Horror'', directed by Peter Medak. The episode is based on the short story written by Bentley Little. It details a man discovering a shocking secret about George Wa ...

", and a 2008 episode of the TV series ''

Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened obser ...

''. That same year he guest-starred as Victor Dubenich, the

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, ri ...

in the pilot episode of '' Leverage'', reappearing in 2012 for the last two episodes of season 4. In 2013, he guest-starred in two subsequent episodes of the TV series ''

Person of Interest "Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no le ...

''. In 2005, he directed the independent film '' Cruel but Necessary''. The following year he appeared in a supporting role in the 2009 Canadian feature comedy ''

The Trotsky ''The Trotsky'' is a 2009 Canadian comedy film directed and written by Jacob Tierney and starring Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Colm Feore, Saul Rubinek, and Michael Murphy. Plot High School student Leon Bronstein believes that he is the re ...

''. Rubinek starred in the

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. La ...

series ''

'' as Artie Nielsen, a covert agent employed by a secretive council to recover mystical artifacts with his team. The series finale was aired on May 19, 2014, on

. His first play, ''Terrible Advice'', premiered in September 2011 at the Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre in London, starring Scott Bakula,

Sharon Horgan Sharon Lorencia Horgan (born 13 July 1970) is an Irish actress, writer, director, comedian and producer who co-wrote and starred in the comedy series '' Pulling'' (2006–2009) and ''Catastrophe'' (2015–2019). She also created the HBO comedy ...

, Andy Nyman and

Caroline Quentin Caroline Quentin (born Caroline Jones; 11 July 1960) is an English actress, broadcaster and television presenter. Quentin became known for her television appearances: portraying Dorothy in ''Men Behaving Badly'' (1992–1998), Maddie Magellan in ...

.Shenton, Mark
"Frank Oz to Direct Saul Rubinek's Terrible Advice at London's Menier Chocolate Factory"
, ''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the show's p ...

''. July 11, 2011. In 2018, he was cast as a series regular on the

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...

series '' Hunters.''

Filmography

Film

Television

Accolades

Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * 1980 Genie Award for Best Actor (Non-Feature): ''

The Wordsmith ''The Wordsmith'' is a 1979 Canadian television film directed by Claude Jutra. It is an autobiographical piece, which brings to life the wondrous wizardy of master wordsmith Vandna Lakhanpal. Based on a screenplay by Mordecai Richler, the film s ...

'' (nominated) * 1980 Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor: '' The Agency'' (nominated) * 1982 Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor: ''

'' (won) * 1983 Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor: '' By Design'' (nominated) * 1989 Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor: '' The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick'' (nominated) * 1998 Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program: ''

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui ...

'' (nominated) * 1998 Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor: ''

Pale Saints Pale Saints were an English alternative rock/shoegazing band formed in 1987 in Leeds by singer-bassist Ian Masters, guitarist Graeme Naysmith and drummer Chris Cooper.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 907 ...

'' (nominated) * 2008 Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program: ''

The Trojan Horse The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending before the war is concluded, ...

'' (nominated) Broadcast Film Critics Association * 2001 Alan J. Pakula Award for Artistic Excellence: '' The Contender'' (won) FilmOut LGBT Film Festival * 2010 Audience Award for Best Supporting Actor: ''

Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!! ''Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!!'' is a 2009 comedy film directed, co-written, and produced by Evgeny Afineevsky and starring Lainie Kazan, Saul Rubinek, Vincent Pastore, John Lloyd Young, Jai Rodriguez, Bruce Vilanch, Fred Swink and Carmen Electra. The ...

'' (nominated) Sundance Film Festival * 1998

: ''

'' (nominated)

References

External links

Toronto Star biography of Saul Rubinek
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rubinek, Saul 1948 births Living people Canadian Ashkenazi Jews Canadian people of Jewish descent People from Wolfratshausen Jewish Canadian male actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Best Supporting Actor Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian people of Polish-Jewish descent Polish Ashkenazi Jews 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian male writers