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Torquil Campbell (born 17 March 1972) is the co-lead singer and a songwriter for the
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
-based
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band Stars. In addition to singing, he also plays the melodica,
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
,
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
, and
tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...
. Campbell is also an actor and playwright, most recently co-creating and starring in the play ''True Crime'', produced by Crow's Theatre in Toronto. He is a co-host of ''Soft Revolution'', a podcast about the intersection of art, culture, and politics, along with Toronto-based actor Ali Momen. Previously, Campbell was the co-host of ''The Basement Revue Podcast'', along with musician
Jason Collett Jason Collett is a Toronto-based Canadian singer-songwriter. He has released six solo studio albums, and is a former member of Broken Social Scene. His latest album, ''Song & Dance Man'', was released in February, 2016. Early life Collett was bo ...
and poet
Damian Rogers Damian Rogers is an American-Canadian poet, journalist, and editor. Life and career Rogers was born in Detroit, Michigan. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and her MFA in poetry from Bennington College, befor ...
, as well as a regular contributor to the CBC radio program '' Q''.


Music career

Campbell is the cofounder of the indie rock band Stars, formed in 2000. He is involved in a solo project called Dead Child Star, created in March 2008. The first album from Dead Child Star came out in January 2011 and was titled ''Cold Hands, Warm Heart''. He is also a member of the band Memphis. They have released four albums to date: ''I Dreamed We Fell Apart'' (2004), ''A Little Place in the Wilderness'' (2006), ''Here Comes a City'' (2011), and most recently, ''Leave with Me'' (2019). This album was funded through a crowdfunding campaign. In addition to his involvement in these projects, Campbell occasionally records and performs with Broken Social Scene, a Canadian indie rock band and musical collective.


Theatre career

Campbell has worked as an actor for much of his life, appearing onstage throughout North America, playing roles as diverse as Gary, the teenage prostitute, in the original New York production of the controversial play ''
Shopping and Fucking ''Shopping and Fucking'' (sometimes billed as ''Shopping and F**king'') is a 1996 play by English playwright Mark Ravenhill. It was Ravenhill's first full-length play. It received its first public reading at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 19 ...
'', starring
Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—typically lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical produ ...
, and the title role in
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
''. He has directed theatre, including a production of ''
Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...
'' for the Hamptons Shakespeare Festival. Campbell has also had numerous acting roles in
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 ...
television series and TV movies, including the role of Bill Badger in the animated series ''
Rupert Rupert may refer to: People * Rupert (name), various people known by the given name or surname "Rupert" Places Canada *Rupert, Quebec, a village *Rupert Bay, a large bay located on the south-east shore of James Bay *Rupert River, Quebec *Rupert' ...
'', the television films '' Heaven on Earth'' and '' Pray for Me, Paul Henderson'', and guest appearances in '' Sex and the City'' and ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
''. He has also appeared in several feature films. Additionally, Campbell has designed music and sound for theatre. Campbell toured a play across Canada co-created with Chris Abraham about convicted murderer and imposter
Christian Gerhartsreiter Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter (born February 21, 1961) is a German convicted murderer and impostor. Born in West Germany, he is currently serving a prison sentence in the U.S. state of California. After moving to the U.S. in his late teens, Gerh ...
. Entitled ''True Crime'', the play has been performed in various large and small venues across the nation.


Personal life

Campbell was born in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
, England, and came to Canada during childhood with his family. He is the son of actor Douglas Campbell and his wife, Moira Wylie. He attended and graduated from Jarvis Collegiate Institute in Toronto before going on to study theatre in New York City. Campbell and his family reside in Vancouver.


References


External links

*
Bandcamp profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Torquil 1972 births Living people Anglo-Scots English emigrants to Canada Canadian songwriters Canadian pop singers Canadian male stage actors Canadian male television actors Male actors from Toronto Musicians from Toronto Canadian indie rock musicians Stars (Canadian band) members Broken Social Scene members 21st-century Canadian male singers