William Patterson Dunlop, Jr., known professionally as William Dunlop, (1951–2009) was a Canadian actor of stage, television, and film. He is best remembered for portraying Chief of Detectives Frank Strenlich in the PTEN television series '' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' from 1993 through 1997. On stage he had a productive relationship with the

Stratford Shakespeare Festival The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson (theatre producer), Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was fo ...

Life and career

Born in Montréal, Québec, Dunlop was the son of William Patterson Dunlop, Sr. (1912-1989) and Frances Ina MacGregor Will (1918-1989). His father was born in Montréal of Irish parents, and his mother was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He graduated from Sedbergh School in Montebello, QC. While a student there he studied theatre with Patrick Pettigrew who had a profound impact on his intellectual development. The majority of Dunlop's career was spent on the stage, particularly at the

Stratford, Ontario Stratford is a city on the Avon River within Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2016 population of 31,465 in a land area of . Stratford is the seat of Perth County, which was settled by English, Irish, Scottish and German im ...

. His performance credits at the Stratford Festival included leading roles in ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'' (1985), '' Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'' (1986, alternating performances in both title roles), ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' (1985 and 1991), ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 throug ...

'' (1991) and The Taming of the Shrew (1977). Dunlop made his film debut in the 1979 horror film ''The House with Steps''. He did not work in film again until 1995 when he portrayed R.T. in ''

Tommy Boy ''Tommy Boy'' is a 1995 American buddy adventure comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, produced by Lorne Michaels, and starring former ''Saturday Night Live'' castmates and close friends Chris Farley and David ...

''. He starred as Frank in

Jack Blum Jack Blum is a Canadian writer, producer, director, story editor, actor, educator and communications consultant based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With his longtime partner Sharon Corder, he has written and produced more than fifty hours of tele ...

's 1998 film ''Babyface''. On television, Dunlop is best known for his portrayal of Chief of Detectives Frank Strenlich in the main cast of '' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' (1993–97). His other television performance included guest roles on ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' (1989), '' Top Cops'' (1992–93), ''

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

'' (1993), '' Street Legal'' (1993, recurring role of Sgt. Lehrer), and ''

Due South ''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 26, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred Pau ...

'' (1994-1995).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunlop, William Patterson 1951 births 2009 deaths Canadian male television actors Canadian male stage actors