Eric Fryer 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, who played

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958 June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated due to cancer, he embarked on an east-to-west cross-Canada run to raise money ...

in the 1983 biopic ''

The Terry Fox Story ''The Terry Fox Story'' is a 1983 Canadian-American biographical film of Canadian amputee and runner Terry Fox. It was written by Howard Hume, John Kastner and Rose Kastner, and directed by Ralph L. Thomas. The film stars Eric Fryer as Fox, C ...

''."Fox role was a fluke for Fryer". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', April 27, 1983. Originally from

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, he was cast because he was a leg amputee who had some physical resemblance to Fox."Terry Fox a hard act to follow but acting novice gets coach". ''

'', August 30, 1982. As he was a novice actor, however, the film's producers hired

Rosemary Dunsmore Rosemary Dunsmore (born July 13, 1952) is a Canadian TV, film, and theatre actress, director, and educator. She was awarded a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her 1982 performance in ''Straight Ahead/Blind Dancers''. In 2009 she won the ACTRA Award f ...

as a dedicated acting coach to guide Fryer in performing. At the time of his casting he did not appreciate what Fox had done, telling ''

'' that "he wasn't an inspiration because, when that's happening to you, you're in your own little world. I just wanted to get on with my own life and not worry about some guy who was running across Canada. I wanted to get myself together." After acting Fox's life onscreen his perspective changed, however, and he began telling the press that working on the film had given him greater insight into Fox's determination and the scope of his achievement. Fryer won the award for Best Actor at the

5th Genie Awards The 5th Genie Awards were presented on March 21, 1984, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto.Jay Scott, "Terry Fox Story wins best picture Genie". ''The Globe and Mail'', March 22, 1984. The awards ceremony was hosted by Louis Del Grande. No ...

."Terry Fox Story wins best picture Genie Eric Fryer, Martha Henry take top acting awards". ''

'', March 22, 1984. He only appeared in two other minor acting roles thereafter, appearing in episodes of ''

The Beachcombers ''The Beachcombers'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that ran on CBC Television from October 1, 1972, to December 12, 1990. With over 350 episodes, it is one of the longest-running dramatic series ever made for English-language Canad ...

'' ("High Tension", February 19, 1984) and '' Home Fires''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fryer, Eric Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Canadian male film actors Canadian amputees Best Actor Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Male actors from Toronto People from Scarborough, Toronto Amputee actors