Robert Charles Wisden ( Brighton, 2 June 1958) is an English-born, Canadian

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 ...

who has an extensive career 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 ...

and American film and television, for which he has won a Gemini Award. Best known for playing U.S. President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

in the 2009 American neo-noir superhero film ''

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is an American comic book maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987 before being collected in a single-vo ...

'', he has acted on many series, including ''

Da Vinci's Inquest ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is a Canadian dramatic television series which originally aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven seaso ...

'', '' Smallville'', ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who ...

'', '' Battlestar Galactica'', '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', '' Highlander'' and ''

Jeremiah Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewi ...

''.

Early life

Born in 1958 in Brighton, East Sussex in England, Wisden moved with his family from

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

when he was fifteen. He made his film debut in ''

Firebird 2015 AD ''Firebird 2015 AD'' is a 1981 Canadian science fiction film directed by David M. Robertson and starring Darren McGavin and Doug McClure. Plot In the year 2015, the US government outlaws the distribution of gasoline to the public, reserving it ...

'' (1981), landing a key supporting part alongside Darren McGavin and

Doug McClure Douglas Osborne McClure (May 11, 1935February 5, 1995) was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s. He is best known for his role as the cowboy Trampas during the entire run from 1962 to 1971 o ...

. Four years later he started his television career starring as Terry Dunne in

Atom Egoyan Atom Egoyan (; hy, Աթոմ Եղոյեան, translit=Atom Yeghoyan; born July 19, 1960) is a Canadian filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. Egoyan ...

's ''In This Corner'' (1985).

Career

Acting

Wisden is best known for his role as United States President

Zack Snyder Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with '' Dawn of the Dead'', a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name. Since t ...

's film adaptation of the DC graphic novel ''

'', Chief Coroner James Flynn in the Canadian TV series ''

'', and Ken Browning in ''

Final Destination ''Final Destination'' is an American horror franchise that includes five films, two comic books, and nine novels. It is based on an unproduced spec script by Jeffrey Reddick, originally written for ''The X-Files'' television series, and was ...

''. In 1994, he landed a supporting role in the epic turn-of-the-20th-century war drama '' Legends of the Fall''. He played Robert Patrick Modell - a character created by

Vince Gilligan George Vincent Gilligan Jr. (born February 10, 1967) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is known for his television work, specifically as creator, head writer, executive producer, and director of AMC's '' Breaking Bad'' (2008– ...

- in the classic ''

'' episode '' Pusher'' (1996) and the 1998 follow-up episode '' Kitsunegari''.

Teaching

In 2006, Wisden graduated from

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located ...

with a Bachelor of Education degree.Davincisinquest.com- Bio
/ref> He taught at Heritage Woods Secondary School for two school years (2006 - 2007), substituting for the main drama teacher. He went on to become the Head of Theater Arts at St.George's School for Boys in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. In 2019, Wisden realised a long-held dream when he oversaw the school's successful production of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

''.

Awards

In 2000, he won a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for ''The Sheldon Kennedy Story'' (1999).Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television official website
, retrieved January 12, 2009.

Filmography

Film

*''

'' (1981) - Cam *'' Milk and Honey'' (1988) *''Blood Clan'' (1990) - Stuart Roos *'' Stay Tuned'' (1992) - 3 Men and Rosemary's Baby *''

Impolite Rudeness (also called effrontery) is a display of actual or perceived disrespect by not complying with the social norms or etiquette of a group or culture. These norms have been established as the essential boundaries of normally accepted beha ...

'' (1992) - Jack Yeats *''

Look Who's Talking Now ''Look Who's Talking Now'' is a 1993 American romantic comedy film, and the third and final installment in the film series that began with '' Look Who's Talking'' in 1989. It finds John Travolta and Kirstie Alley reprising their roles as James a ...

'' (1993) - Ranger *'' Legends of the Fall'' (1994) - John T. O'Banion *''The War Between Us'' (1996) - Ed Parnum *'' Excess Baggage'' (1997) - Detective Sims *'' Medusa's Child'' (1997) - Colonel Spencer *''Floating Away'' (1998) - Armand *'' In the Name of the People'' (2000) - DA Paul McMillan *''

'' (2000) - Ken Browning *''Criss Cross'' (2001) - Zach *'' Snow Queen'' (2002) - Wolfgang *''

'' (2009) - Richard Nixon *''

Driven to Kill ''Driven to Kill'' is a 2009 American action film directed by Jeff F. King, starring Steven Seagal, Mike Dopud, Igor Jijikine and Robert Wisden. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on May 19, 2009. Plot Ruslan Drachev (St ...

'' (2009) - Terry Goldstein

Television

*'' In This Corner'' (1986) - Terry Dunne *'' Glory Enough for All'' (1988) -

Charles Herbert Best Charles Herbert Best (February 27, 1899 – March 31, 1978) was an American-Canadian medical scientist and one of the co-discoverers of insulin. Biography Born in West Pembroke, Maine on February 27, 1899 to Luella Fisher and Herbert Huestis ...

*'' 9B'' (1989) - Bob Dawson *''

The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...

'' (1993–1994) - Brad Ziegler *'' The Outer Limits'' (1995-1999) - Justin Wells / Sam Winter *'' Highlander: The Series'' "The Return of Amanda" (1993) & "The Messenger" (1996) - Col. William Everett Culbraith / Werner *''

'' (1996–1998) - Robert Patrick Modell *'' Poltergeist: The Legacy'' (1997-1999) - Will Thomas / James Donlon *'' Madison'' (1997) - Richard Long *''

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, ...

'' (1997–2005) (4 episodes) - Lt. Colonel Bert Samuels *''

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

'' (1997-1998) - Chris Carmody / Gordon Roberts *''

Cold Squad ''Cold Squad'' is a Canadian police procedural television series that premiered on CTV on January 23, 1998, at 10 p.m., and ran for seven seasons. Led by Sergeant Ali McCormick ( Julie Stewart), a team of homicide detectives from the Vancouver Pol ...

'' (1998-2004) - Nick Kingsman / Neil Brice *''

Welcome to Paradox ''Welcome to Paradox'' was a Canadian science fiction television series aired on the Sci Fi Channel in the U.S. and subsequently on Showcase in Canada. It was first broadcast on August 17, 1998, ran for one season, with the final episode being ...

'' (1998) - John Hammond *''

'' (1998–2000) - Chief Coroner James Flynn *'' Secret Cutting'' (2000) - Russell Cottrell *'' Smallville'' (2001–2004) - Gabriel Sullivan *''

'' (2002–2003) - Devon *''

The Elizabeth Smart Story ''The Elizabeth Smart Story'' is a 2003 American made-for-television crime drama film about the high-profile Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case. It was broadcast less than eight months after her recovery. It was based on the book ''Bringing Elizabet ...

'' (2003) - Jim Smart *'' Battlestar Galactica'' (2005) - Wallace Gray *'' Supervolcano'' (2005) - Kenneth Wylie

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wisden, Robert 1958 births English male film actors English male television actors English emigrants to Canada Best Supporting Actor in a Television Film or Miniseries Canadian Screen Award winners Living people Male actors from Vancouver People from Brighton Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors