Ken Welsh

Those of us graduating from The National Theatre School of Canada in the early seventies looked up to many actors including Ken Welsh. A 1965 graduate of The School, Ken spent seven years on the Stratford stage playing many roles including Hamlet. That work made a big impression on us. He played at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, where he received the Joseph Jefferson best actor award in 1977. He then made his Broadway debut in The Inspector General in 1978. His career includes a long list of film and TV credits including Twin Peaks, Empire Inc., The Aviator, Stargate Atlantis, Hiroshima. In 2003, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. He won his third of five Gemini Awards in 1990 for his performance as convicted killer Colin Thatcher in the TV movie Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher (1989), the first Canadian production ever to top the US Nielsen ratings. I acted with Ken in the 1970s and recently had the opportunity again in Compton Manor. Ken, you've made a lasting contribution to our arts community.