John L'Ecuyer (born November 15, 1964) is a Canadian film and television director.
Biography Born in Montreal, L'Ecuyer later moved and studied at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto, where his classmates included screenwriter Brad Abraham. His brother Gerald L'Ecuyer is also a film and television director."Filmmaker Gerald L'Ecuyer". Toronto Star, August 15, 1999.
L'Ecuyer's first feature, Curtis's Charm (1995), based on a short story by Jim Carroll, starred Maurice Dean Wint as Curtis, a paranoid drug addict who believes his mother-in-law has cast a voodoo spell on him, which has resulted in his being stalked by a killer squirrel."The romance of junkie paranoia". The Globe and Mail, September 14, 1995. It was shot on black and white 16 mm film.
The film, executive produced by Atom Egoyan and Patricia Rozema, premiered at the 1995 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received a special jury citation as Best Canadian Feature Film."Film fest names winners". Edmonton Journal, September 18, 1995.
Also at TIFF that year, L'Ecuyer's short film Use Once and Destroy (1995) received another special jury citation at the festival, for Best Canadian Short Film."Surprise winner for best Canadian film at Toronto Film Festival is Live Bait". Canadian Press, September 17, 1995. The short film was based on his own book, titled UseOnceAndDestroy, which was published in 1998 by Gutter Press.Hal Niedzviecki, "Use Once and Destroy". Quill & Quire, Fall 1998.
L'Ecuyer's other feature film credits include Saint Jude and On the Verge of a Fever, both of which premiered at TIFF."African cinema's moment in the sun; Continent better represented at fest than ever: Pioneering movie in Zulu among noteworthy flicks". Toronto Star, September 10, 2004. His feature documentary, Confessions of a Rabid Dog, won Best Social Documentary at HotDocs.
In 1999, Playback called him "one of the country’s top dramatic directors."
Since the 2000s, L'Ecuyer has worked primarily in television. His television work includes dozens of popular series such as ReGenesis and Murdoch Mysteries, and he has also directed over a dozen made-for-television films.
Filmography Film Short film Year Title Director Writer1994 It's a Beautiful Day Low Life 1995 Use Once and Destroy
Feature film Year Title Director Writer 1995 Curtis's Charm 1997 Confessions of a Rabid Dog 2000 Saint Jude 2004 On the Verge of a Fever 2014 A Date with Miss Fortune
Television Year Title Notes 1996 The Rez 1996–1997 Ready or Not "Prince Charming""Second Generation""Saint Carla" 1997 The Hunger 1998 Da Vinci's Inquest "Known to the Ministry""The Stranger Inside" 1998–1999 Traders "Meltdown""End Games""Reap the Whirlwind""Killer Instinct""This World ... Then the Fireworks" 1999 Cold Squad "Deadly Games: Part I" 1999–2000 The City "Shadows""Obsessions""Swing Your Partner""Sweet Cherub: Part I""Blindside!" 2000 Live Through This 2000 Queer as Folk 2001 Blue Murder "Steel Drums""Remington Park" 2001–2002 Nero Wolfe "Eeny Meeny Murder Moe""Disguise for Murder""Too Many Clients""Before I Die""Help Wanted, Male" 2002 Tom Stone 2002–2003 Just Cause "Tonia with a O""Trial by Memory" 2006 11 Cameras 2004–2007 ReGenesis "Baby Bomb""The Oldest Virus""Blackout""The Secret War""Resurrection""The Longest Night""Haze""China""The Cocktail""Our Men in Havana""Adrift" 2008 The Guard "Fistful of Rain""Body Parts" 2008–2011 Murdoch Mysteries "Bad Medicine""The Prince and the Rebel""The Curse of Beaton Manor""Monsieur Murdoch""Confederate Treasure" 2012 The Listener "Captain Nightfall"2015Blood and Water 2014The Other world2016Gangland Undercover2016Real Detective 2017-2019 The Detectives
TV movies Tagged: The Jonathan Wamback Story (2001) Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story (2003) Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story (2004) Under the Dragon's Tail (2005) In God's Country (2007) The Good Times are Killing Me (2008) The Riverbank (2012) Sorority Surrogate (2013) My Daughter's Nightmare (2013) Early Release (2016) Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation (2023)
References
External links
Northern Stars profile