Louis Negin (20 October 1929 – 2 December 2022) was a British-born Canadian actor, best known for his roles in the films of Guy Maddin."Enchantment". In Toronto, September 2011.
Career Born in London, England, and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Negin had his earliest film and television roles in the 1950s Canadian dramatic anthology series First Performance, and as a chorus member in Tyrone Guthrie's 1957 film of the Stratford Festival production of Oedipus Rex. He appeared in the Stratford Festival production of Tamburlaine, which had a run on Broadway in 1956,Louis Negin at the Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia. and later appeared in London productions of Fortune and Men's Eyes and his own play Love and Maple Syrup; in Fortune and Men's Eyes, he became one of the first actors ever to appear fully nude on stage in England.
Negin later appeared in films including The Ernie Game, Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?, Ooh… You Are Awful, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Rabid, Two Solitudes and Highpoint. As well as appearing in TV series such as Brett, Mousey and The Zoo Gang and episodes of King of Kensington and The Littlest Hobo. In the 1980s he had a recurring role on Seeing Things, as well as acting in the television films Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner and Charlie Grant's War.
In 1994, he acted in drag as Mrs. White in a Toronto production of John Wimbs and Christopher Richards' play Molly Wood."Molly Wood goes the way of all flash". Toronto Star, October 27, 1994. In 1998, he played Noël Coward in a production of Linda Griffiths' play The Duchess at Theatre Passe Muraille. He played Truman Capote, both in a Toronto stage production of the play Tru in 1996"Toronto Tru Delays Opening" . Playbill, May 23, 1996. and in the film 54.
In later years, he acted in several of Guy Maddin's films, including Cowards Bend the Knee, Sissy Boy Slap Party, The Saddest Music in the World, Keyhole, and The Forbidden Room as well as narrating Maddin's semi-documentary films Brand Upon the Brain! and My Winnipeg. He also had guest roles in the television series Lord Have Mercy!, Mona the Vampire, ReGenesis and Slings and Arrows, and in Bruce McDonald's film Pontypool.
In 2008, he performed The Glass Eye, a semi-autobiographical play which he wrote in collaboration with Marie Brassard, in Montreal and Toronto.
In 2019, he appeared in Matthew Rankin's film The Twentieth Century, acting in drag as the mother of Prime Minister Mackenzie King.Kevin Ritchie, "Review: The Twentieth Century is an absorbing visual delight". Now, December 12, 2019. He received a Vancouver Film Critics Circle award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film.Adrian Mack, "Marriage Story dominates Vancouver Film Critics Circle noms". The Georgia Straight, December 13, 2019.
Personal life and death Negin, who was gay, was the partner of former television and film designer Charles Dunlop. In a 2007 interview with Xtra!, Negin described his age as "Write that I'm 95 years old, and that I've been to Hungary to have some work done.""Silver screen: Louis Negin's shocking disclosures". Xtra!, May 24, 2007.
Guy Maddin announced Negin's death on his Instagram on December 3, 2022. Negin had died the previous day, in Montreal, at the age of 93.
Filmography Films + Year Title Role Notes1967 The Ernie GameErnie's friend1969Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?Producer Peter1972Get Charlie TullyEmilio Ferruchi1974Barry McKenzie Holds His OwnHugo Cretin1977RabidMaxim1978Two SolitudesCardinal's CanonBlackout1980DeadlineOlder Man1982HighpointDance Instructor1985Big DealEugene Leach1986Keeping TrackConductor1987City of ShadowsBamji1988Last Man StandingCyril1989Physical EvidenceJake Farley1990Love & MurderGinger1994Sissy Boy Slap PartyOlder ManShort film199854Truman Capote1999Eye of the BeholderBartender The Devil's ArithmeticUncle Morris2002Left Behind II: Tribulation ForceWitness Moishe2003Cowards Bend the KneeDr. Fusi The Saddest Music in the WorldBlind Seer2006Brand Upon the Brain!Theatre tour narrator 2007My Winnipeg Mayor Cornish2008PontypoolConversationalist2011KeyholeCalypso / Camille2013GerontophiliaCrossing Guard2015 The Forbidden RoomMarv / Smithy / Mars /2019 The Twentieth CenturyMother (drag-role)
Television + Year Title Role Notes1954-1960Encounter Bernie AltmanEpisodes: "The Man Who Ran Away", "The Silent Partner" and "Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz"1955Folio Episode: "The Hand and the Mirror"1957First PerformanceEpisode: "Seeds of Power" (credited as Louis Negan)Oedipus RexChorusTV movie (credited as Louis Negan)1960 The Play of the WeekThe HusbandEpisode: "Two by Saroyan: 'Once Around the Block' and 'My Heart's in the Highlands'"1961 The Man Born to Be King TV movie1961-1966Festival 3 episodes1963FestivalFirst KomsomolEpisode: Ivan1964Twelfth Night TV movieQuestPrisonerEpisode: "The Brig"1968Man in a Suitcase Amin HammoudEpisode: "The Revolutionaries"MogulFirst OfficialEpisode: "Not for My Friend - He's Driving"1970Vile Bodies Archie SchwertTV movie1971Brett ZurkinEpisode: "The Hollow Men"1974 The Zoo Gang ClaudeEpisode: "Mindless Murder"Mousey CouturierTV movie1975On the Evidence Episode: "Murder: Regina Vs. Willis"1976Teleplay MouetteEpisode: "The Italian Machine" The Wayne & Shuster Comedy SpecialEpisodes: "Canadianization" and "Rinse the Blood Off My Toga" 1977King of Kensington WaiterEpisode: "The Comic"1980-1982 The Littlest HoboDr. McQuarterEpisodes: "The Pied Piper" and "Once Upon a Tyme"1981Standing Room OnlyLouis - Maitre 'DEpisode: "Red Skelton's Christmas Dinner" (also known as Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner)1981-1987Seeing Things Marlon16 episodes1983 A Matter of CunningTV movieAmerican PlayhousePierreEpisode: Overdrawn at the Memory BankCook & Peary: The Race to the Pole Maitre D'TV movie1984Charlie Grant's War Otto SchmidtTV movie1985In Like FlynnDr. HoweTV movie1986Hot ShotsGoldsmithEpisode: "Tails You Lose"Philip Marlowe, Private Eye MartinEpisode: "Red Wind"1986-1987Night Heat BroffeyEpisodes: "Every Picture Tells a Story" and "Limo"1987Check It Out Maitre D'Episode: "Love and Marriage"Adderly AntoineEpisode: "A Matter of Discretion"DiamondsEpisode: "Domestic Spirits"1991Tropical Heat Mr. Charles / JonathanEpisodes: "Hard Case" and "She" The Cutaway Soap Opera SurgeonTV movie1993CounterstrikeArt Appraiser Episode: "French Twist"Class of '96 Professor GlickEpisode: "Midterm Madness"1999-2000Mona the VampireReverend Gregory15 episodes2001Queer as Folk Older Gay Male #2Episode: "Queens of the Road"2003Lord Have Mercy! Father WhiteEpisode: "Tangled Web"2006Slings and ArrowsEpisode: "Divided Kingdom"ReGenesisSalvador CharringaEpisodes: "Our Men in Havana" and "Listen to Him"
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