Joel Thomas Hynes (born September 29, 1976) is a Canadian writer, actor and director known for his irreverent, oftentimes dark and uproarious characters and a raw, unflinching vision of modern underground Canada.

Career

His 2017 novel ''

Scotiabank Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition be ...

. He has released two albums - ''JTH Live at the LSPU Hall'' and 2018's ''Dead Man's Melody'', a concept album that loosely follows the story of a doomed relationship that ends in murder and mayhem with the album's main character barricaded inside a house, unabashed, determined to go out in a hail of bullets. The album was produced in Toronto by

Eamon McGrath Eamon McGrath is a Canadian musician and writer from Edmonton, Alberta and currently based in Toronto, Ontario. On his own, his live performances are most often folk-oriented, where McGrath plays songs from his discography on acoustic instruments ...

. His

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

''Down to the Dirt'' won the

Percy Janes First Novel Award The Percy Janes First Novel Award is a Canadian literary award, presented through the provincial government's annual Arts and Letters Competition to an unpublished manuscript by a first-time novelist from Newfoundland and Labrador. The award is nam ...

, was shortlisted for the Atlantic Book Award and the Winterset Award, and was longlisted for the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

and the

ReLit Award The ReLit Awards are Canadian literary prizes awarded annually to book-length works in the novel, short-story and poetry categories."Three indie writers honoured by ReLit Awards". ''The Globe and Mail'', July 19, 2007. Founded in 2000 by Newfoundla ...

. The novel was subsequently adapted into the film ''

Down to the Dirt ''Down to the Dirt'' is a 2008 Canadian film based upon Newfoundland author Joel Thomas Hynes' first novel of the same name. The movie was shot largely in Newfoundland. It won two awards at the Atlantic Film Festival, one for the best feature fi ...

'', in which Hynes also played the lead role. The unabridged audiobook edition of ''Down to the Dirt'' narrated by Johnny Harris, Joel Thomas Hynes and Sherry White was recorded by Rattling Books in 2006. ''Down to the Dirt'' has been translated into numerous languages and adapted to stage. The follow up to ''Down to the Dirt'' was the gritty novel ''Right Away Monday'', also available with HarperCollins Publishers. Hynes is the creator, an executive producer and plays the lead role in the hit CBC comedy series '' Little Dog'', which follows burned out boxer Tommy "Little Dog" Ross on the rocky road to redemption after he makes a reluctant return to the ring after a long, shameful hiatus. Hynes has performed numerous lead and leading roles for television, film, and theatre. His credits include the television series '' Hatching, Matching and Dispatching'' (for which he was also a writer), as well as the films '' Rabbittown'', '' Crackie'', ''

The Con Artist ''The Con Artist'' is a 2010 romantic comedy film directed by Risa Bramon Garcia and written by Michael Melski and Collin Friesen, starring Rossif Sutherland, Rebecca Romijn, Sarah Roemer and Donald Sutherland. The film was released straight-to-D ...

'', ''

Messiah from Montreal In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach' ...

'', ''

The Sparky Book ''The Sparky Book'' is a 2006 animated/live-action short film by Newfoundland filmmaker Mary Lewis, about the near-death of a young girl who undergoes heart transplant surgery, and the death of her beloved pet dog, Sparky. The story is based o ...

'', ''Ashore'' , ''Hunting Pignut'', ''A Christmas Fury'', and many others. Hynes's gothic novella ''Say Nothing Saw Wood'', inspired by a true story of a grisly murder that happened in his hometown in 1971, was adapted to the big screen under the title '' Cast No Shadow'', and went on to receive numerous accolades on the festival circuit. Hynes was awarded the Michael Weir Award for best Atlantic Screenwriter at the Atlantic Film Festival and was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In ''Cast No Shadow'', Hynes plays opposite his real life son Percy Hynes White. White won numerous accolades for his portrayal of ''Cast No Shadows young, disturbed protagonist Jude Traynor, including the Rising Star Award at the Edmonton International Film Festival and the Best Actor Award at the Atlantic Film Festival. Hynes was named Artist of the Year by the

Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

in 2008, has received the Lawrence Jackson Writer's Award, the Summerwork's Theatre Festival's Contra Guys Award, and also in 2008 won the Cuffer Prize. He has also played recurring characters on ''

Republic of Doyle ''Republic of Doyle'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series set in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, which aired on CBC Television from January 6, 2010, to December 10, 2014. The show stars Allan Hawco as private investigator and f ...

'', ''

Orphan Black ''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. The series focuses on Sarah Manning, one of several genetically identical ...

'', '' Mary Kills People'', and '' Frontier''. Hynes currently divides his time between Newfoundland, Toronto, and California. He is the nephew of singer-songwriter

Ron Hynes Ron Hynes (December 7, 1950 – November 19, 2015) was a folk singer-songwriter from Newfoundland and Labrador. He was especially known for his composition "Sonny's Dream", which has been recorded worldwide by many artists and was named the 41s ...

."Singer Ron Hynes brings his folk classic to Greenbank hall"
'' Port Perry Star'', November 30, 2014.

Works

Novels

*''Down to the Dirt'' (2005) *''Right Away Monday'' (2007) *''Say Nothing Saw Wood'' (2013) *''

We'll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night ''We'll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night'' is a novel by Canadian writer Joel Thomas Hynes, published in 2017 by Harper Perennial.Governor General's Award for English-language fiction The Governor General's Award for English-language fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a fiction book written in English.Scotiabank Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition be ...

)

Audiobooks

*''Down to the Dirt'' (2006)

Plays

*''The Devil You Don't Know'' (co-written with

Sherry White Sherry White is a Canadian film and television actress, writer and filmmaker, best known for her work as a producer and writer for the television series ''MVP'', ''Rookie Blue'' and ''Saving Hope''Down to the Dirt ''Down to the Dirt'' is a 2008 Canadian film based upon Newfoundland author Joel Thomas Hynes' first novel of the same name. The movie was shot largely in Newfoundland. It won two awards at the Atlantic Film Festival, one for the best feature fi ...

'' (2008) *'' Crackie'' (2009) *''

Grown Up Movie Star ''Grown Up Movie Star'' is a 2010 Canadian drama film written, directed and co-produced by Adriana Maggs. Shawn Doyle, Jill Knox Gosse and Paul Pope are the other co-producers. The film was produced by Pope Productions and distributed in Canada by ...

'' (2009) *''

'' (2010) *'' Cast No Shadow'' (2014) *''Relative Happiness'' (2015) *''First Round Down'' *'' Hunting Pignut'' (2016) *'' Goalie'' (2019) *'' Wildhood'' (2021) *'' A Small Fortune'' (2021)

TV

*'' Hatching, Matching and Dispatching'' (2005) *'' Rabbittown'' (2006) *''

ReGenesis ''ReGenesis'' is a Canadian science-fiction television series produced by The Movie Network and Movie Central in conjunction with Shaftesbury Films. The series, which ran for four seasons from 2004 to 2008, revolves around the scientists of No ...

'' (2008, one episode) *''

'' (2013) *'' The Book of Negroes'' (2015) *''

'' (2016) *''

Frontier (2016 TV series) ''Frontier'' is a Canadian historical drama television series co-created by Rob Blackie and Peter Blackie, chronicling the North American fur trade in colonial Canada/Rupert's Land, sometime in the late 1700s or early 1800s. The series is co-pro ...

'' (2017) *'' Little Dog'' (2018) *''

Trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story ( god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...

'' (2020) *''

Hudson and Rex ''Hudson & Rex'' is a Canadian police procedural drama television series, based on the Austrian-Italian drama ''Inspector Rex, Kommissar Rex''. It premiered on Citytv on March 25, 2019. Filming commenced in October 2018, with ongoing production in ...

'' (2021)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hynes, Joel Thomas 1976 births Living people 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male actors 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian screenwriters Chapbook writers Canadian Film Centre alumni Canadian male dramatists and playwrights Canadian male film actors Canadian male novelists Canadian male screenwriters Canadian male stage actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male television writers Canadian television writers Governor General's Award-winning fiction writers Male actors from Newfoundland and Labrador People from Newfoundland (island) Writers from Newfoundland and Labrador Film producers from Newfoundland and Labrador