Ronald Ellis Canada (born May 3, 1949) is an American actor with a specialty in portraying

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

s and

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

s. He is best known for '' One on One'' (2001–2004), ''

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...

'' (2003–2004), and '' Lone Star'' (1996).

Career

Following completion of the Michele Clark broadcast journalism program at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, under the guidance of producer Fred Friendly, Canada commenced his career as a television news reporter in 1971 at

WBAL-TV WBAL-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is the flagship property of Hearst Television, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sister to the company's sole r ...

. In 1974, he began his three-year tenure at

WJLA-TV WJLA-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Washington, D.C., affiliated with ABC. It is one of two flagship stations of Sinclair Broadcast Group (alongside dual Fox/ MyNetworkTV affiliate WBFF hannel 45in Baltimore), and is also s ...

in Washington, D.C. For his work in the nation's capital, Canada was nominated twice for

Regional Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s, receiving the award in 1977. The following year he received an A.P. Award for Outstanding Reporting. He began his acting career in 1978. While making the career transition he worked part-time as a broadcaster for The Voice of America (U.S. Information Agency). He studied acting at The Folger Theatre Group under the tutelage of Franchelle Stewart Dorn. He moved from D.C. to New York in 1985. Shortly thereafter he became the second actor to play the role of 'Troy Maxson' in August Wilson's Fences at The GeVa Theatre in Rochester, New York (January 1986). Canada has had a long career in both television and film, known primarily for his work in ''

Cinderella Man ''Cinderella Man'' is a 2005 American biographical sports drama film directed by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of world heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. The film was produced by Howard, Penny ...

'', ''

Wedding Crashers ''Wedding Crashers'' is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin, written by Steve Faber and Bob Fisher, starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken with Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper and Jane Seymou ...

'', and his recurring role as Under Secretary of State Ted Barrow on ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

''. In 1996, Ron received the Dallas Film Critics Award and significant national attention for his performance as "Otis Payne" in

John Sayles John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for ''Passion Fish'' (1992) and '' ...

's film '' Lone Star''. He played the role of

Iago Iago () is a fictional character in Shakespeare's ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Iago is the play's main antagonist, and Othello's standard-bearer. He is the husband of Emilia, who is in turn the attendant of Othello's wife Desdemona. Iago ha ...

in a "photo negative" version of Shakespeare's ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...

'' at the

Shakespeare Theatre Company The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the Shakespeare canon, but its seasons include works by other classic playwrights such as Euripides, ...

in Washington, D.C. Other notable stage credits include his role as Emmet Tate in '' Zooman and The Sign ''at New York's Signature Theatre and originating the role of Duncan Troy in ''Headstrong'''' ''at The Ensemble Studio Theatre, which earned him an

Audelco Award AUDELCO, the Audience Development Committee, Inc., was established in 1973 by Vivian Robinson to honor excellence in African American theatre in New York City. AUDELCO presents the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards (also known as Viv awar ...

nomination as Best Supporting Actor. Off Broadway - ''In Old Age'' - playing Azell Abernathy, at New York Theatre Workshop, N.Y.C Broadway play -

Network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematic ...

- with Bryan Cranston, Tony Goldwyn, and Tatiana Maslany. Mr.Canada portrayed UBS network chieftain Edward George Ruddy.

Filmography

Film

Television

Commercials

Radio

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Canada, Ron 1949 births Living people Male actors from New York City American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors American television news anchors African-American male actors 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors