Ennis Esmer
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Ennis Esmer (born December 29, 1978) is a Turkish-Canadian actor, comedian, voice actor, writer, producer and presenter. He is best known for his roles as Osman 'Oz' Bey in ''The Listener'' (2009–2014), Nash in ''
Red Oaks ''Red Oaks'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Joe Gangemi and Gregory Jacobs. The first season was released on Amazon Prime Video on October 9, 2015. On December 18, 2015, Amazon announced that the show would be returnin ...
'' (2014–2017), Rich Dotcom in ''Blindspot'' (2015–2020) – a role that was specifically written for him, and Kurtis 'Maz' Mazhari in ''Private Eyes'' (2016–2021).


Early life

Esmer was born in
Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
,
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, before moving to
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,
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,
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, at the age of 3. His father, Demir, and his mother, Alev, were both systems analysts. As a child, Esmer learned English by watching Canadian television – which included programs like ''
Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
'' and ''
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''.'What I'm Watching / Ennis Esmer'
The Globe and Mail, May 29, 2009, Retrieved August 7, 2021
His parents divorced in his early teens, and his father remarried to Esmer's stepmother, Florence. Esmer attended
Earl Haig Secondary School Earl Haig Secondary School, formerly Earl Haig Collegiate Institute, is a public high school with 2,048 students in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In addition to being a public secondary school, the school is also host to the Claude Watson Arts Progr ...
, in the Toronto suburb of North York, participating in the Claude Watson Program for gifted arts students. During his time at the school, he took improv and experimental theatre classes, was elected to student council, and produced school assemblies which became miniature talent showcases. Esmer then attended the
York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
drama program for three years but left before completing it. He struggled with the limitations it set on his natural comedic abilities and has said that part of this at the time was an issue of confidence and maturity. However, even after leaving the university and for many years, he has continued to study and work with
David Rotenberg David Rotenberg (July 24, 1930 – January 13, 2022) was a Canadian politician in Ontario. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1985 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and was briefly a cabinet minister ...
, a York University professor emeritus of Theatre Studies and the artistic director of his own Professional Actor's Lab – and has said that Rotenberg was the person who allowed him to actually work on his dramatic ability without calling his comedic gifts a crutch. Esmer also did some training at Second City and has worked every comedy stage in Toronto.


Career

Esmer first came to prominence as the writer and host of Toronto 1's short-lived variety series '' The Toronto Show'' in 2003. His first acting role that got him notice was in 2006, as the temperamental janitor Zoltan in the
Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in th ...
-winning '' Billable Hours'' – this role set a precedent in Esmer's career, as what was originally a one-off appearance was expanded to a recurring role because of the popularity of his take on it. His next major role came in 2009 in '' The Listener'' as Osman 'Oz' Bey, the best friend of the main character Toby Logan (played by
Craig Olejnik Craig Olejnik is a Canadian actor. Early life Olejnik graduated from West Kings District High School in Auburn, Nova Scotia. His father was in the military. His grandparents immigrated to Canada from Poland. Career Olejnik is known for his lead ...
). Esmer was nominated once in 2010 for an
ACTRA Award The ACTRA Awards are Canadian accolades presented since 1972 to celebrate excellence in cinema, television and radio industries.Canadian Comedy Awards The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000. Th ...
for this role. In the opposite seasons to shooting ''The Listener'' in Toronto, Esmer was shooting his role as Eddie, the apartment complex manager, in ''
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'' in Los Angeles – a situation that would repeat in his career. Starting in 2014, Esmer had regular roles in '' You Me Her'', '' Private Eyes'', ''
Red Oaks ''Red Oaks'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Joe Gangemi and Gregory Jacobs. The first season was released on Amazon Prime Video on October 9, 2015. On December 18, 2015, Amazon announced that the show would be returnin ...
'', and '' Blindspot'', once again often shooting in opposite or even the same seasons. In Audience Network's polyamorous comedy '' You Me Her'', he played Dave Amari, best friend and neighbour of Jack Trekarsky, the 'Him' of the title. In
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/
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's ''Private Eyes'', he played Kurtis 'Maz' Mazhari, a Detective who helped main characters Matt Shade (played by
Jason Priestley Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian-American actor and television director. Priestly starred as virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–1998, 2000). His other television roles in ...
) and Angie Everett (played by
Cindy Sampson Cindy Marie Sampson (born May 27, 1978) is a Canadian director and actress (film actress, film and television actress, television). She is known for her role in the Canadian television series ''Private Eyes (TV series), Private Eyes''. Biogr ...
) solve crimes. He would be nominated in 2019 for a
Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...
for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy at the
7th Canadian Screen Awards The seventh annual Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 31, 2019, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2018.Amazon Studios Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...
1980's set comedy-drama ''
Red Oaks ''Red Oaks'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Joe Gangemi and Gregory Jacobs. The first season was released on Amazon Prime Video on October 9, 2015. On December 18, 2015, Amazon announced that the show would be returnin ...
'', he played the Turkish lothario tennis instructor Nash. He said of the role, 'It's fun to play a character who is a pretty decent representation of my ethnicity...His ethnicity doesn't define the role, and he gets to be a full person aside from that, and in fact, because of that.' In
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's ''Blindspot'', Esmer again took a role that was an originally a one-off spot in season one, and went first to recurring then series regular in season four. His instinctive improvisational style and delivery made fan-favourite Rich Dotcom what the show creator Martin Gero said was the character that defined the series. Esmer also had a memorable 3-episode arc as Emir Kaplan, the travel blogger who broke Stevie Budd's heart, in season five of the
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
-winning comedy series ''
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''. Upcoming, Esmer is to star in CTV's comedy '' Children Ruin Everything''. Esmer has also undertaken several hosting duties in Canada – hosting, among others, the
Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in th ...
twice, and the
ACTRA Awards The ACTRA Awards are Canadian accolades presented since 1972 to celebrate excellence in cinema, television and radio industries.Directors Guild of Canada The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC; ) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assist ...
Awards in 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. He also presented '' Wipeout Canada'' and the upcoming '' Roast Battle Canada'', the Canadian version of '' Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle''. In film, Esmer has worked extensively in Canadian indie short and feature-length films. He started his film career in a bit part as Ronnie in the American film ''
How to Deal ''How to Deal'' is a 2003 American romance film, romantic comedy-drama film directed by Clare Kilner and starring Mandy Moore, Allison Janney, and Trent Ford. The film is based on Sarah Dessen's novels ''That Summer (Dessen novel), That Summer'' ...
'' in 2003. His breakout film role was in 2007's '' Young People Fucking'', co-written by his longtime friend and later ''Blindspot'' showrunner
Martin Gero Martin Gero (born July 6, 1977, in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Canadian screenwriter and co- executive producer for ''Stargate Atlantis'' and the creator of '' Blindspot''. Born in Switzerland, Gero spent much of his childhood in Ottawa, Ontari ...
and other longtime friend
Aaron Abrams Aaron Abrams is a Canadian actor and writer, who has worked in both film and television. Aaron Abrams has appeared in several regular and recurring roles for television, including ''Children Ruin Everything'', ''Masters of Sex'', ''Rookie B ...
. This film was notable not just for winning multiple
Genie Awards The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculpt ...
and nearly sweeping the film category of the
Canadian Comedy Awards The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000. Th ...
, but also because of the furor around funding caused politically by its name and perceived content. In 2014, Esmer starred in his first lead film role as Leonard Crane, a small-town newspaper reporter, in '' Big News from Grand Rock'', a comedy-drama about the demise of small-town newspapers – on which he also served as an executive-producer. The same year, he played a supporting role as Sean in the romantic comedy '' Dirty Singles'', for which he was nominated for an
ACTRA Award The ACTRA Awards are Canadian accolades presented since 1972 to celebrate excellence in cinema, television and radio industries.Canadian Comedy Awards The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000. Th ...
. In 2015, he played a supporting role in sex comedy '' How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town'', directed by Jeremy Lalonde, again serving as executive-producer. In 2016, he played a supporting role in ''
Miss Sloane ''Miss Sloane'' is a 2016 American political thriller film directed by John Madden and written by Jonathan Perera. The film stars Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alison Pill, Jake Lacy, John Lithgow, a ...
'' with
Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in projects with Feminism, feminist themes, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Jessica Chastain, various ...
. That same year, he played Moe, a flight crash investigator, in the television film '' Brace for Impact'', for which he was nominated for a
Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...
for Best Performance by Supporting Actor in a Drama at the
6th Canadian Screen Awards The 6th annual Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 11, 2018, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2017.
in 2018. Also in 2018, he played the astrophysicist Charlie in '' Clara'', a science-fiction film which won the Jury Prize at the
Austin Film Festival Austin Film Festival (AFF), founded in 1994, is an organization in Austin, Texas, that focuses on writers' creative contributions to film. Initially, AFF was called the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference and functioned to launch the c ...
. He won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Comedy Series at the
11th Canadian Screen Awards The 11th Canadian Screen Awards, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, honoured achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media production in 2022.Children Ruin Everything''.


Personal life

Esmer is in a long-term relationship with Amy Blaxland – a stylist, costume designer and businesswoman. Ennis Esmer is both publicly and privately involved in many charities, focusing on homelessness, poverty, sick children, and reading (particularly in the Greater Toronto area). Esmer is also a lifelong
Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...
and
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
fan. He is the originator of the nickname 'Spice and Dice' for Toronto Raptors players
Pascal Siakam Pascal Siakam ( ; born 2 April 1994) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Team, All-NBA selection, he won an NBA champ ...
and Fred VanVleet.Esmer,E. ennisesmer (2022, Feb 4). 2016 nba draft. Siakam goes 27th. Fred undrafted. One could pretty safely argue they go 1-2 in a redraft. Who tops them so far? Sabonis, Ingram, Brown, Murray? I'd rather have 🌶 & 🎲 🎲 #SpiceAndDice #WeTheNorth™️ weetTwitter. Retrieved April 8, 2022 .https://twitter.com/ennisesmer/status/1489488980693422082


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Esmer, Ennis 1978 births Living people Canadian male comedians Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian television variety show hosts Comedians from Toronto Male actors from Ankara Male actors from Toronto Turkish emigrants to Canada 21st-century Canadian male actors Canadian Comedy Award winners Best Supporting Performance in a Comedy Series Canadian Screen Award winners Earl Haig Secondary School alumni