John Francis Dunsworth (April 12, 1946 – October 16, 2017) was a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He was best known for playing trailer park supervisor
Jim Lahey, the
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.[Trailer Park Boys
''Trailer Park Boys'' is a Canadian mockumentary television sitcom created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer park resi ...](_b ...<br></span></div> on the comedy series ''<div class=)
'' (2001–2018). His other roles included the mysterious reporter
Dave Teagues on the supernatural drama series ''
Haven'' (2010–2015) and Officer McNabb in the
CBC CBC may refer to:
Media
* Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico
* Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster
** CBC Television
** CBC Radio One
** CBC Music
** ...
film ''
Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion'' (2003). He also had extensive experience in regional theater.
Early life
John Francis Dunsworth was born in
Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, on April 12, 1946, the son of Frances and Frank Dunsworth.
He had one older sibling and eight younger siblings. He studied theatre at the
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...
, but dropped out in his fourth year when the university forced him to take a philosophy course against his wishes.
[ Returning to his hometown, he drove a taxi for three years and worked on the CNR trains from Halifax and ]Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
.
Career
Dunsworth began acting in numerous CBC CBC may refer to:
Media
* Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico
* Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster
** CBC Television
** CBC Radio One
** CBC Music
** ...
radio dramas after dropping out of university, and had starring roles in many stage productions at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax. In 1970, he leased an abandoned building on Halifax's waterfront and converted it into a playhouse called the Pier One Theatre; it became the city's first and most successful alternative theater. In the late 1980s, Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...
hired him to produce the university's welcome show for new students at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, in which he also occasionally had an unseen voice-over role. In 1987, he founded the casting agency Filmworks Casting and garnered a reputation as Halifax's most successful casting director.[ In 1988, he starred in the documentary ''John Dunsworth: The Candidate'',] which followed his journey as an underdog political candidate for the New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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* The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...
in the Halifax Bedford Basin electoral ward during the 1988 Nova Scotia general election. He came third in the election, receiving 19.3% of the vote (2,746 votes).[
Dunsworth met director Mike Clattenburg in the mid-1990s when he auditioned for a small role in Clattenburg's short film ''One Last Shot''. His role gradually transformed into a leading part that earned him the award for Best Performance at the Atlantic Film Festival. From there, he further developed the character into what would eventually become the villainous trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey in Clattenburg's comedy series '']Trailer Park Boys
''Trailer Park Boys'' is a Canadian mockumentary television sitcom created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer park resi ...
'' (2001–2018). While filming a scene in a school during the production of the film ''Pit Pony
A pit pony, otherwise known as a mining horse, was a equine, horse, pony or mule commonly used underground in Mining, mines from the mid-18th until the mid-20th century. The term "pony" was sometimes broadly applied to any equine working under ...
'' (1997), in which he had a small role, Dunsworth is said to have discovered 10-year-old actor and future ''Trailer Park Boys'' cast member Elliot Page
Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page; born February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actor, producer, and activist. He is known for his leading roles across Canadian and American film and television, and for his outspoken work as an activist for LGBTQ righ ...
; he managed to get Page a large part in the film, which became Page's first screen credit. He appeared alongside fellow ''Trailer Park Boys'' co-stars John Paul Tremblay and Robb Wells
Robert Christopher "Robb" Wells (born March 20) is a Canadians, Canadian actor, comedian, and screenwriter best known for portraying Ricky LaFleur, Ricky in ''Trailer Park Boys''.
Early life
Wells was graduated from Saint Mary's University (Hal ...
in the film '' Virginia's Run'' (2002). He also starred in '' Haven'' (2010–2015), the television adaptation of the Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
novel ''The Colorado Kid
''The Colorado Kid'' is a mystery fiction, mystery Mystery novel, novel by American writer Stephen King, published by the Hard Case Crime imprint in 2005. The book was initially issued in one paperback-only edition by the specialty crime and m ...
''. He reunited with many of his ''Trailer Park Boys'' castmates in the new series '' The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour'' (2010).["The Boys are back and on drugs"]
''The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...
'', July 12, 2010.
Personal life
Dunsworth lived in his native Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
with his wife, Elizabeth Bates, whom he married in 1974. They had a son named Geoff and three daughters named Zoë, Sarah
Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...
, and Molly, the latter two of whom became actresses.
In contrast to his ''Trailer Park Boys'' character, Dunsworth rarely drank alcohol and usually used iced tea as a stand-in for alcohol on the show. He admitted to suffering from a gambling problem in his early years. As a result of his recovery, he had been active in trying to remove video lottery terminals from bars in Nova Scotia. He was a boating enthusiast who frequently spent time on his yacht, ''Emerald Princess'', and enjoyed building granite sculptures and structures with stone and concrete; he documented the latter on his YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel. He was an avid bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
player and was regarded as a master of the game. It is also generally believed that he continues to hold the Internet Scrabble record for having three consecutive seven-letter words. He once appeared on stage with Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...
, with frontman Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose ( ; born William Bruce Rose Jr., February 6, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its inception in ...
describing himself as a fan of ''Trailer Park Boys'' and Dunsworth's character in particular.
Death
On October 16, 2017, at the age of 71, Dunsworth died of an initially undisclosed illness in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
. In a statement, his daughter Sarah described the illness as "short and unexpected" and stated that Dunsworth was an "amazing husband, father, and grandfather".[ ] On May 26, 2021, a Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
post by a fan page under the control of Dunsworth's surviving family and friends revealed complications from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a blood disorder that results in thrombi, blood clots forming in small blood vessels throughout the body. This results in a thrombocytopenia, low platelet count, hemolytic anemia, low red blood cells d ...
as his cause of death. He is buried at St. Anthony's & St. Augustine's Catholic Cemetery in Simms Settlement, Nova Scotia.
Election results
, -
, Progressive Conservative
, Joel Matheson
, align="right", 6,462
, align="right", 45.1%
, align="right",
, -
, Liberal
, Penny LaRocque
, align="right", 4,977
, align="right", 34.9%
, align="right",
, -
, New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
*
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* The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...
, John Dunsworth
, align="right", 2,746
, align="right", 19.3%
, align="right",
, -
Filmography
Dunsworth had 70 credits to his name, some of which are listed below.Remembering John Dunsworth – NorthernStars
/ref>
Film
Television
Notes
* Dunsworth is credited in '' Dolores Claiborne'' as a part of the crew but did not appear in the film.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunsworth, John
1946 births
2017 deaths
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male television actors
Canadian male voice actors
Candidates in Nova Scotia provincial elections
Male actors from Nova Scotia
People from Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia New Democratic Party politicians
Deaths from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura
20th-century Canadian male actors
21st-century Canadian male actors
Canadian Screen Award winning actors