Alexander Kier Gigeroff (June 29, 1962 – December 25, 2011), known professionally as Lex Gigeroff, was a
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
television writer and actor best remembered as a co-creator of the
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
series ''
Lexx
''Lexx'' (also known as ''LEXX: The Dark Zone Stories'' and ''Tales from a Parallel Universe'') is a science fiction television series created by Lex Gigeroff and brothers Paul Donovan (writer), Paul and Michael Donovan (producer), Michael Dono ...
''. He also appeared in the comedy series ''
Liocracy'' and the short film ''
Treevenge''.
Biography
Gigeroff was born in
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
. His father Alex K. Gigeroff (1931–2016) was a prominent artist, playwright and writer on criminology and the law who belonged to
Macedonian Canadians
Macedonian Canadians () are Canadian citizens of ethnic Macedonian descent, who reside in Canada. According to the 2021 census there were 39,440 Canadians who claimed full or partial Macedonian ancestry.
History
Ethnicity and origins
In t ...
: both of his parents were poor immigrants from Macedonian villages and "Gigeroff" was his father's immigrant's assigned name. Lex's brother Andre Haines is an artist and musician who also contributed to the ''
Lexx
''Lexx'' (also known as ''LEXX: The Dark Zone Stories'' and ''Tales from a Parallel Universe'') is a science fiction television series created by Lex Gigeroff and brothers Paul Donovan (writer), Paul and Michael Donovan (producer), Michael Dono ...
'' series as an actor and songwriter.
Gigeroff grew up in
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth is a port town located on the Bay of Fundy in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. Yarmouth is the shire town of Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Yarmouth County and is the largest population centre in the region.
History
Originally inhab ...
. When he was 10 he wrote a play for
Cub Scout
Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with some Scout organizations, for young children, usually between 8 and 12, who are too young to be Scouts and make the Scout Promise. A participant in the program is called a Cub and a group of Cubs ...
s which was picked up as a project for a youth group in Toronto and eventually staged.
[Philip Doucette]
In Memorian. Alex Gigeroff 1962-2011
article from the Dalhousie Magazine of the 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 ...
Alumni, Winter 2012, p. 38
He also worked as an announcer at the CJLS radio in the late 1970's and became actively involved with the campus-community radio
CKDU-FM
CKDU-FM (88.1 MHz) is a non-profit radio station broadcasting from the campus of Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, ...
, serving as a programming manager from 1987 to 1989.
While performing a sketch in a radio comedy show he was noticed by
Paul Donovan who invited Gigeroff to act in several of his movies.
In 1993 he wrote and starred in a one-man stage show, and after Donovan saw it he shared his idea of a
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
TV show with Gigeroff and
Jeffrey Hirschfield Jeffrey Hirschfield is co-developer of the science fiction series ''Lexx''. He wrote for three of its four seasons and voiced the character of the robot head 790.
Hirschfield is also creator of the live action/animation sci-fi adventure series ''Zi ...
which would eventually develop into the ''
Lexx
''Lexx'' (also known as ''LEXX: The Dark Zone Stories'' and ''Tales from a Parallel Universe'') is a science fiction television series created by Lex Gigeroff and brothers Paul Donovan (writer), Paul and Michael Donovan (producer), Michael Dono ...
'' series.
Filming began in the fall of 1995 and the series was released by the
Showcase channel in 1997; with strong ratings it lasted for four seasons and sold to over 100 countries around the world.
[Ian Johnston]
Dark Zone Adventures. Paul Donovan's Living, Oozing, Exploding Universe
article from Cinefantastique
''Cinefantastique'' is an American horror, fantasy, and science fiction film magazine.
History
The magazine originally started as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967, then relaunched as a glossy, offset printed quarterly in 1970 by publisher/ ed ...
Volume 28, Number 7, January 1996 Apart from writing, Gigeroff also starred in various roles while his name became an inspiration for the show's title.
He continued his writing and acting career, working in theatre, film and TV. Those included ''
The Real Howard Spitz'' comedy and the ''
Liocracy'' series, a number of short films and children's shows he created with Jason Shipley, a stage play ''Conrad and Barbara'' and a short comedy movie ''Benoit'' he wrote and directed in 2010. He was also working on his first feature film ''Gillian and Giles'' as a director which was to be shot in the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
.
Gigeroff died at his home in
Fredericton
Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...
,
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
on December 25, 2011, from a heart attack.
References
External links
*
InterviewMemorial Video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gigeroff, Lex
1962 births
2011 deaths
Canadian male dramatists and playwrights
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male stage actors
Canadian male television actors
Canadian people of Macedonian descent
Canadian male television writers
Canadian television writers