Matthew Ferguson (born 3 April 1973) is 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 ...

former actor. He is known for his roles in '' On My Own'' (1991), ''

Love and Human Remains ''Love and Human Remains'' is a 1993 Canadian film directed by Denys Arcand and based on Brad Fraser's stage play ''Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love''. Fraser also wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation. The film versi ...

'' (1993), ''

Lilies ''Lilium'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large and often prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are ...

'' (1996), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1997–2001).

Life and career

Ferguson was born in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada. He graduated from the

Claude Watson School for the Arts The Claude Watson School for the Arts (CWSA) is a public arts school for grades 4–8 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History The Claude Watson School for the Arts was founded in 1981 after the North York Board of Education proposed a school wit ...

and studied film production at Ryerson University. He is an actor, screen writer, theatre and film producer. Ferguson made his debut in theatre as "Morgan Moreen" in '' Geometry in Venice'' (1989), which garnered him a

Dora Mavor Moore Award The Dora Mavor Moore Awards (also known as the Dora Awards or the Doras) are awards presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), honouring theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moor ...

nomination as Best Featured Actor, then on screen as Simon Henderson in '' On My Own''. He is best known as "Seymour Birkoff", from the TV series '' La Femme Nikita'' (1997–2001). His dramatic roles in movies such as ''

'' (1993), ''

Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event which occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ...

'' (1994) and ''

'' (1996) gave him nominations at the

Genie Award 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 sculptor ...

s in the 1990s. In 2002 his lead role in Sarah Polley's "I Shout Love" earned him an ACTRA Award nomination. Also in 2002, Ferguson was part of the ensemble cast of "An American In Canada" which won the Canadian Screen Award for best Comedy Series.

Selected filmography

Film

* '' On My Own'' (1992) as Simon Henderson * ''

'' (1993) as Kane * '' I Love a Man in Uniform'' (1993) as Edward Nichols * '' The Club'' (1994) as Darren Spenser * ''

Life with Billy ''Life with Billy'' is a 1994 Canadian television film based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Brian Vallée. The film was nominated for five Gemini Awards, and won three. The film begins with Jane Hurshman (Beatty) shooting her comm ...

'' (1994) as Allan Whynot * '' Lives of Girls and Women'' (1994) as Jerry Storey * '' Spenser: Pale Kings and Princes'' (1994) * ''

Billy Madison ''Billy Madison'' is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis, written by Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds. The film stars Sandler in the title role, alongside Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Darren McGav ...

'' (1995) as Tenth Grader * ''

'' (1994) as Angelo * '' Harrison Bergeron'' (1995) as Garth Bergeron * '' The Deliverance of Elaine'' (1996) * ''

'' (1996) as Young Bilodeau * ''

The English Patient ''The English Patient'' is a 1992 novel by Michael Ondaatje. The book follows four dissimilar people brought together at an Italian villa during the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of the Second World War. The four main charact ...

'' (1996) as Young Canadian Soldier * '' Uncut'' (1997) as Peter Cort * ''

The Wall ''The Wall'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/ EMI and Columbia/ CBS Records. It is a rock opera which explores Pink, a jaded rock star, as he constructs a psychologic ...

'' as (1998) Buelton * '' Giving Up the Ghost'' (1998) as Matthew 'Bulldog' Phelps * '' I Shout Love'' (2001) as Bobby * '' Cube 2: Hypercube'' (2002) as Max Reisler * '' Three and a Half'' (2002) as Sasha the Director * ''

Owning Mahowny ''Owning Mahowny'' is a 2003 Canadian film starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Maury Chaykin and John Hurt. The film is based on the true story of Brian Molony, a Toronto bank employee who embezzled more than $10 million to feed his g ...

'' (2003) as Martin

TV

* '' Street Legal'' (1992) as Mark (2 episodes) * '' La Femme Nikita'' (1997–2001) as Seymour Birkoff/Jason Crawford (90 episodes) * ''

An American in Canada ''An American in Canada'' is a Canadian television sitcom that aired on CBC Television in 2003 and 2004. The show starred Rick Roberts as Jake Crewe, an American television news host who was forced, after beating up his station manager, to accep ...

'' (2002–2004) as Derrick (5 episodes) * ''

Odd Job Jack ''Odd Job Jack'' is a Canadian adult animated sitcom starring Don McKellar playing the main character of the series named Jack Ryder and his misadventures in temporary employment. Seen on and produced for The Comedy Network, a cable specialty ch ...

'' (2003–2007) as Bobby Lee (voice) (52 episodes) * '' Top Cops (Domingo Rico Episode)'' (1990–1993?) as Mouthy teenager (1 episode)

Selected bibliography

* Heyn, Christopher. "A Conversation with Matthew Ferguson." ''Inside Section One: Creating and Producing TV's La Femme Nikita''. Introduction by Peta Wilson. Los Angeles
Persistence of Vision Press
2006. 94–99. . In-depth conversation with Matthew Ferguson about his role as Birkoff on '' La Femme Nikita'', as well as his early acting experiences.

Nominations

* 2003 -

ACTRA The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is a Canadian trade union representing performers in English-language media. It has over 30,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media. Th ...

Toronto Awards: Outstanding Performance - Male for ''I Shout Love'' * 1998 -

Gemini Award 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 t ...

s: Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series for ''La Femme Nikita'' * 1996 -

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 ...

: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for ''Lilies'' * 1996 -

: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for ''Eclipse'' * 1994 -

: Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for ''Love & Human Remains'' * 1993 -

Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Cinema of Australia, Australian film indu ...

: Best Actor in a Leading Role for ''On My Own''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Matthew 1973 births Living people Male actors from Toronto Canadian male television actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian people of Scottish descent