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

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

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 the ...

s. He is best known for '' One on One'' (2001–2004), '' The Shield'' (2003–2004), and '' Lone Star'' (1996).

Early life

Canada was born in New York City on May 3, 1949. Following completion of the Michele Clark broadcast journalism program at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, 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 ra ...

. 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 sister ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

For his work in the nation's capital, Canada was nominated twice for Regional Emmy Awards, receiving the award in 1977. The following year he received an A.P. Award for Outstanding Reporting. While making the career transition he worked part-time as a broadcaster for

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

. 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.

Career

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

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American 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 House, where t ...

''. In 1996, Canada 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 is known for writing and directing the films '' The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), '' Matewan'' (1987), ...

's film '' Lone Star''. He played the role of Iago in a "photo negative" version of Shakespeare's ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'' at the Shakespeare Theatre Company 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 nomination as Best Supporting Actor. Off Broadway - ''In Old Age'' - playing Azell Abernathy, at New York Theatre Workshop, N.Y.C Broadway play - Network - with Bryan Cranston, Tony Goldwyn, and Tatiana Maslany. Mr. Canada portrayed UBS network chieftain Edward George Ruddy. Ron Canada 01

Filmography

Film

Television

Commercials

Radio

Video games

References

External links

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