Rusty DeWees (born November 15, 1960) is an American actor, producer and writer. He works regionally in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

, in television, and films. He is best known for his one-man comedy show, ''The Logger''.

Early life

Rusty DeWees was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, the son of Marilyn Mason DeWees, a homemaker and newspaper business manager, and William Wallace DeWees, a

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgen ...

bus driver. He is the younger brother of Holly DeWees. DeWees is Dutch, meaning "the orphan". He attended Stowe High School, where he played basketball, and percussion in the school band. He also performed in high school theater productions. After graduating high school DeWees, worked as a school bus driver, basketball coach, stonemason, and logger. During a town team basketball game,

Champlain College Champlain College is a private college in Burlington, Vermont. Founded in 1878, Champlain offers on-campus undergraduate and online undergraduate courses through Champlain College Online, along with online certificate and degree programs and ma ...

coach Robert Tipson noticed him and recruited him to play basketball on the team. After graduating, he worked as a gas jockey in Burlington, Vermont.

Career

DeWees acted in Burlington with Vermont Repertory Theater under the direction of Robert R. Ringer before moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in 1989 to pursue an acting career. In New York, DeWees worked as an assistant to William J. Doyle of

William Doyle Galleries Doyle New York is an American auction house and appraiser of fine art, jewelry, furniture, decorations and other items. It offers auctions throughout the year at its premises on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The firm was founded in 1962 by th ...

, while doing commercials and movies on the side. Known for his authentic rural appearance, DeWees appeared in the films: ''

Black Dog Black dog or blackdog may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * Black Dog, a bio-robot in the 1982 Bulgarian animated science fiction film ''The Treasure Planet'' * The Black Dog, an inn in 2015–2016 British drama TV series '' T ...

,'' ''A Stranger in the Kingdom,'' ''

Pieces of April ''Pieces of April'' is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Hedges. Marking Hedges' directorial debut, the film stars Katie Holmes, Derek Luke, Sean Hayes, Alison Pill, Oliver Platt and Patricia Clarkson. The f ...

, Radical Jack'', ''Mud Season,'' '' Where the Rivers Flow North'', and '' The Devil's Own''. DeWees also appeared in ''

Law and Order In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...

'', '' The Cosby Mysteries'', and various soap operas. While working on the

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

movie, ''Black Dog'', he met the singer

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

, who gave DeWees advice on how to produce his one-man play, ''The Logger, a comedy in Two Ax'', for which he is best known in and around

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

. DeWees has also written two books, ''Scrawlins'', and ''Scrawlins Too'' compilations of short essays.

Awards

DeWees won Best Actor at the Los Angeles Method Fest Film Festival for his role as Jerry in ''Mud Season''.

Personal life

DeWees was raised in Stowe, Vermont, and attended the Stowe Community Church. In addition to acting, DeWees is a musician and plays with his band, The Fellers. DeWees also races stock cars at Thunder Road Speedbowl. DeWees works with charities, Ronald McDonald House, Make-a-Wish, and Meals on Wheels. He does motivational speaking to high schools and businesses.

Filmography

The following is the Filmography by American Actor, Producer, Writer, and Comedian Rusty DeWees.

Film

Television

References

External links

Personal website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dewees, Rusty Living people 1960 births Male actors from Philadelphia American male comedians Comedians from Pennsylvania Writers from Philadelphia 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American writers Comedians from Vermont Writers from Burlington, Vermont Male actors from Vermont 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American comedians Champlain College alumni