Shawn Alex Thompson (born January 13, 1958) 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 ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

, television producer, and

television director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the prod ...

, as well as a professional magician. Notably, he is one of the producers of ''

Puppets Who Kill ''Puppets Who Kill'' is a Canadian television comedy series produced by PWK Productions and originally broadcast on The Comedy Network. It premiered in Canada in 2002, and Australia on The Comedy Channel in 2004. It has also been broadcast in Ind ...

'', which aired on Canada's

The Comedy Network CTV Comedy Channel (often shortened to CTV Comedy) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. subsidiary Bell Media which focuses primarily on comedy programming and operates two time-shifted feeds, runni ...

. Thompson was born in

Berwick, Nova Scotia Berwick is a Canadian town in Kings County, Nova Scotia. The town is located in the eastern part of the Annapolis Valley on the Cornwallis River. The town site stretches south from the river and Exit 15 of Highway 101 to Highway 1. Berwick occu ...

. Thompson's first foray into showbiz came as a magician and circus performer, dangling by his ankles from a burning rope while struggling to escape from a straight jacket. Thompson migrated into stand-up comedy, first taking a stance at Yuk Yuks, alongside prominent actor

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...

. During this time, Thompson guest hosted eleven times on '' The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers'' for Fox Television. Also on Fox, Thompson became a series regular on the sketch comedy series ''

The Newz ''The Newz'' was a half-hour syndicated sketch comedy television series that aired in 1994 and 1995. It starred Tommy Blaze, Mystro Clark, Deborah Magdalena, Dan O'Connor, Stan Quash, Brad Sherwood, Nancy Sullivan, Shawn Alex Thompson, and ...

'', where he also wrote and directed several short films. From December 1985 to April 1987, Thompson was cast as Simon Hall, a fictional character on the CBS series ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...

'', his first daytime role. Simultaneously during this period, Thompson also hosted the Toronto regional edition of the

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

teen-oriented weekend talk/variety show '' Switchback'', as well as appearing alongside Howard Busgang in the short-run comedy series ''We Don't Knock'', in which Busgang and Thompson performed improvised pranks on real people. In 1985 Thompson was arrested in the United States for illegal dumping after throwing a doll over Niagara Falls as part of a ''Switchback'' stunt. In 1988, he played dance television host Corny Collins in

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

' film ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * Hairspray (1988 film), ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** Hairspray (1988 soundtrack), ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundt ...

''. He has directed episodes of the series ''

'', winning a

Canadian Comedy Award The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000. Th ...

for Best Director in 2003, and a

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 ...

for Best Direction in 2004. Furthermore, in 1995, Thompson wrote episodes for MGM's "The Outer Limits", one of which episodes included a young

Josh Brolin Josh James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. A son of actor James Brolin, he gained fame in his youth for his role in the adventure film ''The Goonies'' (1985). After years of decline, Brolin had a resurgence with his starr ...

. Recently, he has directed shows such as '' The Next Step'' and ''

Murdoch Mysteries ''Murdoch Mysteries'' is a Canadian television drama series that premiered on Citytv on January 20, 2008, and currently airs on CBC. The series is based on characters from the ''Detective Murdoch'' novels by Maureen Jennings and stars Yannick ...

'', and is currently acting in "My Perfect Landing" for BBC kids.

References

External links

* Canadian male film actors Film directors from Nova Scotia Canadian male television actors Canadian television directors Canadian television producers Living people Male actors from Nova Scotia 1958 births Canadian Comedy Award winners Canadian Screen Award winning directors {{Canada-tv-bio-stub