Thomas Sexton (July 3, 1957 – December 13, 1993) was a Canadian comedian. Born in

St. John's, Newfoundland St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Amer ...

, he was the youngest member of the ''

CODCO ''CODCO'' is a Canadian comedy troupe from Newfoundland, best known for a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 1988 to 1993.Toronto 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 ...

. After briefly working on a children's touring theatre show, he landed his first television role in the drama series '' Police Surgeon''. Sexton and colleague

Diane Olsen Diane may refer to: People *Diane (given name) Film * ''Diane'' (1929 film), a German silent film * ''Diane'' (1956 film), a historical drama film starring Lana Turner * ''Diane'' (2017 film), a mystery film directed by Michael Mongillo * ''D ...

subsequently wrote ''Cod on a Stick'', a comedic play which launched CODCO. In 1975, Sexton took a brief sabbatical from CODCO to study at the

Toronto Dance Theatre The Toronto Dance Theatre is a Canadian modern dance company based in Toronto, Ontario. Described by ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' as "one of the foremost modern-dance companies in Canada", the company tours nationally and internationally and regu ...

. He subsequently returned, working on other shows with CODCO and subsequently touring with colleague Greg Malone in two co-written works, '' The Wonderful Grand Band'' and '' Two Foolish to Talk About''. In 1985 and 1986, Sexton and Malone wrote and performed in a series of television specials for the CBC, called ''

The S and M Comic Book ''The S and M Comic Book'' was a Canadian series of four sketch comedy specials, that aired on CBC Television in 1986 and 1987."Newfoundlanders go national in a big way". '' Broadcast Week'', March 29, 1986. Starring Greg Malone and Tommy Sexton, ...

'',"Newfoundlanders go national in a big way". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', March 29, 1986. which in turn led to CODCO landing its own series in 1988. After CODCO's run concluded in 1993, Sexton and Malone wrote and starred in a CBC television special, ''The National Doubt'', satirizing the

constitutional A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

debates of the early 1990s. Sexton subsequently wrote a semi-autobiographical film, ''Adult Children of Alcoholics: The Musical'', which was in production in November 1993 when Sexton, who was openly gay, fell ill due to complications from AIDS. He died on December 13 of that year. Malone subsequently campaigned for HIV and AIDS education in Sexton's memory. His sister, filmmaker

Mary Sexton Mary Sexton is a Canadians, Canadian film and television producer, who is partnered with Edward Riche in Rink Rat Productions and with Mary Walsh (actress), Mary Walsh in 2M Innovative. She is best known for her 2001 National Film Board documentar ...

, produced a documentary film about him, ''Tommy...A Family Portrait'', in 2001. Along with Malone and their ''CODCO'' co-star Andy Jones, Sexton was a posthumous recipient of the

Earle Grey Award The Earle Grey Award is the lifetime achievement award for television acting of the Canadian Screen Awards, and its predecessor the Gemini Awards. It can be presented to an individual or collaborative team (such as SCTV or Royal Canadian Air Fa ...

, the lifetime achievement award of Canadian television's

Gemini Awards 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 th ...

, in 2002. The Tommy Sexton Centre, a new assisted housing complex for people living with HIV and AIDS, was opened in St. John's in 2006. In 2009, several

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

s in the city put together "Ravishing in Red", a tribute show to Sexton, as a fundraiser for the Sexton Centre."Queens pay tribute to clown prince"
''

The Telegram ''The Telegram'' is a weekly newspaper in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, published by Postmedia Network. First published in 1879, it was the first and longest-running daily in Newfoundland. In August 2024, following its sale to Postme ...

'', December 21, 2009. One performer, Betty "Boo" Kakke, singled him out as Newfoundland's "clown prince". Sexton's mother, Sara Sexton, became a major figure in HIV/AIDS awareness in Newfoundland and Labrador following her son's death. Sara Sexton was announced as an inductee to the

Order of Newfoundland and Labrador The Order of Newfoundland and Labrador is a civilian Award, honour for merit in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Instituted in 2001, when Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, Lieutenant Governor Arthur Maxwell Hous ...

in 2013, and was inducted in February 2014. Sara Sexton died on February 28, 2020;Joan Sullivan, "Bereaved mother Sara Sexton who became an AIDS activist dies at 97: After her son Tommy Sexton died of the disease, she was inspired by a visit to Toronto's Casey House and pushed for the creation of a similar facility in St. John's"]. ''

'', March 16, 2020. in 2021, Mary Sexton and her son

Nik Sexton Nicholas Carlo Herbert Sexton (born March 1980) is a Canada, Canadian film and television director from Newfoundland and Labrador.Conor McCann"Love, death and COVID-19: How a mother and son honoured their family with a new documentary" CBC News ...

released ''Me, Mom & COVID'', a documentary film about her life.Conor McCann
"Love, death and COVID-19: How a mother and son honoured their family with a new documentary"

CBC News CBC News is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC ...

Newfoundland and Labrador, January 3, 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sexton, Tommy 1957 births 1993 deaths 20th-century Canadian comedians 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people 20th-century Canadian male actors AIDS-related deaths in Canada Canadian gay actors Canadian LGBTQ comedians Canadian male comedians Canadian male television actors Canadian Screen Award winning writers Canadian sketch comedians Canadian television personalities Comedians from Newfoundland and Labrador Gay comedians Male actors from Newfoundland and Labrador Entertainers from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Screenwriters from Newfoundland and Labrador