Yannick Denis Bisson (born May 16, 1969) is a Canadian film and television actor and director. He is famous for playing Detective William Murdoch on the series ''

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 ...

'' for over 15 years, since 2008.

Early life

Bisson was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Quebec, and is of French and English ancestry. He moved to

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 ...

, Ontario, as a teenager and his acting career began when he was still in high school. His father, noting his son's interest in acting, encouraged him to reply to a newspaper advertisement seeking "child actors".

Career

Bisson's first major role was in the 1984

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

movie of the week '' Hockey Night'', alongside

Megan Follows Megan Elizabeth Laura Diana Follows ( ; born March 14, 1968) is a Canadian actress and director. She is known for her role as Anne Shirley in the 1985 Canadian television miniseries ''Anne of Green Gables'' and its two sequels. From 2013 to 2017 ...

and

Rick Moranis Frederick Allan Moranis (; born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian actor, comedian, musician, producer, songwriter and writer. Moranis appeared in the sketch comedy series '' Second City Television'' (''SCTV'') in the 1980s and starred afterward in s ...

. He starred in the Canadian television series ''

Learning the Ropes ''Learning the Ropes'' is a Canadian-produced sitcom that aired on CTV Television Network, CTV in Canada and in Broadcast syndication, syndication in the United States from September 1988 to March 1989. The series stars Lyle Alzado as Robert Rand ...

'' from 1988 through 1989. From 1994 through 1997, he starred in the syndicated action series ''

High Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

'', co-starring

Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...

. He moved back from Los Angeles to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1998 when he was cast as the lead in CBC'S ''Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy''. From 2000 though 2004, he had a recurring role as attorney Brian Tedrow on the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

drama ''

Soul Food Soul food is the ethnic cuisine of African Americans. Originating in the Southern United States, American South from the cuisines of Slavery in the United States, enslaved Africans transported from Africa through the Atlantic slave trade, sou ...

''. He starred as FBI agent Jack Hudson in the PAX TV series '' Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye'' and in the short-lived CBC drama ''

Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy ''Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy'' is a Canadian television drama series, which aired on CBC from 1998 to 2000. The series, which is set in the 1940s, was based on the memoirs of author and rancher Richmond P. Hobson, Jr. and set on a ranch in rur ...

''. He appeared on ''

Falcon Beach ''Falcon Beach'' is a Canadian TV show, filmed in Winnipeg and Manitoba and aired on both Canadian and American networks. It first debuted in 2005 as a movie in Canada, but then produced in 2006 as a TV series. It's unique because each episode has ...

'' in season two as well as in several Lifetime cable movies, such as ''Crazy for Christmas'' and ''I do (but I don't)'', and the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

movie ''

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

''. Bisson was a guest star on '' Flashpoint'' and starred in the television movies ''Brothers by Choice'' and ''Keshan''. He appeared as Jon in all of the '' Roxy Hunter'' movies to date. Bisson is featured in a series of commercials for

CIBC The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC; ) is a Canadian Multinational corporation, multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at CIBC Square in the Financial District, Toronto, Financial District of Toronto, Ont ...

. He starred in the 2001 TV movie '' Loves Music, Loves to Dance'' based on the book by

Mary Higgins Clark Mary Higgins Clark (born Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins; December 24, 1927 – January 31, 2020) was an American author of suspense novels. Each of her 51 books was a bestseller in the United States and various European countries, and all of her ...

. He provided the voice of Ferdie in the children's animated series '' Maxie's World''. Bisson plays the lead in 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 ...

drama series ''

'' and made his directorial debut with the show's fourth-season episode " Buffalo Shuffle". Starting on December 30, 2013, Bisson starred as a preschool teacher in '' The Adventures of Napkin Man'' on

. Bisson was awarded the Fan's Choice Award at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards on March 13, 2016. ''Murdoch Mysteries'' has been awarded several Canadian Screen Award Golden Screen Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2020. Bisson played as Martin Bartell, in

Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. ...

's '' Aurora Teagarden Mysteries''. He is introduced in " Three Bedrooms, One Corpse" as a CIA agent Bartell who moves to town, falls in love with Teagarden, and later dates her. Bisson left the series in 2018 as his character does not feature in the later novels. Bisson received the

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 Award of Excellence in 2017 for his lifetime of work. Bisson was the host of Discovery Canada Channel's ''Star Racer'' reality show.

Personal life

Bisson is married to Chantal Craig, a former actress, model, Toronto Argonauts Cheerleader, and fitness instructor who currently works as a television content creator and writer. The couple met in high school and married in 1990. They have three daughters: Brianna, Dominique and Mikaela. Craig made guest appearances on two of Bisson's television series, '' Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye'' and ''

''. Their daughter played "Penny Renton" in an episode of ''Murdoch Mysteries'' entitled "Love and Human Remains." Dominique Bisson had a part as Gloria Abercrombie in an episode of ''Murdoch Mysteries'', season 2, entitled "Snakes and Ladders". Craig is now known as Shantelle Bisson, a producer, author, parenting expert and regular contributor to ''Zoomer Magazine''. She is the owner of Shantilly's Place, a marina in

Kawartha Lakes, Ontario Kawartha Lakes (2021 population: 79,247) is a single-tier municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Though structured as a single-tier municipality, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontario county and is mostly rural. It is the second l ...

. Yannick Bisson is also an avid bicyclist and bicycle collector. He formerly worked as a builder between acting jobs to support his family.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bisson, Yannick 1969 births Living people 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors Canadian male child actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian people of English descent Canadian people of French descent Male actors from Montreal