Yannick Denis Bisson (born May 16, 1969) is a Canadian film and television actor and director best known to international audiences 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 B ...
''.
Early life
Bisson was born in
Montreal,
Quebec, and is of French and English ancestry.
He moved to
Toronto,
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 movie of the week ''
Hockey Night'', alongside
Megan Follows
Megan Elizabeth Laura Diana Follows (born March 14, 1968) is a Canadian-American 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 t ...
and
Rick Moranis. He starred in the Canadian television series ''
Learning the Ropes
''Learning the Ropes'' is a Canadian-produced sitcom that aired on CTV in Canada and in syndication in the United States from September 1988 to March 1989. The series stars Lyle Alzado as Robert Randall, a teacher who works as a professional wre ...
'' from 1988 through 1989. From 1994 through 1997, he starred in the syndicated action series ''
High Tide'', co-starring
Rick Springfield. 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''.
He starred as FBI agent Jack Hudson in the
PAX
Pax or PAX may refer to:
Peace
* Peace (Latin: ''pax'')
** Pax (goddess), the Roman goddess of peace
** Pax, a truce term
* Pax (liturgy), a salutation in Catholic and Lutheran religious services
* Pax (liturgical object), an object formerly kiss ...
TV series ''
Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye'' and in the short-lived CBC drama ''
Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy''.
He appeared on ''
Falcon Beach'' in season two as well as in several
Lifetime
Lifetime may refer to:
* Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey
* ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band
* ...
cable movies, such as ''Crazy for Christmas'' and ''I do (but I don't)'', and the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
movie ''
Genius''. 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. He starred in the 2001 TV movie ''
Loves Music, Loves to Dance'' based on the book by
Mary Higgins Clark. 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) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...
drama 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 B ...
'' 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
CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...
.
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's ''
Aurora Teagarden
Aurora Teagarden is a fictional character created by author Charlaine Harris. She is the protagonist of a series of eleven crime novels written from 1990 to 2017. In 2014, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries began broadcasting adaptations of the novels ...
Mysteries''. He is introduced in "
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse" as a CIA agent Keshan who moves to town, falls in love with Teagarden, and later dates her. Bisson left the series in 2018.
Bisson received the
ACTRA 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 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 ''
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 B ...
''. 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.
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
French Quebecers
Male actors from Montreal