BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Tyrone Benskin (born 29 December 1958) is a Canadian actor and politician. He was elected Member of Parliament in the Jeanne-Le Ber riding, in Montreal, Quebec, in the 2011 Canadian federal election.
Life and career
He was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England but moved to Canada in 1968 at age nine.
Artistic career
Having studied theatre at both CEGEP and university levels in Montreal, Benskin has become a significant presence in theatre, film, television and music. His theatre credits include features appearances on such celebrated stages as the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the National Arts Centre and the Centaur Theatre in Montreal. His many acclaimed performances include Mr. M in the South African play My Children My Africa and the 71-year-old Nelson Williams Johns in the Black Theatre Workshop/Centaur productions of Wade in the Water.
In his years, Benskin has frequently made several appearances in film and television such as Naked Josh, Largo Winch, The Wool Cap, Tales from the Neverending Story,Superstorm, Blind Fear, The Wrong Woman, The Killing Machine, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, 10.5: Apocalypse, Big Wolf on Campus, The Dead Zone, Radio Active, Ready or Not, Riverdale, Christie's Revenge, Sci-fighters, The Boys of St. Vincent, Mind Over Murder, Deacons for Defense, Dark Eyes, The Killing Yard, Convict Cowboy, Charlie Jade,The Christmas Choir, Forever Knight, Due South, Earth: Final Conflict, The Kiss, Spenser: A Savage Place, 15/Love, F/X: The Series, Criminal Law, The Phone Call, Island of the Dead, Jack Paradise, 300, Night Heat, A Husband, a Wife and a Lover, Obsessed, The Amityville Curse, A Taste of Shakespeare, Sophie, Full Disclosure, Side Effects, TekWar: TekLords, Soul Survivor and Scanners II: The New Order.
He also supplied the voice of Kobalt in the 1996 animated series of Flash Gordon and Bo and Wimzie's father Rousso in the children's television series Wimzie's House.[1]
Benskin is a published songwriter, composer, director and writer.
Before assuming elected office, Benskin served two mandates as National Vice-President of for ACTRA, Canada's national film and television actors' union, and served as artistic director of the Black Theatre Workshop, Canada's oldest black theatre company.
In politics
On 30 January 2011, Benskin was announced as the federal New Democratic Party candidate in the Montreal-area riding of Jeanne-Le Ber in the 2011 federal election. During the election, his candidacy was seen as one of the NDP's better chances for a gain in Quebec, and NDP leader Jack Layton described him as having minister potential.[2] On 2 May 2011, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons with a substantial margin, defeating Bloc Québécois incumbent Thierry St-Cyr.
Benskin was named the Official Opposition's critic for Canadian Heritage, and later transferred to the Official Languages file.
Benskin was removed from the shadow cabinet for failure to pay Quebec provincial income taxes from 2007 to 2011. Revenue Quebec wished to garnish Benskin's MP salary to recover this amount.[3]
Electoral record
| [hide]Canadian federal election, 2011 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ∆% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Tyrone Benskin | 23,293 | 44.66 | +28.96 | 25,255.34 | |||
| Bloc Québécois | Thierry St-Cyr | 12,635 | 24.22 | -10.69 | 91,577.01 | |||
| Liberal | Mark Bruneau | 10,054 | 19.28 | -12.98 | 93,534.65 | |||
| Conservative | Pierre Lafontaine | 4,678 | 8.97 | -2.22 | 17,698.39 | |||
| Green | Richard Noël | 1,377 | 2.64 | -2.14 | 3,679.20 | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Eileen Studd | 121 | 0.23 | – | 0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes | 52,158 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 637 | 1.21 | +0.01 | |||||
| Turnout | 52,795 | 59.61 | +1.95 | |||||
Filmography
Film
- Adam's Wall – Mostafa
- Aftermath – Arnold Ross
- The Amityville Curse – Video Technician
- Bears – Narrator
- Blind Fear – Guard
- The Boys of St. Vincent – Dr. Maynard
- Cagney and Lacey: The View Through the Glass Ceiling – Dr. Nasser
- Canvas – Det. Austin
- Cargo – Radio
- Christie's Revenge – Detective Hogue
- The Christmas Choir – Bob
- Convict Cowboy – Curtis
- Criminal Law – Jackson
- Deacons for Defense – Archie
- Dead Like Me: Life After Death – Police Commissioner Cusek
- Enemies: A Love Story – Cabbie
- Fais danser la poussi̬re РLawyer
- The Final Heist – Juan
- Final Verdict – Det. Lewis
- Full Disclosure – Special Agent Draper
- A Husband, a Wife and a Lover – Dr. Carpenter
- I'm Not There – Mr. Avrin
- Island of the Dead – Dwight Truman
- Jack Paradise – Winston White
- Johnny and Clyde – Hadley
- The Killing Machine – Doctor No.2
- The Killing Yard – Haywood Burns
- The Kiss – Railway Station Doctor
- The Long Island Incident – Colin Ferguson
- Lotto 6/66 – Landlord
- The Love of Her Life – Officer Kingman
- Marked Man – Boyd
- Mind Over Murder – Julian Hasty
- Money – 3rd Broker
- My Breast – Dr. Henry Balmer
- My Nanny's Secret – Detective Drabant
- Naked City: Justice with a Bullet – Donovan
- Obsessed – Judge Wolf
- Peepers – Helman
- The Phone Call – Police Officer No.2
- Proof of Lies – Robert Hunter
- Race Freedom: The Underground Railroad – Ward
- Redeemer
- Relative Fear – Cop
- The Rival – Detective Martin
- Scanners II: The New Order – Store Owner
- Sci-fighters – Dr. Gene Washington
- Shades of Love: The Man Who Guards the Greenhouse – Workman
- Spenser: A Savage Place – Stevenson
- Stolen Babies, Stolen Lives – Narrator
- Stranger in the House – Slovitz
- Soul Survivor – Jerome
- Sunday Afternoon – Monty
- TekWar: TekLords – Dr. Brimell
- Thanks of a Grateful Nation – Supv. Meeker
- Volcanos of the Deep Sea – Narrator
- We the Jury – Noland James
- The Wool Cap – Clarence
- The Wrong Woman – Mitchum
- 10.5: Apocalypse – Jackson the Bartender
- 300 – Persian Emissary
Television
- Are You Afraid of the Dark? – Jack Palmer
- Big Wolf on Campus – Male Nurse St. Jacques
- Charlie Jade – Karl Lubinsky
- Dark Eyes – Bill Marsden
- The Dead Zone – Orderley Dewey Morris
- Due South – Mr. Shawl, Jeff Storey
- Durham County – Ranjit
- Earth: Final Conflict – Frank Rice
- Forever Knight – Jonah
- F/X: The Series – Judge
- Largo Winch – Waldo Buzetti
- Live Through This – Sparky
- Naked Josh – Tyrone Charpentier
- The Newsroom
- Night Heat – Mitch Malloy
- Radio Active – Coach Hadress
- Ready or Not – Mr. Edwards
- Riverdale – Mike
- Side Effects – Det. Watson
- Sophie – Mr. Byrd
- Superstorm – Murray Michaels
- A Taste of Shakespeare – Prince of Morocco, Tubal, Duke of Venice
- Tales from the Neverending Story – Cairon
- Urban Angel – Agent No.1, Travis
- Wimzie's House – Rousso (voice)
- 15/Love – Mr. White
Animation[edit]
- Ace Ventura: Pet Detective – Additional Voices
- Anatole
- Animal Crackers
- Bad Dog – Judge Bigly
- Belphegor – Additional Voices
- Birdz – Additional Voices
- The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures – Additional Voices
- Diabolik
- Dog's World
- Dragon Hunters
- Flash Gordon – Kobalt
- Flight Squad
- Freaky Stories
- Ivanhoe
- Jim Button – Additional Voices
- Kassai and Leuk – Additional Voices
- The Legend of Sarila - Itak
- Malo Korrigan – Additional Voices
- A Miss Mallard Mystery – Additional Voices
- Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend – Elpenor
- Ned's Newt
- The Neverending Story
- Ocean Tales
- Patrol 03
- Pet Pals
- Pig City
- Princess Sissi – Joseph, Dania
- Rescue Heroes – Additional Voices
- Ripley's Believe It or Not! – Roger Glapion
- Rotten Ralph
- Silver Surfer
- Superplants – Narrator
- The Tofus – Additional Voices
- Tripping the Rift – Additional Voices
- Turtle Island – Additional Voices
- X-Chromosome – Additional Voices
- X-DuckX – Additional Voices
Video games[edit]
- Splinter Cell: Conviction – Lucious Galliard
- Evolution Worlds – Federico, Infantryman No.4
- Far Cry 2
- Jagged Alliance
- Jagged Alliance 2
- Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games
- Rainbow Six: Vegas – Additional Voices
- Splinter Cell
- Wizardry 8
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