BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Anthony Sherwood
| BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY |
| Anthony Sherwood | |
|---|---|
| Born | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Occupation | actor, producer, director |
| Years active | 1980-present |
| Website | |
| anthonysherwood.com | |
Biography
Sherwood's mother was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and his father was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Anthony’s mother was a fifth generation Canadian whose ancestors escaped to Canada using the Underground Railroad from Virginia. Sherwood's grandmother was an accomplished musician and music teacher, his mother was a singer, and his aunt was Portia White, Canada’s first and most famous Black opera singer and one of Nova Scotia’s most cherished icons. Sherwood’s family moved to Montreal where he commenced an eight-year career as a R&B singer before switching focus to acting.
Acting career
Sherwood began his acting career on stage and started in musical theatre. He starred in such musicals as Ain't Misbehavin', Cabaret, Razz ‘M Jazz, and The Music Man and in 2009 he performed in the hit musical Dream Girls at the Grand Theatre in London. Sherwood eventually made the transition to film and began acting in several Canadian and American feature films. He has guest-starred in more than fifty television shows including; "The Listener", "Being Erica", Due South, Outer Limits, Soul Food, Earth: Final Conflict,PSI Factor, 1-800 Missing, Danger Bay, Adventure Inc., Hidden Room, Diamonds, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Night Heat, Aaron Stone, The Best Years, Ghost Writer and Counter Strike.
Sherwood has appeared in over seventy feature films including Honey, The Guardian, Hostile Takeover, Deadbolt, Undue Influence, Boss Girl Physical Evidence and Guilty As Sin. He is best known for his roles in the television series Airwolf as Jason Locke and in Street Legal as Dillon Beck, a role for which he earned a 1992 Gemini Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. His role in Street Legal was the first continuing interracial relationship in a prime time television series in North America.
Writing, producing and directing career
Sherwood wrote and directed the original musical productions Ain't Got No Money, in Vancouver, Once Upon A Stage and Razz M'Jazz in Montreal, and But I Was Cool in Toronto. He wrote a new musical play with Canadian music legends Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones entitled, Rockin` In Paradise. In February 2010, he wrote, directed and produced an educational play on great African-Canadian hero, William Hall. In 2012, Sherwood wrote and directed the stage play, "TITANIC: The Untold Story", which was produced to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The play had its world premiere at the Alderney Landing Theatre in Nova Scotia and was also presented at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts in Montreal. In February 2008, Sherwood produced the original stage production Follow the North Star for the Federal Government of Canada. Follow the North Star was produced to commemorate the 175th Anniversary of British Imperial Act of 1833 – The Act to Abolish Slavery in the British Empire and was presented in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Anthony has directed and produced many successful music concerts including the World AIDS DayConcert in 2005 which was the largest music concert for World AIDS Day in Canada.
Sherwood owns a production company which specializes in productions emphasizing issues of social justice and Black Canadians. His film company produced the feature documentary entitled, Honour Before Glory, which he wrote, produced and directed. The film won Second Prize at the 2002 Hollywood Black Film Festival in Los Angeles and a 2002 Gemini Award (Canada's most prestigious television award). Sherwood created and produced the documentary film, Music - A Family Tradition for the CBC. which won a Gemini Award in 1997 and was nominated for an International Emmy Award. He also produced and directed the documentary film entitled, Nowhere to Run, which looks at the global crisis of landmines. His film Mozambique – A Land of Hope looks at the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa and was broadcast on the Signature Series on OMNI Television and was featured at the World AIDS Conference in Toronto in August 2006. His documentary film, 100 Years of Faith, is a documentary about the oldest black church in the Province of Quebec. In 2009, he produced and directed the documentary film Knocking On Heaven's Door which looked at the gang violence in Kingston, Jamaica.
For seven years Sherwood was the host and narrator of the documentary television series Forbidden Places for the Discovery Channel. On this television series, Mr. Sherwood performed numerous duties including writer, director, narrator and host. Forbidden Places was nominated for Best Documentary Series on Canadian Television for two years in a row. For three successful seasons, he was the host of the television talk-show, In The Black for OMNI Television, the first talk-show on Canadian television featuring exclusive interviews with prominent African-Canadians.
Social Activism
Sherwood has also been recognized as a dedicated social activist who continues to fight for the rights of all Canadians. He formed the first Black actors association in Canada that lobbied the television and film industry for equal opportunities. He is the former National Chairman of the March 21 Campaign for the Federal Government of Canada. March 21 is the International Day For the Elimination of Racism. Sherwood has received international recognition and awards for his efforts in raising awareness to the importance of racial equality.
For the past twenty-five years, Sherwood has hosted dozens of events across Canada. He has served as an M.C. or spokesperson for many cultural, entertainment and political events. He has hosted the Stop Racism Concert in Vancouver with special guest Prince Charles and the 1999 Canada Day Celebration on Parliament Hill for former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.
Awards
• 1998 Martin Luther King Achievement Award • 1998 Brampton Arts Acclaim Award • 2000 Urban Alliance on Race Relations Award • 2002 African-Canadian Achievement Award • 2006 North American Black Historical Museum & Cultural Centre Award • 2006 Planet Africa Award • 2008 Harry Jerome Award
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