Shaun Benson
| Shaun Benson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 16, 1976 Guelph, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Actor, director |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
Shaun Benson (born January 16, 1976) is a Canadian actor and director.[1]
Early life
Benson was born in Guelph, Ontario.[1] He is the son of Eugene Benson, an English professor and a prolific novelist, playwright and librettist.[2] He later graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a bachelor of science in chemistry and biochemistry, before studying acting at the George Brown College Theater School in Toronto.[2]
Career
As an actor
His early roles as an actor included theatrical productions of John Palmer's Singapore,[3] Fabrizio Filippo's Waiting for Lewis,[4] William Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost[5] and Robin Fulford's Steel Kiss.[6]
In 2000, he appeared in a Molson Canadian commercial as a Canadian office worker who unleashes a torrent of hockey-style violence on an American coworker taunting him with Canadian stereotypes.[7] In 2001, he was cast in a lead role in the television drama series The Associates.[8] In 2002, following the cancellation of The Associates he was cast in the legal drama series Just Cause, which ran for one season.[9]
Benson played the recurring role of Dr. Steven Lars Webber on the soap opera General Hospital from 2004 to 2005, which attracted him considerable attention compared to his previous roles.[1][10] Since his time on General Hospital, Benson has guest starred in numerous television series, including Cold Case, The Unit, Tornado Valley, and Being Erica. In 2012, Benson starred in the IMAX 3D documentary film Flight of the Butterflies[11] and in French comedy Populaire.[12]
In the 2015, made-for-TV movie, Kept Woman Shaun played an eccentric professor, Simon, who kidnaps his neighbor Jessica, played by Courtney Ford. Also in 2015, Benson starred in the Starz television series The Girlfriend Experience, alongside Riley Keogh.[13]
In 2016 Benson appeared in the Netflix time loop thriller ARQ as Sonny, as well as Season 2 of the series Gangland Undercover as Crowbar. He subsequently appeared in the SyFy series Channel Zero as the town sheriff, Gary Yolen.
As a director
In 2013 Benson directed Stop Kiss for the Toronto Fringe Festival. The production had a sold out run which was extended as a result of winning Best of Fringe honours.
In 2014, Benson directed the independent film Barn Wedding, which won the HMV People's Pick For Best Flick award at the 2015 Canadian Film Fest.[14]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | K-19: The Widowmaker | Leonid Pashinski | |
| 2009 | Tornado Valley | Bobby | Canada Television film |
| 2010 | Wedding for One | Jeff Doyle | Television film |
| 2011 | Stay with me | Davis Sakeris | Television film |
| 2012 | Populaire | Bob Taylor | |
| 2013 | Le beau risque | William | |
| 2015 | Kept Woman | Simon | Canada Television film |
| 2016 | ARQ | Sonny | Netflix film |
| 2016 | Edge of Winter | Ted |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Season | Episode | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Just Cause | Patrick Heller | 1 | ||
| 2006 | Cold Case | Truck Sugar | 4 | 11 | |
| 2010 | Being Erica | Will Appleyard | 3 | 9-10 | |
| 2011 | Against the Wall | Mike Fletcher | 1 | 6 | |
| 2011 | Flashpoint | Geoff Daikin | 4 | 12 | |
| 2012 | The Listener | Jack Newman | 3 | 1 | |
| 2012 | Haven | Robert Taylor | 3 | 12 | |
| 2013 | Played | Charlie Mulcair | 1 | 13 | |
| 2013 | Cracked | Damian Tremblay | 2 | 5 | |
| 2013 | Heartland | Adrian Gilson | 7 | 1-9 | |
| 2016 | The Girlfriend Experience | Ryan | 1 | 2-3-4-11 | |
| 2016 | Channel Zero | Gary Yolen | 1 | all | |
References
- 1 2 3 "Famous Guelphites: Benson, Shaun". Guelph Public Library. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- 1 2 "Just Cause for Benson: The actor can stay in Vancouver - series gets an extension". The Province, March 7, 2003.
- ↑ "A bad taste that lingers". National Post, April 3, 2000.
- ↑ "Plays about teens not up to challenge ; Productions confront questions of fame and homophobia". Toronto Star, April 17, 1999.
- ↑ "Oakville ups ante on outdoor Shakespeare Review". Toronto Star, July 24, 1999.
- ↑ "From a gang of thugs to a bunch of losers". National Post, January 15, 1999.
- ↑ "'I am Canadian' the sequel: Meet the obnoxious American". Toronto Star, July 29, 2000.
- ↑ "The associates deliver their verdict: How close does CTV's new television series come to life at a law firm?". National Post, January 13, 2001.
- ↑ "Fall TV looks to Vancouver: Several new shows are being filmed here or feature local talent". Vancouver Sun, September 11, 2002.
- ↑ "Soapfest lures dedicated fans". Windsor Star, February 22, 2005.
- ↑ "a Canadian story that's top flight". The Globe and Mail, April 12, 2013.
- ↑ "A slight rom-com, but that's all; Paint-by-numbers Populaire powered by chemistry between stars". Montreal Gazette, February 8, 2013.
- ↑ "Riley Keough smiles as Shaun Benson kisses her on set of Starz series". The Daily Mail. March 16, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ↑ Julianna Cummins March (March 30, 2015). "Canadian Film Fest unveils 2015 winners". Playback. Retrieved July 14, 2016.