Eric Peterson

Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage and television actor, best known for his roles in three major Canadian series – Street Legal, Corner Gas and This is Wonderland.

Personal life

Peterson was born in Indian Head, Saskatchewan and began his education at the University of Saskatchewan. He spent two years there, taking classes in the drama department, before finishing his degree at the University of British Columbia. He received a Bachelor of Arts in performance drama. Other notable alumni of the era include John MacLachlan Gray and Larry Lillo.

He is married to fellow actor and People for Education executive director Annie Kidder, who is the sister of Margot Kidder.

Acting career

Peterson's acting career began on stage in 1971 when he helped found the collective theatre company Tamahnous Theatre in Vancouver. Here he received his first professional notice as an actor, with major roles in versions of The Bacchae and Nijinsky, both directed by Gray.

In 1974, he moved to Toronto, Ontario and joined Theatre Passe Muraille. At the time, it was the leading collective ensemble in Canada and one of the most dynamic theatre organizations in North America. With this theatre company, he had main roles in productions of The Farm Show The West Show, Them Donnelly’s and 1837: The Farmers' Revolt. It was in this latter Rick Salutin production that he gained the greatest recognition, playing William Lyon Mackenzie and Lady Backwash.

In 1976, Peterson began to collaborate with Gray once again. With Gray he wrote and acted in his most critically-acclaimed stage play Billy Bishop Goes to War. The play, which premiered in Vancouver in 1978, went on tour internationally, garnering positive reviews on Broadway (where he won the Clarence Derwent Award for most promising performer ), in London's West End (where he was nominated for Best Actor ) and at the Edinburgh Festival Mainstage. In 1998, Peterson acted in the play once more, this time at the Canadian Stage in Toronto.

Television Work

Until Corner Gas, his most famous role on television was his award-winning role of Leon Robinovitch, a left-wing lawyer, on Street Legal. His more notable television work includes 1998's Nothing Sacred (a movie for which he also co-produced and appeared in the stage version), Night Heat and This Is Wonderland. He also appeared as Hank Stewart in the Hippocratic Oath episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents for AHF Film Productions.

In total, Peterson has appeared in fifty-two movie and television productions. He also appeared in an infomercial for Amnesty International.

Peterson's most recent television role is that of Oscar Leroy on the Canadian television program Corner Gas. Peterson plays the father of Brent Leroy (played by Brent Butt), who inherited the gas station after his father decided to retire. Much to the dismay of his son and his wife Emma (played by Janet Wright), he uses his new-found free time to unwittingly annoy his family and the town at large.

Awards

Peterson has won numerous awards over his career. For his portrayal of Leon Robinovitch on Street Legal, he was nominated for the Gemini Award for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Continuing Dramatic Role six times in 1987, 1989 and every year from 1992 through 1995. He tied for the win with Winston Rekert (for Adderly) the first year and won in outright the next two. He has also been nominated twice under Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series with Corner Gas at the Gemini Awards and once for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series for Episode 4 of This is Wonderland for his portrayal of Judge Malone His fourth Gemini Award came in 2001 for Best Performance in a Pre-School Program.

He has also twice been nominated for Canadian Comedy Awards for his role on Corner Gas. In 2004, he was nominated (alongside fellow Corner Gas actor Brent Butt) in the "Pretty Funny Television Performance – Male" category. In 2007, he was nominated for "Best Male Performance."

In addition, Peterson received an honourary Doctor of Letters in drama from the University of Saskatchewan. On May 21, 1996, it was presented to him by the head of the drama department, Henry Woolf. In 1999, the 20^th Anniversary edition of his play Billy Bishop Goes To War won him Dora Awards for Best Play, Best Direction and Best Performance. He had previously received a Dora Award nomination for his role in Escape From Happiness. A 1982 CBC television adaptation garnered him an ACTRA award nomination.

Recent years

Peterson's more recent stage appearances include Love and Anger at the Factory Theatre, Health (another collaboration with John Gray) at the Vancouver Playhouse and the lead role in Richard Ill at the Young People’s Theatre. In October 2000, he performed in Hysteria at the Canadian Stage and in January 2001, he appeared in Clout at the National Arts Center in Ottawa.

Peterson and his wife continue to live in Toronto, Ontario, although he still frequents his home province of Saskatchewan, where he owns a cottage in the Lake District of the province. He continues to play the role of Oscar Leroy on Corner Gas. Since January 2007, he has been performing in Half Life, a play by John Mighton, at the Canadian Stage. According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, "his fresh, energetic, natural acting style has made him popular with Canadian audiences, and he continues to be a mainstay of Canadian television."

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