John Dunsworth
Encyclopedia
John Dunsworth is a Canadian actor known for playing the frequently drunk trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey on the hit TV show Trailer Park Boys
. He has also appeared in Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion
, a CBC
film about the 1917 Halifax explosion
. Dunsworth also has extensive experience in regional theatre.
to Frank and Frances Dunsworth. He was the second born of ten children, and the oldest son. His daughter, Sarah Dunsworth, appears on the show Trailer Park Boys with her father. Her character is also named Sarah.
, but dropped out in his fourth year. Despite that, he went on to act in numerous CBC radio dramas, and has had starring roles in many stage productions at the Neptune Theatre
in Halifax
. In 1970, Dunsworth leased an abandoned building on Halifax's waterfront, and converted it into a playhouse. Dubbing it the Pier One Theatre, it became the city's first and most successful alternative theatre production house. In 1987, Dunsworth founded Filmworks Casting where he worked as Halifax's most renowned casting director. Dunsworth met director Mike Clattenburg
in the mid-1990s when he tried out for a bit part in Clattenburg's film short, One Last Shot. Dunsworth's small role gradually transformed into a leading part that earned him a Best Performance award from the Atlantic Film Festival
. From there, he further developed the character into what would eventually become Jim Lahey in Trailer Park Boys.
Dunsworth, John Paul Tremblay
, and Robb Wells
can be seen in the MGM 2002 movie Virginia's Run
starring Gabriel Byrne
and Joanne Whalley
. Dunsworth plays a local cop while Tremblay and Wells play active and verbal townsmen similar to their Trailer Park Boys characters. Actors are credited as cop for John Dunsworth, J.P. for John Paul Tremblay (credits as J.P. Tremblay), and Rob Wells as Rob. The movie was filmed in Nova Scotia, Canada. Dunsworth stars in Haven
, the film adaption of the Stephen King
novel The Colorado Kid
.
In 2010, Dunsworth reunited with many of his former Trailer Park Boys castmates in the new series The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour
.
, as he travels around Nova Scotia
trying to win support for his campaign. Dunsworth's candidacy in this election was real, but by 1990, he left the political realm in favour of his growing acting career.
, Dunsworth rarely drinks alcohol. Dunsworth has admitted he had suffered from a gambling problem in the past. As a result of his recovery, he has been instrumental in trying to remove Video Lottery Terminals from bars in Nova Scotia. John is married and has 3 daughters and 1 son. Sarah, his eldest daughter, appeared eponymously in Trailer Park Boys and his daughter Molly
starred in 2010's Hobo with a Shotgun
alongside Bladerunner's Rutger Hauer. John recently appeared on stage with Guns n' Roses
in Halifax, as Axl Rose
is a fan of Trailer Park Boys and John's character Mr. Lahey in particular. John is an avid boating enthusiast and spends a lot of time on "The Emerald Princess" his personal yacht, and he spends a lot of time at granite quarries finding rocks to complete various sculptures and walkways. He built an enormous granite salt water pool outside his home entirely from hand picked granite and manually mixed concrete.
Trailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian comedy mockumentary television series created and directed by Mike Clattenburg that focuses on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, some of whom are ex-convicts, living in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The...
. He has also appeared in Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion
Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion
Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion is a two-part miniseries produced in 2003 by CBC Television. It presents a fictionalized version of the Halifax Explosion, a 1917 catastrophe that destroyed much of the city of Halifax. It was directed by Bruce Pittman and written by Keith Ross Leckie...
, a CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
film about the 1917 Halifax explosion
Halifax Explosion
The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows"...
. Dunsworth also has extensive experience in regional theatre.
Early life
Dunsworth was born in Bridgewater, Nova ScotiaBridgewater, Nova Scotia
Bridgewater is a town in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada, at the navigable limit of the LaHave River. It is the largest town in the South Shore region. While the majority of the South Shore's economy is based upon the tourist trade, Bridgewater is more a commercial and industrial centre and...
to Frank and Frances Dunsworth. He was the second born of ten children, and the oldest son. His daughter, Sarah Dunsworth, appears on the show Trailer Park Boys with her father. Her character is also named Sarah.
Acting career
Dunsworth studied acting at the University of GuelphUniversity of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
, but dropped out in his fourth year. Despite that, he went on to act in numerous CBC radio dramas, and has had starring roles in many stage productions at the Neptune Theatre
Neptune Theatre (Halifax)
The Neptune Theatre is the largest professional theatre company in Atlantic Canada with a capacity of 497 and is located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It performs a mixture of new and classical plays....
in Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
. In 1970, Dunsworth leased an abandoned building on Halifax's waterfront, and converted it into a playhouse. Dubbing it the Pier One Theatre, it became the city's first and most successful alternative theatre production house. In 1987, Dunsworth founded Filmworks Casting where he worked as Halifax's most renowned casting director. Dunsworth met director Mike Clattenburg
Mike Clattenburg
Mike Clattenburg is a Canadian TV and film director best known as creator/director of the TV comedy series Trailer Park Boys , and This Hour Has 22 Minutes...
in the mid-1990s when he tried out for a bit part in Clattenburg's film short, One Last Shot. Dunsworth's small role gradually transformed into a leading part that earned him a Best Performance award from the Atlantic Film Festival
Atlantic Film Festival
The Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
. From there, he further developed the character into what would eventually become Jim Lahey in Trailer Park Boys.
Dunsworth, John Paul Tremblay
John Paul Tremblay
John Paul Tremblay is a Canadian actor who stars in the hit Canadian TV show Trailer Park Boys, playing Julian, a newly released ex-con returning to his home in a trailer park in Nova Scotia...
, and Robb Wells
Robb Wells
Robb Wells is a Canadian actor and screenwriter who portrayed Ricky on Trailer Park Boys.-Early life:Wells was born in Moncton, New Brunswick and moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia when he was eight years old...
can be seen in the MGM 2002 movie Virginia's Run
Virginia's Run
Virginia's Run is a 2002 Canadian-American independent family drama/coming of age film.-Plot:Virginia is a 13 year old girl living in Nova Scotia with her older sister Caroline and her father Ford . Her mother was killed 3 years earlier in a horse riding accident...
starring Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined Londo's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the...
and Joanne Whalley
Joanne Whalley
-Early life:Whalley was born in Salford but brought up in Stockport where she studied at the Braeside School of Speech and Drama, Marple.Whalley first appeared as a child in How We Used To Live and bit parts in soap operas, especially Coronation Street and Emmerdale...
. Dunsworth plays a local cop while Tremblay and Wells play active and verbal townsmen similar to their Trailer Park Boys characters. Actors are credited as cop for John Dunsworth, J.P. for John Paul Tremblay (credits as J.P. Tremblay), and Rob Wells as Rob. The movie was filmed in Nova Scotia, Canada. Dunsworth stars in Haven
Haven (TV series)
Haven is a supernatural drama television series loosely based on the Stephen King novel The Colorado Kid. The show, filmed on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, is an American/Canadian co-production. The one-hour drama premiered on July 9, 2010, on Syfy...
, the film adaption of the Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
novel The Colorado Kid
The Colorado Kid
The Colorado Kid is a mystery novel written by Stephen King for the Hard Case Crime imprint, published in 2005. The book was issued in one paperback-only edition by the specialty crime and mystery publishing house. The third-person narrative concerns the investigation of the body of an...
.
In 2010, Dunsworth reunited with many of his former Trailer Park Boys castmates in the new series The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour
The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour
The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Funtime Hour is a Canadian television comedy series, airing in the 2011 television season on Action.Described by its producers as "Curb Your Enthusiasm after it got smashed in the head with a hammer and force-fed liquor and drugs", the show stars former Trailer Park...
.
Politics
In 1988, Dunsworth starred in a video documentary entitled, John Dunsworth: The Candidate. The video is 22 minutes long, and was written and directed by Neal Livingston. The premise of the piece is to follow an underdog provincial candidate for the New Democratic PartyNew Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
, as he travels around Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
trying to win support for his campaign. Dunsworth's candidacy in this election was real, but by 1990, he left the political realm in favour of his growing acting career.
Personal life
John Dunsworth grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia and currently resides in Southwest Cove, Nova Scotia. Unlike Jim Lahey, the character that he plays on Trailer Park BoysTrailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian comedy mockumentary television series created and directed by Mike Clattenburg that focuses on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, some of whom are ex-convicts, living in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The...
, Dunsworth rarely drinks alcohol. Dunsworth has admitted he had suffered from a gambling problem in the past. As a result of his recovery, he has been instrumental in trying to remove Video Lottery Terminals from bars in Nova Scotia. John is married and has 3 daughters and 1 son. Sarah, his eldest daughter, appeared eponymously in Trailer Park Boys and his daughter Molly
Molly Dunsworth
Molly Kathleen Dunsworth , known professionally as Molly Dunsworth, is a Canadian actress. She is most known for her starring role in Hobo with a Shotgun, where she plays "Abby" alongside Rutger Hauer.-Early life:...
starred in 2010's Hobo with a Shotgun
Hobo With a Shotgun (film)
Hobo with a Shotgun is a 2011 Canadian exploitation film directed by Jason Eisener and written by John Davies. It is based on the winning trailer of the same name from Robert Rodriguez's South by Southwest Grindhouse trailers contest.-Plot:...
alongside Bladerunner's Rutger Hauer. John recently appeared on stage with Guns n' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
in Halifax, as Axl Rose
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...
is a fan of Trailer Park Boys and John's character Mr. Lahey in particular. John is an avid boating enthusiast and spends a lot of time on "The Emerald Princess" his personal yacht, and he spends a lot of time at granite quarries finding rocks to complete various sculptures and walkways. He built an enormous granite salt water pool outside his home entirely from hand picked granite and manually mixed concrete.
Filmography
- The Last Log Drive (1985)
- Deep Sea Conspiracy (1987)
- Justice Denied (1989)
- The Little Kidnappers (TV-1990)
- Buried on SundayBuried on SundayBuried on Sunday is a Canadian comedy film, released in 1992. It was directed by Paul Donovan, and written by Donovan and Bill Fleming.The film stars Paul Gross as Augustus Knickel, the mayor of Solomon Gundy, a fictional island off the coast of Nova Scotia...
(1992) - Mary Silliman's War (TV-1994)
- Life with Billy (TV-1994)
- Sweet Angel Mine (1996)
- Pit Pony (TV-1997)
- One Last Shot (1998)
- The Real Howard Spitz (1998)
- New Waterford Girl (1999)
- Deeply (voice, 2000)
- A Glimpse of Hell (TV-2001)
- Three Days (TV-2001)
- The Shipping NewsThe Shipping NewsThe Shipping News is a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning novel by American writer E. Annie Proulx which was published in 1993. It was adapted into a film of the same name, released in 2001.-Plot summary:...
(2001) - Virginia's Run (2002)
- Too Young to Be a Dad (TV-2002)
- Lift-Off (2002)
- The Christmas Shoes (TV-2002)
- Blessings (TV-2003)
- Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion (TV-2003)
- Reversible Errors (TV-2004)
- Sleep Murder (TV-2004)
- The Riverman (TV-2004)
- The Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special (TV-2004)
- Stone Cold (TV-2005)
- Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas (TV-2005)
- Serious Miracles (2005)
- Ambulance Girl (TV-2005)
- A Bug and a Bag of WeedA Bug and a Bag of WeedA Bug and a Bag of Weed is a 2006 comedy film directed by David Gonella and starring Sebastian Spence, Chris Cuthbertson, Drew Hagen, Nico Lorenzutti, Laura Kohoot, Nigel Bennett, Ryan Scott Greene, Amy Kerr, John Dunsworth, George Green, Shawn Duggan, David Flemming, Veronica Reynolds and...
(2006) - Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (2006)
- StuckStuck (2007 film)Stuck is a 2007 thriller directed by Stuart Gordon and starring Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea. The film premiered on May 21, 2007 at the Cannes Film Market...
(2007) - Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor DayTrailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor DayTrailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day is a 2009 Canadian mockumentary comedy/crime film directed by Mike Clattenburg. It is the second film based on the Canadian television series Trailer Park Boys, following 2005's Trailer Park Boys: The Movie...
(2009) - CloudburstCloudburst (2011 film)Cloudburst is a film by Canadian writer and director Thom Fitzgerald, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 16, 2011...
(2011)
Television appearances
- LexxLexxLexx is a science fantasy television series that follows the adventures of a group of mismatched individuals aboard the organic space craft Lexx. They travel through two universes and encounter planets including a parody of the Earth....
: The Dark Zone (mini-series, 1997) - Lexx: The Series (1999–2002)
- Trailer Park Boys (2001–2008)
- Trudeau (mini-series, 2002)
- Funpak (voice, 2005)
- Trudeau II: Maverick in the Making (mini-series, 2005)
- HavenHaven (TV series)Haven is a supernatural drama television series loosely based on the Stephen King novel The Colorado Kid. The show, filmed on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, is an American/Canadian co-production. The one-hour drama premiered on July 9, 2010, on Syfy...
(2010) - The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time HourThe Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time HourThe Drunk and On Drugs Happy Funtime Hour is a Canadian television comedy series, airing in the 2011 television season on Action.Described by its producers as "Curb Your Enthusiasm after it got smashed in the head with a hammer and force-fed liquor and drugs", the show stars former Trailer Park...
(2010)