Philip Akin

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Philip Akin
Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University)
OccupationActor
Years active1975–present

Philip Akin (born April 18, 1950) is a Canadian actor.[1]

Akin has been acting and directing for over 40 years. He has had roles in major American films such as

Bishop for the X-Men animated series and Tripp Hansen in Monster Force.[2]

Life and career

Akin was born in

Ryerson Theatre School. In 1975, he became the school's first acting graduate, landing a role just a few days later in a Shaw Festival production of Caesar and Cleopatra.[2]

In 1983, Akin began studying

kung fu and tai chi
.

Akin first came to prominence in the early 1980s when he performed on the zany comedy series

Stratford Festival of Canada, a prestigious summer-long celebration of theatre held each year in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. He was cast in the title role of William Shakespeare's Othello,[4] and also in the role of Crooks in the Festival's rendition of John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men.[5]
Philip Akin can also be seen in a long list of guest appearances on television series for example: F/X: The Series, Mutant X, Flashpoint (2008) and most recently, The Expanse (2015).

Akin is a founding member and was the artistic director (2006-2020) of the

Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play/Musical in 2012 for his production of Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog, which starred Kevin Hanchard and Nigel Shawn Williams. In his role he helped foster mentorship programs aimed at Black theatre directors.[6]

In the final year of his tenure as artistic director of Obsidian, Akin was awarded the biennial Herbert Whittaker Award for Distinguished Contribution to Canadian Theatre[7] - and was named one of the Canadian artists of 2019 by The Globe and Mail.[8] Upon his departure from Obsidian, the theatre established The Black Shoulders Award in Aikin's honour, to be awarded to Black artists to pursue their craft.[2]

Akin was the director for the Shaw Festival's 2020 production of Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress.[9][10]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

  1. ^ a b c "Philip Akin". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08.
  2. ^
    ISSN 0319-0781
    . Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  3. ^ "'Roc' star's hat a tribute to a friend". Austin American-Statesman. 1994-03-27. p. 223. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  4. ^ 2013 Playbill Archived 2013-01-15 at archive.today
  5. ^ Of Mice and Men Archived 2006-11-13 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Wheeler, Brad (2018-01-23). "Obsidian Theatre's Philip Akin helping young black directors hone their skills". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  7. ^ "PHILIP AKIN presented the Herbert Whittaker Award For Distinguished Contribution to Canadian Theatre". Aisle Say, February 18, 2020.
  8. ^ "The Globe’s runners-up for Canadian artist of 2019". The Globe and Mail, December 22, 2019.
  9. ^ "Philip Akin". Tapestry Opera. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  10. ^ Weche, Meres J. "Who are you writing this play for?". AfroToronto. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
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