Kenneth Welsh

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Kenneth Welsh, CM (born March 30, 1942)^[1] sometimes credited as Ken Welsh, is a Canadian film and television actor. He is known as the multi-faceted villain, Windom Earle, in Twin Peaks and played the father of Katharine Hepburn as portrayed by Cate Blanchett in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator. He lives outside of Toronto.

Early life[]

Welsh was born in Edmonton, Alberta, to a father who worked for the Canadian National Railway. He grew up in Alberta and studied drama at school. He later moved to Montreal and attended the National Theatre School. Following graduation, he auditioned for the Stratford Festival in Ontario and then spent the first seven years of his career on stage.^[1]

Career[]

Welsh has portrayed historical figures including Thomas E. Dewey, Colin Thatcher, Harry S. Truman (twice), Thomas Edison, James "Scotty" Reston, General Harry Crerar and James Baker. He has made guest appearances on the acclaimed TV series Due South and Slings and Arrows.

In 1984, he was nominated for a Genie Award as Best Actor for his portrayal of Reno Colt in the film Reno and the Doc, written and directed by Charles Dennis. In 1997, Welsh directed Dennis in the latter's play SoHo Duo at the West Bank Theatre in New York City. In 2003, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

His role as the Vice-President of the United States in the 2004 environmental disaster film The Day After Tomorrow sparked some controversy due to his physical resemblance to Dick Cheney, who at the time was the real Vice-President. Director Roland Emmerich later confirmed that he deliberately chose Welsh for that very reason. Emmerich stated that the character of the Vice-President in the film was intended to be a not-so-subtle criticism of the environmental policies of the George W. Bush administration.^[2]

Personal life[]

Welsh was a follower of Adi Da, an American spiritual teacher, whose focus was primarily on the priority of spiritual enlightenment. In 2000, Welsh narrated Da's audiobook, "What, Where, When, How, Why, and Who to Remember to Be Happy".^[3]

Welsh's son Devon^[4] was the lead singer of the musical group Majical Cloudz.^[5]

Filmography[]

References[]

External links[]

• Kenneth Welsh at IMDb