John Hemphill (actor)

Canadian comic actor, writer, and producer

John Hemphill (born 1953) is a Canadian comic actor, writer and producer.

## Career

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A longtime player with The Second City troupe's Toronto cast,[1] Hemphill was a writer for Second City Television and appeared in supporting character roles such as Happy Marsden, Wesley Wilks, Willem DeCooney and Dr. Ryne Thurman.[2][3]

Hemphill has appeared in the television series RoboRoach, The Jane Show,[4] Little Mosque on the Prairie and Maniac Mansion,[5] and the television films Hostage for a Day[6] and Sodbusters.[7] He was also the co-writer, with Eugene Levy, of Sodbusters.[7] Hemphill appeared in Adventures in Babysitting in 1987. In 2003, he began directing the comedy troupe Women Fully Clothed, composed of Second City alumnae Debra McGrath, Robin Duke, Jayne Eastwood, Teresa Pavlinek and Kathy Greenwood.[8]

Hemphill portrayed Bob Currie on Schitt's Creek from 2015 to 2020.[9] For his performance, he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards.[9]

He received a Gemini Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Program for Sodbusters at the 9th Gemini Awards in 1995.[10]

## Filmography

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### Film

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Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1986  | The Pink Chiquitas | Ernie Bodine  |
1987  | Adventures in Babysitting | Drunk at Party  |
1987  | Goofballs | Aldo  |
2004  | New York Minute | Tim Brooger  |
2005  | The Man | Ted  |
2007  | Zodiac | Donald Cheney

### Television

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Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1981–1984  | Bizarre | Various roles  | 14 episodes; also writer
1982–1983  | SCTV Network | 12 episodes; also writer
1983–1984  | SCTV Channel | 13 episodes; also writer
1985  | Workin' for Peanuts | Al  | Television role
1987  | Really Weird Tales | Mervis Jutt
1988  | Biographies: The Enigma of Bobby Bittman | Buddy Phelps
1988  | The Second City Toronto 15th Anniversary | Johnny Prolongo
1990–1993  | Maniac Mansion | Harry the Fly  | 65 episodes; also creator, writer, and director
1992  | Partners 'n Love | Lloyd Peters  | Television role
1994  | Sodbusters | Cole  | Television role; also writer
1997  | Goosebumps | Doctor / SWAT Team Leader  | Episode: "Don't Go to Sleep"
1997  | Once a Thief | Master Jamboree  | Episode: "It Happened One Night"
1998  | Due South | Van Zant's Cleaner  | Episode: "Dead Men Don't Throw Rice"
1998  | Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension | Freddie Foster  | Episode: "Last Laugh"
2000  | Power Play | Dr. Eugene Tockette  | Episode: "The Quarter Finals"
2000  | Relic Hunter | Richard Ferguson  | Episode: "Emperor's Bride"
2001–2003  | RoboRoach | Voice  | 7 episodes
2002, 2006  | Puppets Who Kill | Good Ol' Joe / Curious Bob  | 2 episodes
2004  | Untold Stories of the E.R. | Reenactments  | Episode: "The Big Save"
2006  | The Jane Show | Jane's Dad, Dave Black  | Episode: "Daddy's Home"
2008–2011  | Little Mosque on the Prairie | George Wispinski / Alvin Wispinski  | 3 episodes
2015–2020  | Schitt's Creek | Bob Currie  | 29 episodes

## References

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1. ^ "Second City turns improv formula into an art form". Montreal Gazette, July 16, 1988.
2. ^ "Wacky SCTV put Canada on comedy map; Odd characters on mythical TV station live on in reruns". Toronto Star, March 9, 2002.
3. ^ "The dark, twisted backstory of Eugene Levy's Bobby Bittman character". The A.V. Club. 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
4. ^ "Global picks up The Jane Show; Show could be described as The Office meets Sex And The City". Telegraph-Journal, January 24, 2006.
5. ^ "YTV cancels Maniac Mansion". Toronto Star, March 28, 1993.
6. ^ "Candy's TV-movie directorial debut a winner". Toronto Star, April 24, 1994.
7. ^ a b "Eugene Levy's Sodbusters pours on chuckles". The Record, April 25, 1994.
8. ^ "John Hemphill". IMDb.
9. ^ a b "2017 Canadian Screen Awards Nominees Revealed". ET Canada, January 17, 2017.
10. ^ "Major Gemini Nominations". Toronto Star, January 18, 1995.

## External links

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* John Hemphill at IMDb