Chris Britton

Biography

Born and raised in Toronto, Chris Britton studied acting while still in his teens. For a brief period, an interest in dance led him to become a member of the Judy Jarvis Dance Company, one of the first modern dance companies in Toronto. He graduated from York University with a BFA in theatre. While an undergraduate he was an Associate Fellow of Stong College teaching a course in the life and art of Edward Gordon Craig. Upon graduating he spent two seasons at both the Stratford and Shaw Festivals and worked at regional theaters across Canada. In 1980 Chris started the first Artists Action Network within Amnesty International that worked for the release of imprisoned artists. During the early eighties he studied acting with Uta Hagen in New York City and acted in 'The Misanthrope' directed by Mark Lamos at The Hartford Stage and 'The Taming of the Shrew' at the Astor Place Theater in NYC. He returned to Canada to be a member of the Grand Theater Company with Robin Phillips. In the late 80's he landed the role of 'Einstein' in the one actor play and toured Canada, Boston and Louisville, Kentucky in over 200 performances. His voice has been heard in hundreds of commercials, narrations and animation series. In film and television his talents as a character actor can be seen in roles such as the evil Rombout Kemp in Peter Greenaway's 'Nightwatching'', the KKK leader opposite Forest Whitaker in 'Deacons For Defense', the mad film critic in John Carpenter's 'Cigarette Burns' and in 'The Final Cut' opposite Robin Williams. Recurring roles have been in series such as 'DaVinci's Inquest', 'DaVinci's City Hall', 'Intelligence' 'The Romeo Section' and 'Painkiller Jane'. Two of his screenplays, 'Capital Murder', based on the true story of the lawyer who defended the last two men executed in Canada and 'The Good Men', a political thriller were both awarded a Fellowship in the Praxis Screenwriting Competition. Chris Britton and his wife, actress Gwynyth Walsh divide their time between Los Angeles and Vancouver and frequently returns to Toronto to work and spend time with his daughter Paget.