Philip Akin (born April 18, 1950) is a Canadian actor.[1]
Akin has had roles in major American films such as The Sum of All Fears,[1] S.W.A.T., and Get Rich or Die Tryin'.[1] He has also done much voice work, including voicing the character of Bishop for the X-Men animated series and Tripp Hansen in Monster Force.[2]
Life and career[]
Akin was born in Kingston, Jamaica, as a middle brother of five sons. His parents moved to Oshawa, Ontario in 1953, and he and his brothers followed suit the next year. He has lived in Ontario ever since. Shortly after attending high school, Akin attended Toronto's 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 Yoshinkan aikido and is presently a 5th degree black belt in that art.[3] He has also trained in Jing Mo kung fu and t'ai chi ch'uan.
Akin first came to prominence in the early 1980s when he performed on the zany comedy series Bizarre. Other noteworthy roles include boxer Kid Cornelius in the "Shadow Boxer" episode of Friday the 13th: The Series (1987) and his regular role as the wheelchair-using computer expert Norton Drake in the first season of War of the Worlds, a Canadian/American television series (1988–90). His recurring role as Charlie DeSalvo in Highlander: The Series has also brought him much recognition. In Shake Hands with the Devil, he portrays Kofi Annan, then United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. In 2007, Akin performed at the 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 Obsidian Theatre Company, a Canadian theatre company comprising seasoned actors of African descent, devoted to the work of Black artists and creators. He won 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 honor, 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[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Three Card Monte | Monte Player | |
| 1979 | Running | Chuck Stone | |
| 1981 | Improper Channels | Motorcycle Cop | |
| Gas | Lincoln Jones | ||
| 1982 | Shocktrauma | Sam Hooker | Television film |
| 1983 | Covergirl | Cairo | |
| 1984 | Iceman | Dr. Fisterpoon | |
| 1985 | Martin's Day | Cop #1 | |
| 1986 | The Park Is Mine | Hardy | Television film |
| 1987 | Prettykill | Joey | |
| Nowhere to Hide | Harvey | ||
| Blue Monkey | Anthony Rivers | ||
| 1988 | Switching Channels | Guard | |
| 1989 | Millennium | Kevin Briley | |
| 1990 | Stella | Police Officer | |
| 1991 | F/X2 | Detective McQuay | |
| The Big Slice | Reggie / Regina | ||
| Married to It | Limo Driver | ||
| 1993 | Liar, Liar | Dr. Kerr | |
| 1994 | The Ref | State Trooper | |
| 1996 | The Stupids | Henchman #1 | |
| Fly Away Home | Air Force Reporter | ||
| Talk to Me | Public Defender | Television film | |
| 1997 | ...First Do No Harm | Unknown | |
| Elvis Meets Nixon | Cabbie | ||
| Time to Say Goodbye | Airport Police Officer | ||
| The Don's Analyst | Dr. Lusting | Television film | |
| 1998 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | ESU Lieutenant | |
| Woo | Roger Smith | ||
| Airborne | Romeo Cortez | ||
| Down in the Delta | Manager | ||
| One Tough Cop | Inspector Cheney | ||
| 1999 | Deep in My Heart | Ob-Gyn Doctor | Television film |
| Pushing Tin | Paul | ||
| In Too Deep | Minister | ||
| Strange Justice | Charles Ogletree | Television film | |
| 2000 | All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story | Detective Albany | |
| Who Killed Atlanta's Children? | Police Spokesman | ||
| One True Love | Mark | ||
| Left Behind: The Movie | Alan Tompkins | ||
| Range of Motion | Flozell | Television film | |
| 2001 | Bojangles | Williamson | |
| 2002 | Pretend You Don't See Her | Witness Protection Agent | |
| The Sum of All Fears | General Wilkes | ||
| Cube 2: Hypercube | The General | ||
| The Skulls III | Captain Harlan | ||
| 2003 | How to Deal | Mr. Bowden | |
| S.W.A.T. | Hijacked Passenger | Uncredited | |
| 2004 | H2O | U.S. President Monroe | Television miniseries |
| 2005 | The Passenger | English Teacher | |
| The Man | Second I.A. Agent | ||
| Get Rich or Die Tryin' | Reverend | ||
| Knights of the South Bronx | Assistant Principal Hill | Television film | |
| 2007 | Bottom Feeder | Sarge | |
| Shake Hands with the Devil | Boutros Boutros-Ghali | ||
| This Beautiful City | Police Chief | ||
| P2 | Karl | ||
| 2009 | Taking a Chance on Love | Jules Grandfield | Television film |
| 2010 | Who Is Clark Rockefeller? | Detective Lewis Cook | |
| 2013 | Prosecuting Casey Anthony | Judge Belvin Perry | |
| 2014 | Robocop | Dr. Alan |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–1987 | Night Heat | Various characters | 7 episodes |
| 1987 | Friday the 13th: The Series | Kid Cornelius | Episode: "Shadow Boxer" |
| 1988–1989 | War of the Worlds | Norton Drake | 25 episodes |
| 1991 | Swamp Thing | Bayou Jack | 5 episodes |
| 1992–1995 | X-Men | Bishop / Lucas Bishop | 7 episodes |
| 1993–1995 | Highlander: The Series | Charlie DeSalvo | 17 episodes |
| 1996 | Traders | Carl Davison | 7 episodes |
| 1997–2000 | PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal | Aubrey / Military Man | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Highlander: The Raven | Simon Clark | Episode: "Birthright" |
| Goosebumps | Bob Erikson | 3 episodes | |
| 2000 | Caitlin's Way | Mr. Watson | 4 episodes |
| 2008 | Friends and Heroes | Isaac / John Ralston | 13 episodes |
| 2008–2011 | Flashpoint | Commander Norm Holleran / Commander Holleran | 5 episodes |
| 2011 | Lost Girl | Tshombe | Episode: "Masks" |
| 2012 | King | Drew Bannon | Episode: "Alina Minkute" |
| Covert Affairs | Greg McCarthy | Episode: "Man in the Middle" | |
| 2014 | The Best Laid Plans | Managing Editor | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | The Book of Negroes | John Cartwright | 1 episode |
| 2015–2016 | The Expanse | Craig | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | In Contempt | Judge Cannon | Episode: "The Rules of Engagement" |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Philip Akin". The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide (2016). Archived from the original on March 8, 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fricker, Karen (September 10, 2020). "Over a storied acting and directing career, Philip Akin has made sure Black theatre lives matter — a new award". The Toronto Star. Retrieved on February 15, 2022.
- ↑ "'Roc' star's hat a tribute to a friend". Austin American-Statesman (March 27, 1994). Retrieved on February 5, 2023.
- ↑ "2013 Playbill". Stratford Film Festival. Archived from the original on November 6, 2006.
- ↑ "Of Mice and Men". Archived from the original on November 13, 2006.
- ↑ Wheeler, Brad (January 23, 2018). "Obsidian Theatre's Philip Akin helping young black directors hone their skills". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on February 15, 2022.
- ↑ "Philip Akin Presented the Herbert Whittaker Award For Distinguished Contribution to Canadian Theatre". Aisle Say (February 18, 2020).
- ↑ "The Globe’s runners-up for Canadian artist of 2019". The Globe and Mail (December 22, 2019).
- ↑ "Philip Akin". Tapestry Opera. Retrieved on February 5, 2023.
- ↑ Weche, Meres. "Who are you writing this play for?". AfroToronto. Retrieved on February 5, 2023.
External links[]
- Philip Akin at Wikipedia
- Philip Akin at the Internet Movie Database
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