Louie Lawless
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1942 (age 83–84)
Louie Lawless | |
|---|---|
| Born | Louie Edward Lawless 1942 (age 83–84) Penticton, British Columbia, Canada |
| Other names | Leo Rivers, Leo Ryers |
| Occupations | Actor, producer, director, cinematographer |
| Years active | 1970 – present |
| Website | http://www.louielawless.com |
Louie Edward Lawless is a Canadian film actor, documentary director, and Academy Award-nominated producer. Born in British Columbia, he traveled to California at the age of 18 and found work as an actor in Hollywood. He eventually became involved in the production of films and worked for over two decades in film production before returning to Canada in 1994. Since then, he has been involved with Kevin Annett in producing films that raise public awareness of the abuses of the Canadian Indian residential school system. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1973 for his work on Manson and he won the Best Director award for a documentary at the 2006 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival for his film Unrepentant: Kevin Annett and Canada's Genocide.
Lawless was born in Penticton, British Columbia and grew up in Bridesville on a wheat farm as the second of nine brothers and sisters. His family was Irish Catholic.[1] At the age of 18 he traveled to California, arriving in San Francisco before moving to Hollywood in search of a career in film and television.[2] He gained his first exposure to acting in a class taught by Estelle Harman when he was 20 years old.[3]
Lawless got his first acting job in the Mercy Otis Warren play The Group, which ran for a full year. He then found work at Hollywood Center Studios, first in the mail room,[3] and then doing small production-related jobs on television shows such as The Beverly Hillbillies, The A-Team, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, and Riptide. At this time, he also became involved in feature films[2] through a program with the Directors Guild of America.[3] With his production team, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1973 for his work on Manson.[1] He worked as the cinematographer and associate producer under the pseudonym Leo Rivers.[4] He worked on The Yum-Yum Girls as a cinematographer. After his nomination, he joined the Directors Guild of America as well as the Producers Guild of America.[1] While in Hollywood, he eventually began teaching acting and film production.[5] His final movie as an actor was the lead role of Captain Lee Norsythe in the cult film Planet of Dinosaurs[3] and his final American production was Abducted II: The Reunion in 1994.[4] He returned to British Columbia that year.[1]
