Duncan Regehr Month

Duncan Regehr is the most tragically unknown actor ever. I was going to write that sentence as "tragically unknown and underrated actor," but his problem is only a small fanbase. He is very highly rated by those who follow his career. He is most notable for his ability to adapt accents for roles, his height (6'5"), muscular build, dark good looks, powerful stage presence, and a voice that is like dark chocolate: rich, elegant, aristocratic, and refined. That is the only term that can properly describe is beauty. I am going to spend August honoring several movies and TV shows featuring the man behind that voice.

Biography:
Duncan Regehr was born in Canada on October 5, 1952. When he was twenty-eight he began acting professionally, but had already been a champion figure skater, Olympic boxing contender, classically trained Shakespearean actor,  and radio show host at the age of 16. I have no idea what the show was about, but with his voice he could make the New York stock exchange sound riveting.

Prince Dirk Blackpool of Wizards and Warriors: Evil shouldn't look that good.

His first notable role was as Captain Randolph in the Civil War mini-series The Blue and the Gray. The next year he played the aristocratic villain in the short-lived TV series Wizards and Warriors, my favorite role. Despite its popularity, it was cancelled after eight episodes. The next year he moved from black leather-clad bad guys to loincloth-clad gladiators in The Last Days of Pompeii. It was very, very nice.

One of his favorite roles, he has said in interviews, was Errol Flynn in My Wicked, Wicked Ways. His portrayal of Dracula in The Monster Squad was named the 30th Greatest Villain of All Time. I prefer a Byronic approach to Dracula myself, but his monstrous Dracula was still elegant, aristocratic, manipulative, completely evil, and very enjoyable to watch.

The New World Zorro series aired on the Family Channel was, hands down, his most famous role. He proved that he can act interesting good guys almost as good as evil aristocrats as the classic swash-buckling hero. And he wore black. He looks very good in black.

 An example of his artwork

It's ironic that a man known for playing primarily villains is one of the nicest, most talented actors around. He's been married for over 40 years to one woman, writes poetry, sculpts, and is an award-winning artist. He received the Royal Canadian Artist title by the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2000. Unlike most actor/artist combinations, he actually makes a solid living off selling his artwork. I do not like his art because I dislike that style in general, but can see how other people would think it is very good.

Websites:
Official Site
IMDb Profile
Wikipedia Article
Fansite

Future Articles:
Movie Review: The Monster Squad
Movie Review: The Haunting of Lisa
TV Review: Wizards and Warriors
TV Review: Zorro
Duncan Regehr's Artwork (possibly)
Other movies (to be decided)

Listening to: "Lucretia, My Reflection" by the Sisters of Mercy
Reading: A collection of vampire short stories