Tyrone Benskin

Tyrone Benskin

Birth : 1958-12-29, Bristol, England, UK

History

Tyrone Benskin has been a significant presence in theatre, film, television and music for over 30 years. As part of the Canadian and International cultural landscape Tyrone has amassed an impressive resume and acclaim for a significant and varied body of work;, from no-nonsense cop to caring and devoted father, from ancient warrior to the characters showing the darkness of human nature. His numerous theatre credits include appearances on many of the celebrated stages across Canada. His over 100 film and television credits include co-starring with Tori Spelling in the TV movie "Mind over Murder", the new Christmas classic "The Christmas Choir", "The Wool Cap" and the civil rights drama "Deacons for Defense" opposite Forrest Whitaker and Mr. Ossie Davis. Mr. Benskin also appeared in the NBC mini-series 10.5: Apocalypse and starred as Karl Lubinsky in the cult science fiction series "Charlie Jade" which aired in Canada, the US and internationally including South Africa, France, England and Japan. Feature films include the blockbuster hit "300", Bob Dylan bio-pic "I'm not There" and acclaimed independent films "Peepers" and "Adam's Wall." For over 5 years, Mr. Benskin served as Artistic Director of Black Theatre Workshop, Canada's oldest Black theatre company. He served President of the Board of Creations Etc., a youth arts and outreach organization as well as serving on the board several community based non-profit organizations. Mr. Benskin was twice elected to the post of National Vice President of ACTRA, Canada's national film and television actors union. On May 2nd, 2011 Mr. Benskin was elected to the 41st Parliament of Canada as the Member for the diverse riding of Jeanne-Le Ber. Mr. Benskin was subsequently appointed to the post of "Official Opposition Critic for Canadian Heritage" by the Honorable Jack Layton. Mr. Benskin also serves as Deputy Critic for Official Languages and served on the Sub-Committee for International Human Rights. Benskin served as a Member of Canada's House of Commons for four and a half years returning to the big screen in 2016 in Bad Santa 2 and the small screen as recurring character Rev. Wardell Cobb in season 2 of The Art of More opposite Denis Quaid.

Profile

Tyrone Benskin

Movies

Beau Is Afraid
Rattled Businessman
A paranoid man embarks on an epic odyssey to get home to his mother.
The Christmas Checklist
George
A grieving daughter discovers a red envelope from her mom that contains a final request: for her to complete a Christmas Checklist of twelve activities before Christmas, the last one being “Find Love”.
Moonfall
Judge
A mysterious force knocks the moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it.
Chaos Walking
Hammer
Two unlikely companions embark on a perilous adventure through the badlands of an unexplored planet as they try to escape a dangerous and disorienting reality, where all inner thoughts are seen and heard by everyone.
Pieces of a Woman
Judge
When a young mother's home birth ends in unfathomable tragedy, she begins a year-long odyssey of mourning that fractures relationships with loved ones in this deeply personal story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss.
Clouds
Doctor
Young musician Zach Sobiech discovers his cancer has spread, leaving him just a few months to live. With limited time, he follows his dream and makes an album, unaware that it will soon be a viral music phenomenon.
Boys On Film 20: Heaven Can Wait
Moose (segment "Manivald") (voice)
On the cusp of adulthood, the world's longest running gay short film series is only getting started. Boys On Film 20: Heaven Can Wait includes eleven complete films: Bassem Ben Brahim's animated "Chromophobia"… Jimi Vall Peterson's "Sleepover" starring Hjalmar Hardestam and Simon Eriksson… Mickey Jones's "Just Me" starring Philip Olivier and Carl Loughlin… Matthew Jacobs Morgan's "Mine" starring Joshua McGuire and John Macmillan… Dale John Allen's "Don't Blame Jack" starring Jordan Tweddle and Kane Surry… Timothy Ryan Hickernell's "Foreign Lovers" co-starring Lucio Nieto… Layke Anderson's "Mankind" starring Ricky Nixon and Alexis Gregory… Christopher Manning's "Isha" starring Horia Săvescu and Dario Coates… Jay Russell's "ruok" starring Peter Mark Kendall, Zachary Booth, and Sydney James Harcourt… Chintis Lundgren's animated "Manivald"… and Zoe McIntosh's "The World In Your Window" starring Joe Folau and David Lolofakangalo Rounds.
Manivald
Moose (voice)
Manivald is a fox in his early 30s. He is still living at home with his mother. One day a young hot wolf called Toomas comes to fix the washing machine. A love triangle develops between the three of them. Things get out of hand and Manivald realizes that it is time to move out.
Birthmarked
Dr. Metcalfe
Two scientists raise three children contrarily to their genetic tendencies in order to prove the ultimate power of nurture over nature.
The Glass Castle
Ronnie
A young girl is raised in a dysfunctional family constantly on the run from the FBI. Living in poverty, she comes of age guided by her drunkard, ingenious father who distracts her with magical stories to keep her mind off the family's dire state, and her selfish, nonconformist mother who has no intention of raising a family, along with her younger brother and sister, and her other older sister. Together, they fend for each other as they mature in an unorthodox journey that is their family life.
Small Crimes
Chaplin
A disgraced former cop, fresh off a six-year prison sentence for attempted murder, returns home looking for redemption but winds up trapped in the mess he left behind.
Summer Villa
Dominic Barone
Although a successful romance novelist, Terry Russell hasn't had luck in her own love life. After a disastrous first date with cocky, hot-shot New York chef Matthew Everston, she retreats to her friend's French villa for the summer to finish her latest novel, with her reluctant teenage daughter in tow.
The Legend of Sarila
Itak (voice)
Three young Inuits set off in search of a promised land to save their clan from starvation.
Immortals
Hoplite Captain
Theseus is a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity.
Cyberbully
Principal Wasney
A woman tries to help her teenage daughter when she becomes the victim of online bullying.
Peepers
Helman
A rag-tag group, led by the eagle-eyed Steve, take to Montreal's chilly rooftops under cover of night. They're on the prowl for the perfect peep desperate to glimpse a "hottie hookup," a "panty party" or a "big booty buffet" through unshuttered windows. But their lives are about to change. Enter Annette, a brazen academic who turns the tables by setting her sights on the peepers themselves. Soon it's a battle royale for rooftop supremacy will these die-hard obsessives manage to defend their turf, or will peeping as they know it never be the same?
Dead Like Me: Life After Death
Police Commissioner Cusek
When George and her colleagues get a new boss whose focus is on moving souls quickly and enjoying life without consequences, the team begins to break the strict reaper rules. While her friends fall victim to their desires for money, success, and fame, George breaks another rule by revealing her true identity to her living family.
Final Verdict
Detective Lewis
The successful prosecution of a man accused of murdering his wife catapults a young attorneys career into the position of assistant D.A. for a major city. Eight years later, alarming new evidence suggests that the jailed man may actually be innocent of the murder, and now hes gunning for the woman who put him away. Eight years ago, State’s Attorney Megan Washington (Erica Durance) made her career with the high profile conviction of restaurateur William McCauley for the murder of his wife. When nearly a decade later, new evidence emerges which raises doubts about the case, the conviction is overturned and William McCauley is once again a free man, awaiting a new trial and suing Megan and the District Attorney’s office for fifty million dollars. Now, as Megan re-opens the case, she quickly unearths a mystery long since buried and uncovers a secret which has her in danger of losing her career, her relationship and possibly…her life.
The Christmas Choir
Bob
A chance encounter with a homeless man named Bob inspires a workaholic accountant to start a choir at a homeless shelter, allowing him to find a purpose to his life and discover the power of music, while providing the choir members with a chance at a new, better life.
Adam's Wall
As another Middle East crisis explodes, Adam, a Jewish teenager and Yasmine a Lebanese girl fall in love in Montreal. But the crisis overseas effects their relationship in ways they never expected.
A Woman's Rage
Officer Kingman
Beautiful Allison, 30, has no trouble finding a man. It's keeping them that's the problem...
I'm Not There
Mr. Arvin
Six actors portray six personas of music legend Bob Dylan in scenes depicting various stages of his life, chronicling his rise from unknown folksinger to international icon and revealing how Dylan constantly reinvented himself.
Christie's Revenge
Detective Hogue
After years of plotting, Christie vows to get revenge on her uncle, whom she blames for her father's demise.
300
Persian Emissary
Based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, "300" is very loosely based the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae, where the King of Sparta led his army against the advancing Persians; the battle is said to have inspired all of Greece to band together against the Persians, and helped usher in the world's first democracy.
Mind Over Murder
Julian Hasty
Holly Winters (Tori Spelling) is an unhappy-in-love, prosecuting attorney. After suffering a serious head injury, she gains the psychic power to read minds and decides to use this new-found power to catch a killer...
Bears
Narrator (voice)
From polar bears in the arctic tundra to black bears in the Northern Rockies, you'll see some of the most spectacular footage ever shot of these enterprising omnivores. Catch salmon with a group of hungry grizzlies on the McNeil River in Alaska. Crawl inside a den with a mother black bear and her cubs. Learn about the challenges facing each of these species as their habitat diminishes.
Jack Paradise (Les nuits de Montréal)
Winston White
Tales from the Neverending Story: Resurrection
Cairon
The Childlike Empress lies in limbo between life and death and the only hope for her kingdom lies in the ability of a young boy to transcend the boundaries of fantasy in this tale of myth and magic that is certain to capture the imagination. As young Bastian opens the pages of "The Neverending Story," he learns that the Childlike Princess is near death and Fantasia is in danger of falling prey to the Dark Princess Xayide. Soon falling through the written page and into a world beyond his wildest imagination, Bastian's alter ego Atreyu must enlist the help of his trusty sidekick Fly Girl and mischievous hucksters Rip Rowdy and Wexlerian if there is any hope of unlocking the mystery of the Southern Oracle and awakening the Childlike Empress to bring order back to Fantasia. Part 4 of 4 in DVD releases
Tales from the Neverending Story: Badge of Courage
Cairon
The Childlike Empress lies in limbo between life and death and the only hope for her kingdom lies in the ability of a young boy to transcend the boundaries of fantasy in this tale of myth and magic that is certain to capture the imagination. As young Bastian opens the pages of "The Neverending Story," he learns that the Childlike Princess is near death and Fantasia is in danger of falling prey to the Dark Princess Xayide. Soon falling through the written page and into a world beyond his wildest imagination, Bastian's alter ego Atreyu must enlist the help of his trusty sidekick Fly Girl and mischievous hucksters Rip Rowdy and Wexlerian if there is any hope of unlocking the mystery of the Southern Oracle and awakening the Childlike Empress to bring order back to Fantasia. Part 3 of 4 in DVD releases
Deacons for Defense
Archie
Inspired by a true story, this drama is set in 1965, not long after passage of the Civil Rights Act. Despite the Act, the African-American citizens of Bogalusa are still treated like third-class citizens, their fundamental rights as human beings persistently trampled by the white power structure, in general, and the local branch of the KKK. The story follows the formation of local black men, particularly ex-war veterans who after the struggles become too overbearing organizes the group, "Deacons for defense", an all-black defense group dedicated to patrolling the black section of town and protecting its residents from the more violent aspects of "white backlash."
Aftermath
Arnold Ross
Special Agent Rachel Anderson is charged with protecting a key witness, Richard Harper. But Harper himself is a suspect in several bomb attacks, one of which killed Rachel's partner. Stars Sean Young and Tim Post.
Redeemer
When a Black Panther raid on the house of a dope dealer goes awry, an innocent young man is killed and the leader of the raid team, a Panther named Charles Henderson (Obba Babatunde), is sentenced to life in prison. Bestselling author Paul Freeman (Modine) offers a creative-writing class in Henderson's prison, initially looking for a story for his next book; but when Henderson becomes his student, Freeman starts to investigate Henderson's case and becomes convinced that, after 20 years, Henderson deserves to be released--but the next step is convincing the sister of the man whose death Henderson is responsible for.
Tales from the Neverending Story: The Gift
Cairon
The Childlike Empress lies in limbo between life and death and the only hope for her kingdom lies in the ability of a young boy to transcend the boundaries of fantasy in this tale of myth and magic that is certain to capture the imagination. As young Bastian opens the pages of "The Neverending Story," he learns that the Childlike Princess is near death and Fantasia is in danger of falling prey to the Dark Princess Xayide. Soon falling through the written page and into a world beyond his wildest imagination, Bastian's alter ego Atreyu must enlist the help of his trusty sidekick Fly Girl and mischievous hucksters Rip Rowdy and Wexlerian if there is any hope of unlocking the mystery of the Southern Oracle and awakening the Childlike Empress to bring order back to Fantasia.
Tales from the Neverending Story: The Beginning
Cairon
The Childlike Empress lies in limbo between life and death and the only hope for her kingdom lies in the ability of a young boy to transcend the boundaries of fantasy in this tale of myth and magic that is certain to capture the imagination. As young Bastian opens the pages of "The Neverending Story," he learns that the Childlike Princess is near death and Fantasia is in danger of falling prey to the Dark Princess Xayide. Soon falling through the written page and into a world beyond his wildest imagination, Bastian's alter ego Atreyu must enlist the help of his trusty sidekick Fly Girl and mischievous hucksters Rip Rowdy and Wexlerian if there is any hope of unlocking the mystery of the Southern Oracle and awakening the Childlike Empress to bring order back to Fantasia.
The Killing Yard
Haywood Burns
Lawyers must defend a prisoner accused of murdering two of his inmates during the Attica prison riots in 1971.
Island of the Dead
Dwight Truman
Stranded on a deserted island, a group of people struggle to survive against a swarm of supernatural flies.
The Long Island Incident
Colin Ferguson
On December 7, 1993, a gunman opened fire in a crowded commuter train on Long Island. This fact-based story focuses on the events that swell around Carolyn McCarthy, a woman whose husband is killed and her 26 year old son is severely wounded in the massacre. The result is she is forced out of her comfortable suburban existence and she becomes an out-spoken crusader against assault weapons. The film shifts from her perspective to the mind of the killer and finally to the media frenzy that surrounds both.
Stranger in the House
Slovitz
A botched diamond burglary and a dead publishing company executive set off a string of murders and betrayal.
Sci-fighters
Dr. Gene Washington
A renegade police officer tracks a rapist spreading a deadly virus around 2009 Boston.
A Husband, a Wife and a Lover
Dr. Carpenter
When her cheating husband has a debilitating stroke, a woman invites her lover to move in with them.
Marked Man
Boyd
A jailed auto mechanic must run for his life after he witnesses the murder of a fellow inmate by two prison guards.
Cagney & Lacey: The View Through the Glass Ceiling
Dr. Nasser
Cagney and Lacey work a case involving police corruption and document forgery. Chris seeks a prestigious promotion, while Mary Beth has to deal with the return of her sickly, aged father.
Spenser: A Savage Place
Stevenson
Candy Sloane, a news reporter that Spenser used to date, hires him out as backup while she investigates a credit card fraud ring that might be operating out of a previously-bankrupt movie company
Johnny and Clyde
Hadley
When a young boy dogsits Clyde, a criminal canine trying to go straight, he ends up facing down the school bully, catching a criminal, and learning valuable lessons about life from his new best friend.
My Breast
Dr. Henry Balmer
Meredith Baxter plays Joyce Wadler in this heartwarming story of hope, courage and redemption inspired by the New York City journalist's real-life struggle with breast cancer. Stuck in a lackluster relationship with her boyfriend, she's forced to re-examine her life when she receives the troubling diagnosis.
Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad
Ward
A number of slaves risk their lives to escape their masters with their only help coming from the famous secret slave escape network.
The Final Heist
Juan
David King is an art thief who has retired to devote his time to his daughter on whom he dotes. He hasn't counted, however, on a mysterious gang who don't believe he is ready for retirement and who kidnap his daughter Gillian. If he doesn't do one more heist for them Gillian will be murdered.
Deadly Surveillance
Pool side cop
A detective investigates a series of murders that he begins to suspect are being committed by a woman involved in prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
Scanners II: The New Order
Store Owner
A scanner discovers a plot by renegade elements in the city government to take power with the help of evil scanners.
The Amityville Curse
Video Technician
Five people spend the night in an abandoned house, the Amityville haunted house, and soon find themselves terrorized by assorted ghosts, venomous insects and ghostly apparitions.
Criminal Law
Jackson
A rising young attorney successfully defends a man accused of murder, only to have the same type of murder then happen again. Right away the previously defended man hires the attorney again, and although the attorney is quite certain that he is the killer, he agrees to again defend him... much to the consternation of his friends. However, he explains that by being his attorney he will be better able to catch the man in a mistake... and on this the rest of the film develops, with the killer playing a cat and mouse game with the attorney until, at last, they both must recognize that they are not all that different.
The Kiss
Train Station Doctor
After the death of her mother, a teenage girl is faced with bizarre supernatural occurrences when her mother's estranged sister arrives and begins to infiltrate her and her father's lives.