Callum Keith Rennie | |
|---|---|
 Rennie in 2011 | |
| Born | 14 September 1960 (1960-09-14) (age 65) Sunderland, England |
| Citizenship | Canada |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989–present |
Callum Keith Rennie (born 14 September 1960)[1] is a Canadian actor.[2] His breakthrough role was as punk rocker Billy Tallent in the music mockumentaryHard Core Logo (1996), followed by a starring role as Det. Stanley Raymond Kowalski on the third and fourth seasons of the television seriesDue South (1997–99).[1] He then won aGenie Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in theDon McKellar filmLast Night (1998).[1]
Rennie's television roles includeLeoben Conoy / Number 2 onBattlestar Galactica (2003–09), Lew Ashby onCalifornication (2008–13), Rick Felder onThe Killing (2011–12), Gary Connell onThe Man in the High Castle (2016),Karl Malus onJessica Jones (2018), and Commander Rayner onStar Trek: Discovery (2024). He won aGemini Award forBest Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for his portrayal of Detective Ben Sullivan onShattered, and a second Genie Award for the filmNormal (2007). He has also won fourLeo Awards.[1]
Rennie was born inSunderland,Tyne and Wear and at age four his family emigrated to Canada. Rennie was brought up in middle-classEdmonton,Alberta, as the second of three boys.[3][4] He graduated fromStrathcona High School, where he met and befriendedBruce McCulloch fromthe Kids in the Hall.[5][2] He dropped out of college and took up all sorts of odd jobs, leaving Edmonton for brief stays inVancouver andToronto before eventually settling in Vancouver.[5][2]
Working at the campus radio ofUniversity of Alberta led Rennie to discover acting at age 25. He started his career on stage, performing at the A.B.O.P. Theatre in Edmonton inAmerika, a play adapted fromFranz Kafka's novel and followed with the critically acclaimedAmerican Buffalo during theEdmonton International Fringe Festival. After attending Bruhanski Theatre Studio in Vancouver, he had his first professional theatrical performance in 1989 inSally Clark'sLost Souls and Missing Persons, aTouchstone Theatre production. This earned him an invitation to work at theShaw Festival where he appeared inMan and Superman and inPinero'sTrelawny of the Wells (1990).[3]
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Rennie's first appearance on screen was in theindie Canadian filmPurple Toast, filmed in 1990 and released in 1993. Also in 1993, he began to take small roles in television (Highlander,Forever Knight, and the revamped version ofThe Outer Limits). Rennie's profile within the Canadian industry was heightened during this period by leading roles in the television filmsParis or Somewhere (1994) andFor Those Who Hunt the Wounded Down (1996). Due to several disagreements during the production of the latter film, Rennie vowed never to work for theCBC again, though he has remained a staunch supporter of the Canadian industry as a whole. After his first appearance onThe X-Files, he was offered the role ofAlex Krycek but turned it down because he did not want to commit to a television series at that time.[2]
His career gained momentum quickly and larger roles in Canadian films followed (the independent short filmFrank's Cock byMike Hoolboom, andMina Shum'sDouble Happiness asSandra Oh's love interest, for which he was nominated for aGenie Award as best supporting actor). He also had more important roles on television series, as in a two-parter forLa Femme Nikita.
His most prominent early roles were as guitar player Billy Tallent inBruce McDonald'sHard Core Logo (1996) and as detective Stanley Raymond Kowalski in the third and fourth seasons ofCTV seriesDue South, which aired in over 150 countries. The Canadian bandBilly Talent is named after hisHard Core Logo character.[6] As for his part inDue South, it has been said that his "disaffected intensity and hungover good looks" added an edge to the series.[2]
Rennie was then seen in the recurrent roles of the convenience store guru Newbie onDon McKellar's cult television seriesTwitch City and of detective Bobby Marlowe on the award-winning seriesDa Vinci's Inquest.
His interpretation of sex marathoner Craig Zwiller in Don McKellar'sLast Night earned him his firstGenie Award (1999). After a role inDavid Cronenberg'seXistenZ (1999), his first international success on the big screen was his appearance as the thug Dodd inChristopher Nolan'sMemento (2000). The same year, he impersonated a chilling yet seductive drifter inSuspicious River.
With the father characters ofFalling Angels (2003) andFlower and Garnet (2002), Rennie expanded to playing more mature roles, rather than young, self-destructive rebels. He also impersonated self-controlled Inspector Wood in the period dramaTorso: The Evelyn Dick Story (2002) and appeared as the quiet dyslexic painter ofWilby Wonderful (2004).
He has played guest roles in episodes of various Canadian or US television series likeMutant X,The Dead Zone,Smallville,Supernatural,The L Word,Bionic Woman and more recentlyHarper's Island. During the same time, he has interpreted contrasting characters in movies such asThe Butterfly Effect,H2O: the Last Prime Minister,The Five People You Meet in Heaven,Blade: Trinity (2004),Lucid (2005),Unnatural & Accidental (2006),The Invisible,Tin Man,Normal,Silk (2007), andThe X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008).
His recurring role as theCylonLeoben Conoy in the reimaginedBattlestar Galactica (2003–09) and his portrayal of the record producer Lew Ashby throughout the second season ofCalifornication (2008) have earned him a new wide and international recognition.
In 2009–10, Rennie played a character named Jeff Slingerland aka Dr. Maurice Raynaud on theABC seriesFlashForward. Before the series was cancelled,David Goyer, who had previously directed him inBlade andThe Invisible, mentioned he would be back and was slated to appear in the second season.[7] He also appeared as Russian mobster Vladimir Laitanan in theeighth season of24.[8]
In Fall 2010, he played the lead role of Detective Brian Sullivan onShattered, a series about a detective who suffers from multiple personality disorder. It aired in Canada onGlobal TV, followed by airings in other countries, though not the United States.[9] Rennie received critical acclaim for his performance, and in 2011 won the Gemini and Leo awards for the role.[10][11] Shattered was not renewed for a second season.
His 2010 appearances on the big screen included the Canadian filmGunless, a Western comedy starringPaul Gross, as a bounty hunter on the trail of Gross' Montana Kid.[12][13] He also reprised his role as Billy Tallent for a short appearance inTrigger.Trigger is part of several films set in thesame universe asHard Core Logo, directed again byBruce McDonald; this one, starringMolly Parker andTracy Wright, written byDaniel MacIvor, is about the reunion of two women who used to be in an alternative rock band together.[14] Rennie also served as one of Trigger's executive producers. Another film,Faith, Fraud & Minimum Wage,[15] based on Canadian playwright Josh MacDonald's playHalo, has been completed and is waiting for release.
Rennie made a number of television appearances in 2011, including a supporting role onThe Killing as Rick Felder, Detective Sarah Linden's fiancé. He also guest starred onAlphas,CSI: Miami andRookie Blue.
Rennie was also cast as a series regular on theNBC seriesThe Firm. He plays Ray McDeere, the brother of the principal character,Mitch McDeere, played byJosh Lucas.[16] It began airing as a midseason replacement for the 2011–12 season.[17]
In 2015, Rennie was cast as a main character for the second season of Amazon'sThe Man in the High Castle. He joined the cast in the role of Gary Connell, leader of the West Coast Resistance movement.[18]
Rennie likes painting and admiresabstract expressionist artists such asBasquiat,Motherwell andPollock (theChampion spark-plug logo tattoo on his right arm is an homage toStuart Davis).[3] He was an enthusiastic mountain climber in his youth[19] and is an avid golfer.[4]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Purple Toast | Tom Struck | |
| 1994 | Valentine's Day | Astronaut | |
| Still | Boyfriend | Short film | |
| Frank's Cock | The Narrator | ||
| Double Happiness | Mark | ||
| Timecop | The Stranger | ||
| The Raffle | Floor Director | ||
| 1995 | Curtis's Charm | Jim | |
| 1996 | Unforgettable | Drug Dealer | |
| Hard Core Logo | Billy Tallent / William Boisy | ||
| Letters from Home | — | Short film | |
| 1997 | Masterminds | Ollie | |
| Excess Baggage | Motel Manager | ||
| Men with Guns | Mamet | ||
| 1998 | Last Night | Craig Zwiller | |
| 1999 | eXistenZ | Hugo Carlaw | |
| The Life Before This | Martin MacLean | ||
| 2000 | The Highwayman | Telemarketer | Uncredited |
| The Last Stop | Jake | ||
| Memento | Dodd | ||
| Suspicious River | Gary Jensen | ||
| 2001 | Picture Claire | Laramie | |
| 2002 | Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice | Palmberg | Direct to video |
| Now & Forever | Carl Mackie | ||
| Flower & Garnet | Ed | ||
| 2003 | Falling Angels | Jim Field | |
| Paycheck | Jude, Guard | ||
| 2004 | The Butterfly Effect | Jason Treborn | |
| Wilby Wonderful | "Duck" MacDonald | ||
| Blade: Trinity | Asher Talos | ||
| 2005 | Lucid | Victor | |
| Whole New Thing | Denny | ||
| Shooting Gallery | Michael Mortenson | Direct-to-video | |
| 2006 | Snow Cake | John Neil | |
| Unnatural & Accidental | Norman | ||
| 2007 | Code Name: The Cleaner | Shaw | |
| Shattered | Detective McGill | Also known asButterfly on the Wheel | |
| The Invisible | Brian Larson | ||
| Normal | Walt | ||
| Silk | Schuyler | ||
| 2008 | Sleepwalking | Will | |
| The X-Files: I Want to Believe | Janke Dacyshyn, 2nd Abductor | ||
| 2009 | Case 39 | Edward Sullivan | |
| 2010 | Faith, Fraud & Minimum Wage | Donald McCullen | |
| Gunless | Ben Cutler | ||
| Trigger | Billy | ||
| 2013 | Hell in a Handbag | Silver | |
| The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet | Father | ||
| 2014 | October Gale | James Matthews | |
| Sitting on the Edge of Marlene | Freddy "Fast Freddy" | ||
| 2015 | Fifty Shades of Grey | Ray Steele | |
| Into the Forest | Robert | ||
| Born to Be Blue | Dick Bock | ||
| 2016 | Warcraft | Moroes | |
| 2017 | Little Pink House | — | |
| Goon: Last of the Enforcers | Hyrum Cain | ||
| Mobile Homes | Robert | ||
| Jigsaw | Detective Halloran | ||
| 2018 | Fifty Shades Freed | Ray | [20] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Highlander: The Series | Neal | Episode: "An Eye for an Eye" |
| 1994 | Paris or Somewhere | Christy Mahon | Television film |
| Lonesome Dove: The Series | Harry Price | Episode: "Long Shot" | |
| The Commish | Konichek | Episode: "Security" | |
| 1994–95 | The X-Files | Tommy / Cemetery Groundskeeper | Episode: "Lazarus" Episode: "Fresh Bones" |
| 1995 | Little Criminals | Kostash | Television film |
| Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 | Pumper | ||
| The Marshal | Cal | Episode: "Protection" | |
| The Outer Limits | Carlito | Episode: "Corner of the Eye" | |
| When the Dark Man Calls | Bob Levesh | Television film | |
| The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky | Big Hat | ||
| The Omen | Driver | ||
| Forever Knight | Bruce Spencer | Episode: "Outside the Lines" | |
| Side Effects | Armando | Episode: "Snap, Crackle, Pop!" | |
| Highlander: The Series | Tyler King | Episode: "The Innocent" | |
| 1995–96 | My Life as a Dog | Johnny Johansson | 22 episodes |
| 1996 | For Those Who Hunt the Wounded Down | Jerry Bines | Television film |
| 1997 | Viper | William T. Lennox | Episode: "Wheelman" |
| La Femme Nikita | Gray Wellman | Episode: "Gray" Episode: "Choice" | |
| Tricks | Adam | Television film | |
| 1997–99 | Due South | Detective Stanley Raymond Kowalski | 26 episodes |
| 1998–2000 | Twitch City | Newbie | 8 episodes |
| 1999 | Strange World | Vince | Episode: "Lullaby" |
| Foolish Heart | Ross | Episode: "Breathless" | |
| 1999–2001 | Da Vinci's Inquest | Detective Bob Marlowe | 7 episodes |
| 2000 | Murder Seen | Detective Keegan | Television film |
| Nature Boy | Eden Abez | Television short | |
| 2001 | Trapped | Anthony Bellio | Television film |
| Dice | Egon Schwimmer | Miniseries | |
| 2002 | Torso: The Evelyn Dick Story | Inspector Wood | Television film |
| Bliss | Mike | Episode: "Six Days" | |
| Dark Angel | Sheriff Lamar | Episode: "Exposure" | |
| Mutant X | Zack Lockhart | Episode: "Ex Marks the Spot" | |
| The Dead Zone | Max Cassidy | Episode: "Dinner with Dana" | |
| The Eleventh Hour | Mark Mitchum | Episode: "The Source" | |
| 2003 | Tru Calling | Elliot Winters | Episode: "Pilot" |
| Battlestar Galactica | Leoben Conoy | Miniseries | |
| 2004 | Touching Evil | Mike Espy | Episode: "Memorial" |
| Kingdom Hospital | Earl Candleton | Episodes: "Finale" & "Butterfingers" | |
| H2O | Don Pritchard / Lieutenant Daniel Holt | Television film | |
| The Five People You Meet in Heaven | Eddie's Father | ||
| 2004–2009 | Battlestar Galactica | Leoben Conoy | 20 episodes |
| 2005 | Whiskey Echo | Dr. Rollie Saunders | Television film |
| Supernatural | Roy | Episode: "Wendigo" | |
| Painkiller Jane | Secretary of Defense Donnie Mitchell | Television film | |
| 2006 | The Hunters | Quin Hunter | |
| The L Word | Danny Wilson | 3 episodes | |
| Smallville | Tyler McKnight | Episode: "Fragile" | |
| 2007 | Men in Trees | Jeff | Episode: "Chemical Reactions" |
| Bionic Woman | Victor Booth | Episode: "The List" | |
| Tin Man | Zero | Miniseries | |
| 2008 | Of Murder and Memory | Leonard | Television film |
| 2008–2013 | Californication | Lew Ashby | 14 episodes |
| 2009 | Battlestar Galactica: The Plan | Leoben Conoy | Television film |
| Harper's Island | John Wakefield | 4 episodes | |
| Harper's Globe | John Wakefield | Episode: "There Is Only One Way Out on Harper's Island" & "Surviving Harper's Island" | |
| 2009–10 | FlashForward | Jeff Slingerland / Dr. Maurice Raynaud | Episode: "The Gift" & "Course Correction" |
| 2010 | 24 | Vladimir Laitanan | 3 episodes |
| 2010–11 | Shattered | Detective Ben Sullivan | 13 episodes |
| 2011 | Alphas | Don Wilson | Episode: "Pilot" Episode: "Anger Management" |
| Rookie Blue | Jamie Brennan | 3 episodes | |
| CSI: Miami | Jack Toller | Episode: "Mayday" Episode: "Countermeasures" | |
| 2011–12 | The Killing | Rick Felder | 7 episodes |
| 2012 | The Firm | Ray McDeere | 22 episodes |
| 2015–16 | Longmire | Walker Browning | 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Man Seeking Woman | McQuaid | Episode: "Fuse" |
| Legends of Tomorrow | Jon Valor | Episode: "Marooned" | |
| The Man in the High Castle | Gary Connell | 8 episodes[18] | |
| 2018 | Jessica Jones | Karl Malus | 6 episodes |
| 2018–19 | Impulse | Nikolai | 18 episodes |
| 2022 | The Umbrella Academy | Harlan Cooper / Lester Pocket | 6 episodes |
| 2024 | Star Trek: Discovery | Captain Rayner | Main role (season 5) |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Genie Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | Double Happiness | Nominated | [21] |
| 1997 | Gemini Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series | Side Effects | Nominated | [22] |
| Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | My Life as a Dog | Won | [23] | ||
| 1998 | Gemini Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries | For Those Who Hunt the Wounded Down | Nominated | [24] |
| 1999 | Gemini Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Due South | Nominated | [25] |
| Genie Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | Last Night | Won | [26] | |
| 2000 | Canadian Comedy Award | Film – Performance – Male | Last Night | Nominated | [27] |
| 2001 | Leo Award | Best Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama | Suspicious River | Won | [28] |
| 2003 | Vancouver Film Critics Circle | Best Actor – Canadian Film | Flower & Garnet | Won | [29] |
| Leo Award | Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama | Flower & Garnet | Won | [30] | |
| 2004 | Leo Award | Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama | Falling Angels | Nominated | [31] |
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle | Best Actor – Canadian Film | Falling Angels | Nominated | [32] | |
| 2007 | Leo Award | Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama | Unnatural & Accidental | Won | [33] |
| 2008 | Leo Award | Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama | Normal | Nominated | [34] |
| 2009 | Genie Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | Normal | Won | [35] |
| 2011 | Gemini Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Shattered | Won | [36] |
| Leo Award | Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | Shattered, episode: "Out of Sorrow" | Won | [37] | |
| Genie Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | Gunless | Nominated | [38] | |
| 2015 | Leo Award | Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | Motive, episode: "Pitfall" | Nominated | [39] |
Media related toCallum Keith Rennie at Wikimedia Commons