Billy Merasty facts for kids

Billy Merasty (born in 1960) is a talented Canadian actor and writer. He is from the Cree First Nation, an Indigenous group in Canada. He has performed in many plays and movies, and he has also written his own plays.

Growing Up in Manitoba

Billy Merasty was born in 1960 in a place called Brochet, Manitoba, Canada. He grew up in a big family with 13 brothers and sisters! His parents were Viola and Pierre Merasty.

Billy's grandfather, Joe Highway, was a famous caribou hunter and a champion dogsled racer. Billy is also related to two other well-known artists: Tomson Highway, a famous playwright, and René Highway, a dancer and director.

Starting His Acting Journey

When Billy was 18, he moved to Toronto. He wanted to find his cousin, René Highway, who was working with a dance group there.

At 23, Billy started his acting career. He had just finished studying at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre. This school helps young Indigenous artists learn about acting. After graduating, he worked for a long time with a group called Native Earth Performing Arts.

Billy has acted a lot on stage and in films. He also wrote a play called Fireweed, which was performed in 1992. He is currently working on another play called Godly's Divinia.

In 2010, Billy Merasty received a special award called the Order of Manitoba. This award recognized his many years of being a great role model for Indigenous people from Manitoba.

Acting on Stage

Billy has performed in many plays. Some of his stage roles include parts in plays by his cousin Tomson Highway, like The Sage, The Dancer and The Fool, Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, and The Rez Sisters.

He also acted in The Indian Medicine Show by Daniel David Moses and Copper Thunderbird by Marie Clements. In 2012, Billy played the role of Gloucester in a special all-Indigenous production of William Shakespeare's famous play, King Lear. This play was performed at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

Films and TV Shows

Billy Merasty has appeared in many films and television shows throughout his career. He has taken on various roles, showing his versatility as an actor.

Film Appearances

He has acted in movies such as Exotica (1994), Pocahontas: The Legend (1995), and The New World (2005). More recently, he appeared in Falls Around Her (2018) and It Chapter Two (2019).

Television Roles

On television, Billy has been in shows like The Red Green Show (1993–1994) and Liberty Street (1994–1995). He also had roles in Relic Hunter (2002), Murdoch Mysteries (2015), and Frontier (2016–2018). In 2022, he appeared in the show Acting Good.