Darrell Dennis facts for kids

Darrell Dennis is an Indigenous Canadian comedian, actor, writer, and radio host. He is from the Secwepemc Nation in British Columbia, Canada. He is known for his funny performances and for telling important stories through his work.

Darrell Dennis: Actor, Comedian, and Writer

Darrell Dennis is a talented person who has worked in many areas of entertainment. He has been a successful actor, a funny comedian, and a skilled writer. He also hosts radio shows.

Acting Career

Darrell's acting journey started when he was just 17 years old. He got a main role as Brian Potter in the TV show Northwood. After that, he appeared regularly in other Canadian TV shows. These included The Rez and Open Heart. He also hosted a show called Bingo and a Movie.

Darrell has acted in many movies and TV episodes. He was in the movie Leaving Normal. He also appeared in the popular show Degrassi. He even played Shania Twain's love interest in a TV special about her life.

Beyond TV and movies, Darrell has performed a lot in theater. He has acted in plays for Indigenous theater groups. He has also been in famous plays like Arms and the Man and Alice Through the Looking-Glass. He performed at the National Arts Centre.

Comedy and Stand-up

Darrell started his comedy career in 1998. He got a special chance to train at The Second City, a very famous comedy school. Two years later, he joined their touring group. He was the first ever Indigenous person to be part of a Second City cast.

After that, Darrell helped start two comedy groups. The first was "Tonto's Nephews," an all-First Nations group that toured North America. Later, in 2014, he co-founded "The Mayflower Welcoming Committee" in Los Angeles. This group was also made up of Native American comedians.

Darrell has performed stand-up comedy on TV shows. He has been on the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and the Just For Laughs Festival. He has also made many appearances on CBC radio and TV. He was known as the funny Native voice on CBC Radio's "Spin Off" and the TV special "The American Empire."

Writing and Radio Work

Besides acting and comedy, Darrell is a talented writer. His books have been published by well-known companies. His short stories have appeared in magazines across Canada and the U.S.

His first play was called "Trickster of Third Avenue East." It was put on by Native Earth Performing Arts. This group even named Darrell their "Writer-in-Residence" twice. This means he was a special writer working with them.

For APTN, Darrell was the main comedy writer for "Buffalo Tracks." He then hosted "Bingo and a Movie" for APTN. In 2003, a short film script he wrote, Moccasin Flats, was chosen for the Sundance Film Festival. This short film later became a TV series. Darrell also wrote for the TV series, which aired on Showcase Network and APTN.

Darrell wrote a play based on his own life called "Tales of an Urban Indian." In this play, he shared stories about growing up as an Indigenous First Nations person. The play was nominated for two Dora Awards. It has been performed many times across Canada and the United States. It was even translated into French and performed in Montreal. Darrell also performed "Tales" in Los Angeles and New York.

In 2009, a special performance of "Tales of an Urban Indian" happened on a city bus in Barrie, Ontario. The audience rode the bus while watching the play.

His movie script for "Tales of an Urban Indian" was chosen for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. This is a special program for new writers. A TV show pilot based on his play also aired on APTN in 2009.

From 2008 to 2011, Darrell produced and hosted a CBC Radio One show called ReVision Quest. This show explored and challenged common ideas about North American Indigenous peoples. The show ran for four years and won a special award called the New York Festival Award.

In 2014, Darrell became a regular actor on the Teen Nick series Open Heart. He played Detective Goodis. Also in 2014, he released his book Peace Pipe Dreams: The Truth About Lies About Indians.

In 2020, Darrell worked with other actors on a play called Inheritance: a pick-the-path experience. This play was about Indigenous land claims. The audience could vote on what would happen next in the story. This meant the actors had to be ready for many different ways the play could go. The play was nominated for a big award, the Governor General's Award for English-language drama, in 2022.

Personal Life

Darrell Dennis is a member of the Shuswap Nation in British Columbia. He is married to actress Katya Gardner.