Darrell Dennis facts for kids

Darrell Dennis is an amazing Indigenous Canadian artist. He is a talented comedian, actor, screenwriter, and radio personality. Darrell is from the Secwepemc Nation, which is located in the beautiful interior of British Columbia, Canada.

Darrell Dennis's Career Journey

Darrell Dennis started his acting career when he was just 17 years old. He went to his first professional audition and got a main role! He played Brian Potter in the popular CBC drama Northwood.

Acting Roles in TV and Movies

Since then, Darrell has been a regular actor in many Canadian television series. These include The Rez, Open Heart, and he even hosted Bingo and a Movie. He has also appeared as a guest star in several films and TV shows. You might have seen him in Leaving Normal or the hit series Degrassi. He even played Shania Twain’s love interest in Shania: A Life in Eight Albums.

Stage Performances and Theater Work

Darrell has performed a lot in the Native American theater world. He has also had great success in well-known theater plays. He acted in Shaw’s Arms and the Man, Strindberg’s Miss Julie, Pinter’s Betrayal, and Lewis Carroll’s Alice Through the Looking-Glass. These performances took place at the National Arts Centre.

Starting in Comedy

In 1998, Darrell began his comedy journey. He received a scholarship to train at the famous Second City comedy school. Two years later, he joined the Second City National Touring Company. He was the very first Indigenous cast member hired by any Second City company!

He then helped start an all-First Nations comedy group called "Tonto’s Nephews." They toured all over North America, making people laugh. In 2014, he co-founded another all-Native American comedy group in Los Angeles called The Mayflower Welcoming Committee.

Stand-Up Comedy and Radio

Darrell Dennis has performed stand-up comedy at big televised events. These include the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and the Just For Laughs Festival. He has also appeared many times on CBC radio and CBC Television. He was the funny Native voice on the CBC Radio election series "Spin Off" and the TV special "The American Empire."

Darrell as a Writer

Besides acting and comedy, Darrell is also a talented writer. His works have been published by Playwrights Canada Press and Douglas & McIntyre Publishing. His short stories have appeared in magazines and newspapers across Canada and the U.S.

His first play, "Trickster of Third Avenue East," was produced by Native Earth Performing Arts. This organization even named him their "Writer-in-Residence" twice!

On APTN, Darrell was the main comedy writer for the talk show "Buffalo Tracks." He later hosted the popular APTN show "Bingo and a Movie." In 2003, his script Moccasin Flats was chosen for the Sundance Film Festival. This short film later became a TV series that aired on the Showcase Network and APTN. Darrell also wrote for this series.

"Tales of an Urban Indian" Play

Darrell wrote a play about 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 for Best Original Play and Best Performance by an actor.

"Tales of an Urban Indian" has been performed on many tours across Canada and the United States. It was even translated into French and performed in Montreal. Darrell also gave special performances of "Tales" at The Autry Theater in Los Angeles and the famous Public Theater in New York in March 2009.

In 2009, Darrell performed "Tales of an Urban Indian" in a very unique way: on a city bus driving through the streets of Barrie, Ontario. More performances in Barrie happened in early 2011, getting ready to take the show to other cities.

His movie version of "Tales of an Urban Indian" was one of only 13 international screenplays chosen for the special Sundance Screenwriters Lab. A TV pilot based on his one-man show "Tales of an Urban Indian" was also made by APTN and aired in 2009.

Radio Host and Author

From 2008 to 2011, Darrell produced and hosted the CBC Radio One radio documentary series, ReVision Quest. This show explored and challenged common stereotypes about Indigenous peoples in North America. The show ran for four seasons and won the respected New York Festival Award.

In 2014, he became a regular actor on the Teen Nick series Open Heart, playing Detective Goodis. Also in 2014, he released his book Peace Pipe Dreams: The Truth About Lies About Indians. It was published by Douglas and Macintyre Publishing.

Recent Creative Works

In 2020, Darrell worked with Daniel Arnold and Medina Hahn on a play called Inheritance: a pick-the-path experience. This play was about Indigenous land claims. What made it special was that the audience could vote on how the story would go! This meant the actors had to be ready for at least 50 different ways the play could turn out. The play was nominated for the Governor General's Award for English-language drama at the 2022 Governor General's Awards.

Darrell Dennis also made his debut as a filmmaker. In 2024, he released the comedy film The Great Salish Heist. He followed this up in 2025 with Sweet Summer Pow Wow.

Darrell Dennis's Personal Life

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