John Dunsworth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Dunsworth
Dunsworth in September 2011
Born	(1946-04-12)April 12, 1946 Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died	October 16, 2017(2017-10-16) (aged 71) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1976–2017
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Bates ​ (m. 1974)​
Children	4 (including Sarah and Molly)

John Francis Dunsworth (April 12, 1946 – October 16, 2017) was a Canadian actor. He was best known for playing the antagonistic trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey on the cult comedy series Trailer Park Boys (2001–2018). His other roles included the mysterious reporter Dave Teagues on the supernatural drama series Haven (2010–2015) and Officer McNabb in the CBC film Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion (2003). He also had extensive experience in regional theater.

Early life

Dunsworth was born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, the second of 10 children born to Frank and Frances Dunsworth. In 1988, he starred in a video documentary short titled John Dunsworth: The Candidate, which was written and directed by Neal Livingston. The film follows an underdog provincial candidate for the New Democratic Party in the riding of Halifax Bedford Basin as he campaigns, based on Dunsworth's candidacy in the 1988 Nova Scotia general election.

Career

Dunsworth studied acting at the University of Guelph, but dropped out in his fourth year. He went on to act in numerous CBC radio dramas, and had starring roles in many stage productions at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax. In 1970, Dunsworth leased an abandoned building on Halifax's waterfront, and converted it into a playhouse. Dubbing it the Pier One Theatre, it became the city's first and most successful alternative theater production house. In the late 1980s, Dalhousie University hired Dunsworth to produce the university's Welcome Show for new students at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, in which he also occasionally had an unseen voice-over role. In 1987, Dunsworth founded Filmworks Casting where he worked as Halifax's most renowned casting director. Dunsworth met director Mike Clattenburg in the mid-1990s when he tried out for a bit part in Clattenburg's film short, "One Last Shot". Dunsworth's small role gradually transformed into a leading part that earned him a Best Performance award from the Atlantic Film Festival. From there, he further developed the character into what would eventually become Jim Lahey in Trailer Park Boys.

Dunsworth, John Paul Tremblay, and Robb Wells can be seen in the 2002 movie Virginia's Run starring Gabriel Byrne and Joanne Whalley. Dunsworth plays a local cop while Tremblay and Wells play active and verbal townsmen similar to their Trailer Park Boys characters. Actors are credited as cop for John Dunsworth, J.P. for John Paul Tremblay (credits as J.P. Tremblay), and Robb Wells as Rob. The movie was filmed in Nova Scotia, Canada. Dunsworth starred in Haven, the television series adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Colorado Kid.

Personal life

Dunsworth lived in his native Nova Scotia with his wife, Elizabeth, whom he married sometime after 1974. Together, they had three daughters (Sarah, Zoë, and Molly) and one son (Geoff). Two of his daughters, Sarah and Molly, are actresses.

Dunsworth once appeared on stage with Guns N' Roses in Halifax, as Axl Rose is a fan of Trailer Park Boys and Dunsworth's character in particular. He was a boating enthusiast and frequently spent time on his yacht, Emerald Princess. He enjoyed building granite sculptures and structures with local stone and concrete.

Death

Dunsworth died of an initially undisclosed illness on October 16, 2017, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the age of 71. In a statement, Dunsworth's daughter Sarah described the illness as "short and unexpected" and stated that her father was an "amazing husband, father and grandfather". On a Facebook post written on May 26, 2021, from the "100% John Dunsworth" page, run by Dunsworth's surviving family and friends, it was revealed that he passed due to complications related to thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). John Dunsworth is buried at St. Anthony's & St. Augustine's Catholic Cemetery located in Simms Settlement, Nova Scotia.

Filmography

Dunsworth had 70 titles for which he is credited as an actor. Below is a selected filmography.

Film

Television