Johnny Issaluk facts for kids

Johnny Issaluk building an igloo in the snow.

Johnny Nurraq Seotaituq Issaluk (born August 1, 1973) is an Inuk actor, athlete, and teacher from Nunavut, Canada. He is well-known for his roles in TV shows like The Terror and The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan. He also appeared in the film Indian Horse. In May 2019, he was honored as an Explorer-in-Residence by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Early Life

Johnny Issaluk grew up in a community called Igluligaarjuk (Chesterfield Inlet). This town is located in Nunavut, on the western coast of Hudson Bay.

Johnny Issaluk's Career

Acting Roles

Johnny Issaluk's first acting job was in a short film called Inuit High Kick. This film was shown at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010. Later, he played the main character in the film Kajutaijuq: The Spirit That Comes. This movie was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. It was one of the first films made by Inuit people to be shown at a big international festival.

He has also acted in other films and TV shows. In 2017, he was in the AMC show The Terror. This show was important because it helped more Inuit actors get roles in TV and movies. In 2018, he appeared as Sam in the film Indian Horse. He even traveled to Indigenous communities to show the film.

More recently, in 2018, he was a guest star on the BBC show The Christmas Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan. He showed the British comedian Romesh Ranganathan around places like Pond Inlet in the Arctic. He also had a repeating role on the APTN comedy show Qanurli?. On that show, he played a character called "The Most Interesting Man in Nunavut."

Traditional Inuit Games and Community Work

Before becoming an actor, Johnny Issaluk was famous as a successful athlete in Traditional Inuit Games. He competed for twenty years and won over two hundred medals. He is now retired from competing. However, he visits about one hundred schools each year across Canada. He teaches students about Inuit games and culture. He also wrote a book called Traditional Inuit Games for Elementary Students.

In 2013, he was one of the first Canadians to receive the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. This medal honored his work helping the people of Nunavut. He was also part of an expedition in 2012 that climbed the highest point of the Queen Elizabeth Islands. From there, he sent a video message to Queen Elizabeth II. This expedition helped about 17,400 students learn about Inuit culture.

Johnny Issaluk has also been an ambassador for the #Canada150 celebrations. He has worked with many educational programs, including Students on Ice. In 2018, he became a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. In 2019, he was named their sixth Explorer-in-Residence.

Order of Canada

In 2019, Johnny Issaluk received the Order of Canada. This is a very high honor in Canada. In early 2020, he was also announced as a winner of an Indspire award. However, this award was later suspended. His appointment to the Order of Canada was ended on August 31, 2022.

Film and TV Appearances

Films

Television Shows

Theatre Performances