Lorne Cardinal facts for kids

Lorne Cardinal (born on January 6, 1964) is a talented Canadian actor and director. He has won a Gemini Award for his work in television. Many people know him best for playing Sergeant Davis Quinton on the funny TV show Corner Gas.

Early Life and Background

Lorne Cardinal is from the Cree people, an Indigenous group in Canada. He was born near High Prairie, Alberta, on a reserve belonging to the Sucker Creek First Nation. His parents were part of a generation that went through residential schools, a challenging time for Indigenous families.

Lorne studied acting at the University of Alberta. In 1993, he earned a B.F.A. degree. He was the first Indigenous student to achieve this from the university.

Besides acting, Lorne also loves rugby union. He played for rugby teams like the Edmonton Druids RFC and the Strathcona Druids. He was the first Indigenous person to play for the Strathcona Druids. On Corner Gas, his character often wears gear from the Saskatchewan Prairie Fire rugby team.

Acting and Directing Career

Lorne Cardinal has taken on many different roles in plays, movies, and TV shows. Some of his early film and TV appearances include Insomnia, renegadepress.com, and Wolf Canyon.

He is well-known for playing First Nations characters. For example, he played Tecumseh in Canada: A People's History. He also played an Indigenous elder in Tkaronto. His most famous role is Davis Quinton, a Cree police sergeant, on Corner Gas. He also appeared in many episodes of North of 60. You can hear his voice as Jacob Morin in the animated series Wapos Bay: The Series on APTN.

In 2011, Lorne starred in a play called Thunderstick with actor Craig Lauzon. They even switched roles on different days!

Lorne also worked on a documentary film called Chasing Lear, which came out in 2016. He made it with producer Monique Hurteau. The film showed how the National Arts Centre put on a play of King Lear with an all-Indigenous cast. Lorne helped direct the play and also acted in it as the Duke of Albany.

More recently, Lorne starred in a short film called 'No Reservations'. This film is a satire about pipeline politics. Since 2020, Lorne Cardinal has been a regular actor in the TV drama FBI: Most Wanted. In 2023, he also had a role in the TV series Bones of Crows, which was an expansion of a film with the same name.

Personal Life

Lorne Cardinal lives in Squamish, on the coast of British Columbia. He lives there with his wife, Monique Hurteau. Monique is a producer, writer, and comedian. Lorne has eight other brothers and sisters who live in different parts of Canada. His brother Lewis is a business consultant and human rights activist in Edmonton.

Film and Television Roles

Lorne Cardinal has been in many films and television shows. Here are some of his notable roles:

Film Appearances

• 1999: The Strange Case of Bunny Weequod (Short film)
• 2002: Insomnia as Rich
• 2006: Dream Makers (Documentary)
• 2007: Tkaronto as Max Cardinal
• 2007: I'm Not the Indian You Had in Mind (Short film)
• 2010: Flicka 2 as Sheriff
• 2010: Rust as Duane
• 2013: If I Had Wings as Coleman
• 2014: Corner Gas: The Movie as Davis Quinton (reprising his TV role)
• 2015: Into the Forest as Jerry
• 2015: Open Season: Scared Silly as Sheriff Gordy (Voice role)
• 2016: Chasing Lear (Documentary, also Director and Producer)
• 2016: The Adventure Club as Curtis
• 2017: No Reservations as Joseph Stillwater (Short film)
• 2017: Never Steady, Never Still as Lenny
• 2017: Kayak to Klemtu as Don
• 2018: The Humanity Bureau as Border Ranger
• 2021: Run Woman Run as Len
• 2022: The Bad Seed Returns as Brian
• 2023: Four Souls of Coyote as Old Man Creator/Grandpa (Voice role)

Television Appearances

• 1994: Lonesome Dove as Indian Brave
• 1994: Hawkeye as Brother of the North Wind
• 1995–1997: North of 60 as Gambler / Daniel Deela (six episodes)
• 1995–1997: Jake and the Kid as Moses Lefthand (21 episodes)
• 1996: Crazy Horse (TV movie) as Young Man Afraid
• 2000–2001: Canada: A People's History as various historical figures (five episodes)
• 2000–2002: Wumpa's World as Wumpa the Walrus (Voice, all 26 episodes)
• 2001–2002: Blackfly as Chief Smack-Your-Face-In (eight episodes)
• 2004–2008: renegadepress.com as Wayne Sinclair (six episodes, also directed two)
• 2004–2009: Corner Gas as Davis Quinton (107 episodes)
• 2005–present: Wapos Bay: The Series as Jacob (Voice role)
• 2006: Moccasin Flats (Director, episode "Hide and Seek")
• 2007: Rabbit Fall (Director, episode "The Weetigo")
• 2007: Elijah (TV movie) as Chief Archie
• 2012–2013: Level Up as Principal Storm
• 2014: Fargo as Ray Almond
• 2018–2021: Corner Gas Animated as Sgt. Davis Quinton (Voice, main role)
• 2019–present: Molly of Denali as Grandpa Nat (Voice, main role)
• 2020–present: FBI: Most Wanted as Nelson Skye (Recurring role)
• 2021: Big Sky as Bruce Stone
• 2022: Rutherford Falls as Bill Wells
• 2023: Mittens & Pants as Narrator (Every Season)
• 2023: Bones of Crows (series) as Stephen Means

Awards and Recognitions

Lorne Cardinal has received several awards and nominations for his acting:

• In 2007, he won a Gemini Award for Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series for Corner Gas. He shared this award with the cast for the episode "Gopher It."
• In 2021, he won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in an Animated Program or Series for Corner Gas Animated.