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At 17, Darrell Dennis auditioned for his first professional role and secured the lead part of Brian Potter on the popular CBC drama "Northwood." Since then, Darrell has established himself as a versatile Native American (First Nations) actor, writer, and comedian.
Darrell's acting career spans classic theater, including Shaw's "Arms and the Man," Strindberg's "Miss Julie," and Pinter's "Deceived," as well as film and television roles such as "Leaving Normal" alongside Meg Tilly and Christine Lahti, the hit series "Degrassi," and portraying Shania Twain's affluent lover in "Shania: A Life in Eight Albums." His comedy career took off after winning the lead role of Frank Fencepost on CBC's "The Rez." Awarded a scholarship to the renowned Second City, he became the first Native American (First Nations) comedian hired by any Second City company. He later co-founded the all-Native comedy troupes "Tonto's Nephews" and the Los Angeles-based "The Mayflower Welcoming Committee."
Beyond acting and comedy, Darrell is an accomplished writer. His debut play, "Trickster of Third Avenue East," was produced by Native Earth Performing Arts, which twice named him "Writer-in-Residence." On APTN, he contributed to the writing team of the talk/variety show "Buffalo Tracks" and hosted the hit program "Bingo and a Movie." He wrote the half-hour pilot "Moccasin Flats," which was selected for the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and aired for three seasons on Showcase Television and APTN, with Darrell as a key writer.
Darrell's one-man show "Tales of an Urban Indian" received two Dora Award nominations (Best Original Play and Best Performance by an Actor). Its feature film adaptation was among 13 international screenplays accepted into the prestigious Sundance Screenwriters Lab. A television pilot based on "Tales" aired on the Aboriginal People's Television Network, which Darrell also produced. He recently performed "Tales" at the renowned Public Theater in New York City.
In 2005, Darrell became the comedic Native voice on CBC Radio's "Spin Off" and the CBC television special "The American Empire." He co-wrote and hosted the groundbreaking CBC radio series "Revision Quest," which ran for four seasons and earned multiple awards, including the New York Festival Award. During this period, his stand-up career thrived with performances at televised galas for the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and the famed Just For Laughs Festival.
Currently, Darrell is a series regular on the Teen Nick/YTV show "Open Heart." His book "Peace Pipe Dreams: The Truth About Lies About Indians," published by Douglas & McIntyre, is available in stores and online. Darrell continues performing stand-up comedy and is developing two TV series, a TV movie, a feature film, a web series, and a U.S. radio program.
