Biographie
Denis Forest was a talented actor, painter/sculptor, and writer who studied at Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto, Canada. From 1982 to 1987, he was an associate artist with the Necessary Angel Theatre Company, collaborating on several award-winning plays directed by Richard Rose, including "Tamara." In 1983, the play "Mein" won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best New Play. Denis received an ACTRA acting nomination in 1984 for the CBC drama A Man in Uniform (1993) and was co-recipient of the Chalmers Award in 1985. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1990, where he took on numerous memorable film and television roles. His recent film credits include Eraser (1996), Cliffhanger (1993), and The Mask (1994), which highlighted his comedic talent. He also appeared in John Frankenheimer’s Against the Wall (1994), Andersonville (1996), Stephen King’s Storm of the Century (1999), and the drama The Shield (2002). In March 2002, he featured in two episodes of The X-Files ("Provenance 1" and "Provenance 2") and was preparing to begin a new film project.
Denis also wrote screenplays, including "Blind Spot" and "Into the Fire." As a respected artist, his paintings and sculptures have been exhibited and permanently displayed in venues such as the William Turner Gallery in Venice, California (2000–2001), Bedlam Art in Los Angeles (March–April 2002), Soolip Gallery (2000), JP Morgan Securities in San Francisco, Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas (2000), Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas (1999), Laguna Museum of Art (2000), where his work is also featured in the sales and rental office, LACMA Group Show (1999), DeVorzon Gallery in Beverly Hills, D2 in Seat Vision, Diana Derpic, the William Turner Gallery in San Francisco at the Triton Hotel (1996), and various private collections.
Though often cast in eccentric and unusual roles, Denis demonstrated remarkable range, talent, and sensitivity, as seen in his flawless performance on The Shield. He expressed joy at the success in Canada of the children’s film Tadpole and the Whale (1988), in which his character Marcel became a beloved figure among children who recognized him on the street. Personally, Denis was an engaging, sensitive, spiritual, kind, humorous, highly intelligent, and enlightened individual, remembered as a gentle soul. His special interests included poetry, literature, philosophy, art, film, music, yoga, and alchemy, the latter profoundly influencing his paintings. Denis truly embodied the spirit of a Renaissance Man.
He passed away suddenly from a massive stroke in Los Angeles on March 18, 2002, after dining with friends at a restaurant on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood. An extraordinarily gifted actor, writer, and artist, as well as a wonderful and inspiring friend, Denis left a lasting legacy as a bright light to all who knew him.
