Don McKellar

Don McKellar is a Canadian playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor known for his inventive, offbeat storytelling and significant contributions to Canadian theatre and film. A versatile and acclaimed artist, McKellar’s work spans stage, screen, and television, often exploring themes of identity, isolation, and the quirks of modern life.

Born on August 17, 1963, in Toronto, Ontario, McKellar studied at the University of Toronto before co-founding The Augusta Company, an influential experimental theatre group. His early work in theatre was marked by a distinctive voice and a knack for blending humor with emotional nuance.

McKellar gained international recognition for his work in film, co-writing and starring in the art-house hit Roadkill (1989) and its follow-up Highway 61 (1991), both directed by Bruce McDonald. He made his directorial debut with Last Night (1998), a darkly comic, critically acclaimed film about the end of the world, which he also wrote and starred in. The film won the Prix de la Jeunesse at the Cannes Film Festival.

As a playwright and screenwriter, McKellar is celebrated for co-writing the musical The Drowsy Chaperone, which began as a spoof for a wedding party and later became a Broadway hit. The show, which lovingly satirizes 1920s musicals, earned five Tony Awards in 2006 and helped cement McKellar’s reputation as a major creative force in musical theatre.

Beyond the stage, McKellar has written for and appeared in numerous television series, including Slings and Arrows and Sensitive Skin, and was a key writer and developer of the acclaimed series Michael: Every Day. His screenwriting work also includes the Oscar-nominated The Red Violin (1998), which he co-wrote with director François Girard.

Don McKellar continues to be one of Canada’s most distinctive and multifaceted storytellers, known for his intelligence, wit, and deep understanding of character across all mediums.