Canada, Eh?: Victor Garber

Hey there! Welcome to the world of Canadian television! As one of the resident Canucks here at TVRage, I have taken it upon myself to educate the TV-loving masses on the sheer talent and number of fantastic Canadian actors and actresses that are infiltrating your living rooms. Here in the land of beavers, maple syrup and hockey, we take a lot of pride in the accomplishments of our home grown talents. I hope that each week I can surprise you with some very famous people you had no idea were from the true north, strong and free! It’s the invading moose!

This time I am shining my small spotlight on a man who truly deserves every bit of recognition that may come his way. This man can sing, he can act and he has been in so many TV shows, films and Broadway plays that I guarantee you have heard of him. Victor Garber is an actor that has been critically acclaimed in so much of his work, and yet, he still seems to be getting better and better each year.

Born in London, Ontario (where I spent two years going to school, so, I am pretty sure that makes us related or something) Garber is one of three children born to Joe Garber and Hope Wolf. Acting was in his blood from the beginning, his mother being a singer and actress that was the host of small town Canadian show called ‘At Home with Hope Garber.’ At age nine, Garber started acting when he was enrolled in a children’s program at the Grand Theatre, and by age 16 he was on his way to a six-week summer theatre program at the University of Toronto. As these things often go, Garber also happens to be incredibly musically talented. He formed a folk band in 1967 called ‘The Sugar Shoppe’ with Peter Mann, Laurie Hood and Lee Harris, and the group made the Canadian top 40 in 1967 with their version of the Bobby Gimby song ‘Canada.’ Here in Canada, we really like things about Canada, particularly songs. His band went on to perform on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ and ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’ before they eventually broke up. You can still find a few of their songs on YouTube, and let me tell you, they are just adorable.

In Garber’s television career he has had over 70 different roles since his TV debut on ‘Jack: A Flash Fantasy’ in 1974. His first starring role on a television series was as Jackson Beaudine on ‘I Had Three Wives’ in 1985, but the role that gave his name television notoriety didn’t come until 2001. Garber landed the role of Jack Bristow on ‘Alias’ in 2001, and his television career has only gone up from there. In the last decade he has had major roles on series’ such as ‘Justice,’ ‘ReGenesis,’ ‘Eli Stone,’ ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ ‘Web Therapy,’ and most recently ‘Republic of Doyle.’

Garber has also had a very impressive film career on top of his list of television accolades. He has been in over 30 films, including roles in major titles such as ‘Argo,’ ‘Milk,’ ‘Sleepless in Seattle,’ and as ship builder Mr. Andrews in ‘Titanic.’ Speaking of ‘Titanic,’ can we all just take a moment to reflect on the fact that ‘Titanic’ came out 16 years ago. The damn ship is sinking, Mr. Andrews, maybe you should have built that outside hull a little studier, hmm? Oh, great. Now I am going to have this in my head all week. I feel like I should mention that Celine Dion is also Canadian...sorry.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Garber has also made a name for himself on the stage. He has played roles in both on and off Broadway productions of plays and musicals. He was given Tony Award nominations for his roles in ‘Deathtrap,’ ‘Art,’ ‘Little Me,’ ‘Lend Me A Tenor,’ and ‘Damn Yankees.’ Oh, and did I forget to mention his numerous nominations for Screen Actor’s Guild Awards, Emmy Awards, Gemini Awards, Saturn Awards, Teen Choice Awards, Satellite Awards and Hollywood Film Festival Awards? My bad.

Garber keeps his personal life, well, very personal. He stays out of the tabloids and avoids the rumor mill, and who can blame him? Garber is open about his sexuality but has made very few public statements regarding it. In 2013, he said “I don't really talk about it but everybody knows,” in reference to his relationship with his partner of 13 years, Rainer Andreesen. All in all, he seems exactly like the kind of guy that grew up in the quiet city of London, Ontario. He is talented, kind, compassionate and humble. What’s not to like?

Thanks for tuning in to this week’s installment of ‘Canada, Eh?.' It has been a while since I last did one of these special features, but I have been very busy chopping down trees and growing out my lumberjack beard. Life as a Canadian, what can I say?

Sandra Oh < Previous | Next > Coming Soon!