Don McKellar
Biography
Don McKellar, born August 17, 1963, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a Canadian male actor, writer, playwright, and filmmaker associated with the Toronto New Wave. He has acted in a range of film and television projects, accumulating 84 credited acting roles. McKellar frequently appears in his own productions and has performed in Atom Egoyan’s Exotica as well as David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ and Crimes of the Future. He is also recognized for his work behind the camera, directing and writing the film Last Night, which received the Prix de la Jeunesse at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, and for screenplays such as Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, The Red Violin and Blindness. On television he has been a regular presence, including roles in series such as Twitch City.
Career overview
Don McKellar, born on 17 August 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a Canadian actor whose career spans film, television and stage. Emerging from the Toronto New Wave, he has built a reputation as a versatile performer and frequent collaborator on independent projects. As an actor, McKellar has appeared in a range of Canadian and international films, notably in Atom Egoyan’s Exotica and David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ and Crimes of the Future. His on‑screen work often intersects with his work behind the camera; he regularly acts in projects he writes or directs, contributing to a body of work that includes the award‑winning film Last Night, which received the Prix de la Jeunesse at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
In addition to his film roles, McKellar is a fixture on Canadian television. He has been featured in series such as Twitch City and O, further demonstrating his range across comedic and dramatic formats. Over the course of his career he has accumulated more than eighty acting credits, reflecting a sustained presence in both national and international productions. His contributions as an actor are complemented by his work as a writer, playwright and filmmaker, establishing him as a multifaceted figure within Canada’s contemporary entertainment landscape.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- No Other Choice (2025) Screenplay
- Nash the Slash Rises Again! (2025) as Self - Russell the Serial Killer/Self - Pokey Jones(archive footage)
- The Occupant of the Room (2025) as Minturn
- Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent (2024) as Les Cake
- The Sympathizer (2024) Executive Producer
- The Sympathizer (2024) Writer
- The Sympathizer (2024) Creator
- The Haunted Season (2024) as Minturn
- Crimes of the Future (2022) as Wippet
- The Middle Man (2021) as Doctor
- Target Number One (2020) as Norm
- Hey Lady! (2020) as Dr. Wolfe
- The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw (2020) as Bernard Buckley
- American Woman (2019) as Newscaster 1 (voice)
- Through Black Spruce (2019) as Journalist
- Through Black Spruce (2019) Director
- Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming (2017) as Dietmar (voice)
- Lolz-ita (2017) as Eric
- Meditation Park (2017) as Gabriel
- Michael: Every Day (2017) Executive Producer
- Blood Honey (2017) as Dr. Bert Morrison
- Waiting for Ishtar (2017) as Self
- Closet Monster (2016) Story Editor
- Zoom (2016) as Horowitz
- Your Mother and I (2016) as Father
- It's Not You (2015) Writer
- It's Not You (2015) Director
- Sensitive Skin (2014) as Al
- Sensitive Skin (2014) Executive Producer
- The Grand Seduction (2014) Director
- Three Days in Havana (2014) as Pepe
- Treading Water (2013) as Richard
- Subconscious Password (2013) as The Host (voice)
- I'm Yours (2012) as Phil
- Republic of Doyle (2010) as J.J. Murphy
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) as Director
- Trigger (2010) as Brian
- This Movie Is Broken (2010) Idea
- This Movie Is Broken (2010) Writer
- Cooking With Stella (2010) as Michael Laffont
- Leslie, My Name Is Evil (2009) as Prosecutor
- Blindness (2008) as Thief
- Blindness (2008) Screenplay
- Green Door (2008) as Ron
- Redacted (2007) as Criminal Investigator (voice)
- Phone Call From Imaginary Girlfriends: Istanbul (2007) Director
- Phone Call From Imaginary Girlfriends: Istanbul (2007) Writer
- Phone Call From Imaginary Girlfriends: Ankara (2007) Writer
- Phone Call From Imaginary Girlfriends: Ankara (2007) Director
- Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story (2006) as Clarence Fines
- Monkey Warfare (2006) as Dan
- Where the Truth Lies (2005) as Publishing Executive
- Childstar (2004) as Rick Shille
- Childstar (2004) Director
- Childstar (2004) Writer
- Clean (2004) as Vernon
- Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004) as Self / Pokey Jones / Patrick Wheeler / Matt Shapiro / Brad
- Slings & Arrows (2003) as Darren Nichols
- Odd Job Jack (2003) as Jack Ryder (voice)
- The Event (2003) as Matt Shapiro
- Public Domain (2003) as Host
- Trudeau (2002) as Greenbaum
- Waydowntown (2002) as Brad
- Rub & Tug (2002) as Conrad
- Degrassi (2001) as Keith
- The Art of Woo (2001) as Nathan
- I Was a Rat (2001) as Oliver Tapscrew
- Preludes (2000) Director
- Vinyl (2000) as Himself
- This Might Be Good (2000)
- A Word from the Management (2000) Director
- A Word from the Management (2000) Writer
- eXistenZ (1999) as Yevgeny Nourish
- The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999) as Alfred
- Sea People (1999) as Mr. Whittaker
- Twitch City (1998) as Curtis
- Twitch City (1998) Story
- Twitch City (1998) Teleplay
- Twitch City (1998) Writer
- Twitch City (1998) Creator
- The Red Violin (1998) as Evan Williams (Montréal)
- The Red Violin (1998) Screenplay
- Last Night (1998) as Patrick Wheeler
- Last Night (1998) Director
- Last Night (1998) Writer
- Elimination Dance (1998) as Male Dance Partner
- Elimination Dance (1998) Writer
- Elimination Dance (1998) Director
- Joe's So Mean to Josephine (1997) as Mike
- In the Presence of Mine Enemies (1997) as Paul Heller
- Never Met Picasso (1997) as Jerry
- Sarabande (1997) as Max
- Once a Thief (1996)
- When Night Is Falling (1995) as Timothy
- Dance Me Outside (1995) Writer
- Exotica (1994) as Thomas
- Camilla (1994) as Security Guard
- Arrowhead (1994) as Ray Bud
- Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993) as Concert Promoter
- Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993) Screenplay
- My Niagara (1992) as Cabel
- Blue (1992) Writer
- Blue (1992) Director
- Giant Steps (1992) as Real Estate Hucker
- The Adjuster (1991) as Tyler, the young censor
- Highway 61 (1991) as Pokey Jones
- Highway 61 (1991) Screenplay
- Highway 61 (1991) Story
- Roadkill (1989) as Russel, the Serial Killer
- Roadkill (1989) Screenplay