John Dunsworth

{{Infobox person

| image = File:John Dunsworth.jpg

| image_size = 200px

| caption = Dunsworth in September 2011

| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1946|4|12}}

| birth_place = Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada

| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|10|16|1946|4|12|mf=yes}}

| death_place = Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|filmmaker}}

| yearsactive = 1976–2017

| spouse = {{marriage|Elizabeth Bates|1974|}}

| children = 4, including Sarah and Molly

}}

John Francis Dunsworth (April 12, 1946 – October 16, 2017) was a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He was best known for playing trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey, the antagonist on the comedy series Trailer Park Boys (2001–2018). His other roles included the mysterious reporter Dave Teagues on the supernatural drama series Haven (2010–2015) and Officer McNabb in the CBC film Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion (2003). He also had extensive experience in regional theater.

Early life

John Francis Dunsworth was born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, on April 12, 1946, the son of Frances and Frank Dunsworth.{{Citation| last = Knox| first = Casten| title = John Dunsworth: From Angry Young Man to Renaissance Man| date = September 2005| url = http://journalism.ukings.ca/journalism_3761_5878.html| access-date = December 9, 2008| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070624211301/http://journalism.ukings.ca/journalism_3761_5878.html| archive-date = June 24, 2007}} He had one older sibling and eight younger siblings. He studied theatre at the University of Guelph, but dropped out in his fourth year when the university forced him to take a philosophy course against his wishes. Returning to his hometown, he drove a taxi for three years and worked on the CNR trains from Halifax and Sydney.

Career

Dunsworth began acting in numerous CBC radio dramas after dropping out of university, and had starring roles in many stage productions at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax.{{Citation| last = Lahey| first = Liam| title = Tight Pants and Self Righteousness| year = 2003| url = http://www.sceneandheard.ca/article.php?id=18&morgue=1| access-date = December 9, 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071009041141/http://www.sceneandheard.ca/article.php?id=18&morgue=1| archive-date = 2007-10-09| url-status = dead}} In 1970, he leased an abandoned building on Halifax's waterfront and converted it into a playhouse called the Pier One Theatre; it became the city's first and most successful alternative theater.{{Citation| last = Perkyns| first = R.| title = Two Decades of Neptune Theatre| magazine = Theatre Research in Canada| year = 1985| volume = 6| issue = 2| url = http://journals.hil.unb.ca/index.php/TRIC/article/viewArticle/7417/8476}} In the late 1980s, Dalhousie University hired him to produce the university's welcome show for new students at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, in which he also occasionally had an unseen voice-over role. In 1987, he founded the casting agency Filmworks Casting and garnered a reputation as Halifax's most successful casting director. In 1988, he starred in the documentary John Dunsworth: The Candidate,{{Citation| last = Johnston| first = Ian| title = John Dunsworth: The Candidate| newspaper = The Daily News| date = May 27, 1990| url = http://www.blackriver.ns.ca/john-dunsworth.html}} which followed his journey as an underdog political candidate for the New Democratic Party in the Halifax Bedford Basin electoral ward during the 1988 Nova Scotia general election.{{cite web|title=Province of Nova Scotia Election Returns 1988|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201988.pdf|access-date=17 October 2017}} He came third in the election, receiving 19.3% of the vote (2,746 votes).

Dunsworth met director Mike Clattenburg in the mid-1990s when he auditioned for a small role in Clattenburg's short film One Last Shot. His role gradually transformed into a leading part that earned him the award for Best Performance at the Atlantic Film Festival. From there, he further developed the character into what would eventually become the villainous trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey in Clattenburg's comedy series Trailer Park Boys (2001–2018).{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/r-i-p-john-dunsworth-trailer-park-boys-and-haven-acto-1819623382|title=R.I.P. John Dunsworth, Trailer Park Boys and Haven actor|first=Sam|last=Barsanti|website=The A.V. Club |date=17 October 2017 }} While filming a scene in a school during the production of the film Pit Pony (1997), in which he had a small role, Dunsworth is said to have discovered 10-year-old actor and future Trailer Park Boys cast member Elliot Page; he managed to get Page a large part in the film, which became Page's first screen credit. He appeared alongside fellow Trailer Park Boys co-stars John Paul Tremblay and Robb Wells in the film Virginia's Run (2002).{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/37840/second-teaser-promo-stephen-kings-haven|title=Full Tales from Beyond the Pale LIVE Lineup Announced - Dread Central|website=www.dreadcentral.com|date=26 September 2012}} He also starred in Haven (2010–2015), the television adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Colorado Kid.{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/38112/find-a-haven-facebook|title=A Series of Sinister Soundbites - Dread Central|website=www.dreadcentral.com|date=4 October 2012}} He reunited with many of his Trailer Park Boys castmates in the new series The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour (2010).[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/the-boys-are-back-this-time-on-drugs/article1637258/ "The Boys are back and on drugs"]. The Globe and Mail, July 12, 2010.

Personal life

Dunsworth lived in his native Nova Scotia with his wife, Elizabeth Bates, whom he married in 1974. They had a son named Geoff and three daughters named Zoë, Sarah, and Molly,{{Citation|last=McNeil |first=Robyn |title= Family, friends, and fans celebrate John Dunsworth's legendary kindness with good deeds of their own |magazine=The Telegram |date=December 2019 |url= https://www.thetelegram.com/news/now-atlantic/family-friends-and-fans-celebrate-john-dunsworths-legendary-kindness-with-good-deeds-of-their-own-386352/ |archive-date=December 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220115527/https://www.thetelegram.com/news/now-atlantic/family-friends-and-fans-celebrate-john-dunsworths-legendary-kindness-with-good-deeds-of-their-own-386352/ }} the latter two of whom became actresses.{{Citation|last=Trask |first=Nicole |title=Fight Club |magazine=Halifax Magazine|date=September–October 2006 |url=http://www.halifaxmag.com/features_Archives_detail.asp?id=92 |archive-date=August 12, 2008|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080812001013/http://www.halifaxmag.com/features_Archives_detail.asp?id=92}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hobowithashotgun.com/|title=Hobo with a Shotgun (Official Movie Site) - Starring Rutger Hauer, Gregory Smith, Molly Dunsworth, Brian Downey and Nick Bateman - Now on DVD, Blu-ray™, VOD, XBOX 360, Playstation™, Amazon and Vudu - Trailers, Pictures & More|website=www.hobowithashotgun.com|access-date=2010-06-11|archive-date=2011-02-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217153458/http://www.hobowithashotgun.com/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640459/|title=Hobo with a Shotgun|date=12 May 2011|via=www.imdb.com}}

In contrast to his Trailer Park Boys character, Dunsworth rarely drank alcohol and usually used iced tea as a stand-in for alcohol on the show.{{Citation| last = Capancioni| first = Marc| title = Liquored-up Mr. Lahey role initially gave actor bad case of the shivers| newspaper = The Sault Star| date = September 2008| url = http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1150904| access-date = 2008-12-09| archive-date = 2009-04-12| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090412162058/http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1150904| url-status = dead}} He admitted to suffering from a gambling problem in his early years.{{Citation| last = CBC Arts| title = 'Trailer Park Boys' to tackle VLT addiction| date = April 18, 2005| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/trailer-park-boys-to-tackle-vlt-addiction-1.564917| access-date = December 9, 2008| work=CBC News}} As a result of his recovery, he had been active in trying to remove video lottery terminals from bars in Nova Scotia.[http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090323.wvlt24/front/Front/Front/ Hooked for Life]. The Globe and Mail. March 23, 2009. He was a boating enthusiast who frequently spent time on his yacht, Emerald Princess, and enjoyed building granite sculptures and structures with stone and concrete; he documented the latter on his YouTube channel.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/@TheJohnDunsworth|title=@TheJohnDunsworth|website=YouTube }} He was an avid bridge player and was regarded as a master of the game.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0243082/|title=John Dunsworth|website=IMDb}} It is also generally believed that he continues to hold the Internet Scrabble record for having three consecutive seven-letter words. He once appeared on stage with Guns N' Roses, with frontman Axl Rose describing himself as a fan of Trailer Park Boys and Dunsworth's character in particular.{{YouTube|QhSNXv51_1o|John appears on stage with Axl Rose}}

Death

On October 16, 2017, at the age of 71, Dunsworth died of an initially undisclosed illness in Halifax, Nova Scotia.{{cite web|url=http://www.rawalker.ca/book-of-memories/3220444/Dunsworth-John/service-details.php|title=John Dunsworth Service Details|publisher=Ronald A. Walker Funeral Homes|access-date=October 18, 2017|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215222319/http://www.rawalker.ca/book-of-memories/3220444/Dunsworth-John/service-details.php|url-status=dead}} In a statement, his daughter Sarah described the illness as "short and unexpected" and stated that Dunsworth was an "amazing husband, father, and grandfather".{{Citation| last = CBC News| title = 'John Dunsworth, beloved actor best known as Mr. Lahey, has died'| date = October 16, 2017| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/john-dunsworth-beloved-actor-best-known-as-mr-lahey-has-died-1.4357370| access-date = October 16, 2017| work=CBC News}} On May 26, 2021, a Facebook post by a fan page under the control of Dunsworth's surviving family and friends revealed complications from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura as his cause of death.{{Citation| title='100% John Dunsworth'| date = May 26, 2021| url = https://www.facebook.com/100044382337976/posts/321326092690133/?d=n| access-date = May 27, 2021| work=Facebook}} He is buried at St. Anthony's & St. Augustine's Catholic Cemetery in Simms Settlement, Nova Scotia.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Election results

{{Election box begin | title=Halifax Bedford Basin, 1988 Nova Scotia general election{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201988.pdf|title=1988 Nova Scotia General Election Results. p. 83}}}}

|Progressive Conservative

|Joel Matheson

|align="right"|6,462

|align="right"|45.1%

|align="right"|

|Liberal

|Penny LaRocque

|align="right"|4,977

|align="right"|34.9%

|align="right"|

|New Democratic Party

|John Dunsworth

|align="right"|2,746

|align="right"|19.3%

|align="right"|

Filmography

Dunsworth had 70 credits to his name, some of which are listed below.[http://www.northernstars.ca/remembering-john-dunsworth/ Remembering John Dunsworth – NorthernStars]