Fred Ewanuick

Fred Ewanuick (/əˈwαnɪk/; born June 23, 1971) is a Canadian actor best known for his roles as the loveable unemployed loser Richard Henry "Hank" Yarbo in the television series Corner Gas and as the title unpopular character in the CTV sitcom Dan for Mayor. He was also a regular in a CTV anthology series, Robson Arms. Ewanuick starred in Nickelodeon's summer 2013 TV movie Swindle.

Ewanuick is also well known for his several award wins for the 2003 lead role in the comedy The Delicate Art of Parking and reprised his Hank role in Corner Gas: The Movie, winning him a Gemini Award, and much praise. Ewanuick also had roles in popular films including The Santa Clause 2, Just Friends, Young Triffie, and a romantic comedy with several other Corner Gas stars in Love and Other Dilemmas, and the disaster film Absolute Zero.

Early life

Ewanuick was born and raised in Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada. He is of Ukrainian and Italian descent. Ewanuick's first job was a paper route, but he was fired for disposing of the newspapers in dumpsters as a "time saver". Ewanuick later worked in a bingo hall until graduating from Port Moody Secondary School in 1989.

Career

At college, Ewanuick enrolled in English, Women’s Studies, and Theatre courses, which were the only courses available, subsequently failing all three. After auditioning and being accepted into the two-year theater intensive program, he was asked to leave one year into the program. Ewanuick subsequently trained for four years with acting coach Shea Hampton, with whom he continues to study in Vancouver, British Columbia, where Ewanuick also resides.

Ewanuick made his television debut on The New Addams Family in 1998 as a "spinning gnome". Following guest appearances on both Canadian and American television series such as Cold Squad, Monk, Dark Angel, The Twilight Zone, Da Vinci's Inquest and Tru Calling, Ewanuick became a regular on the CTV series Corner Gas, as Hank Yarbo. The series was a hit, making him a familiar face in Canadian households. In 2005, Ewanuick began starring simultaneously in the CTV comedy-drama series Robson Arms with Corner Gas co-star Gabrielle Miller.

Ewanuick has appeared in numerous films, including The Delicate Art of Parking (2003), which premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival. The film won the Best Canadian Feature prize. The following year, he appeared in Chestnut: Hero of Central Park. Later, Ewanuick won a Best Actor award at Spain's Peñiscola Comedy Film Festival for the same film. In the comedy Young Triffie (2007), he stars as a young Newfoundland Ranger investigating a crime. Ewanuick was initially not cast for the part, but the casting staff could not agree on whom to choose for the part. He was called to audition for the part after being suggested because of his work on Corner Gas.

In late 2008, CTV commissioned a half-hour sitcom pilot for a new comedy titled Dan for Mayor, starring Ewanuick as Dan. Dan For Mayor was written by Mark Farrell, Paul Mather, and Kevin White. Ewanuick portrayed Dan, a 30-something bartender who lives and works in the fictional city of Wessex, Ontario. The series ended in 2011.

In 2013, Ewanuick played Paul Swindell in Swindle. The following year, he reprised his role as Hank Yarbo in Corner Gas: The Movie.

Filmography

Television works

Nominations

External links

• at IMDb