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Dan Levy (Canadian actor)

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Dan Levy
Born
Daniel Joseph Levy

(1983-08-09) August 9, 1983 (age 41)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)Actor, writer, producer, TV personality
Years active2000–present
FatherEugene Levy
FamilySarah Levy (sister)

Daniel Joseph Levy (born August 9, 1983) is a Canadian actor, writer, producer, and television personality. He is the son of comedian and actor Eugene Levy and screenwriter Deborah Divine Levy. Dan Levy hosted an aftershow for The Hills that aired on MTV Canada for several seasons.[1]

He currently stars as David Rose in Schitt's Creek, a scripted comedy series that he co-created with his father.[2] For his work on the series, he has won several Canadian Screen Awards, among other accolades.[3]

Early life

Levy was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1983, the son of Deborah Divine and Canadian actor Eugene Levy. He is the older brother of actress Sarah Levy who plays waitress Twyla in Schitt's Creek, in which Levy and his father also star. Levy attended high school at North Toronto Collegiate Institute and later pursued film production at York University and Ryerson University.[4][5] His father is Jewish and his mother is Protestant;[6] the family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah.[7] Levy identifies as Jewish and was bar mitzvahed.[8]

Career

2000–2012: Early work

Levy began his career as one the original seven co-hosts on the now defunct MTV Canada flagship series MTV Live. He gained prominence as co-host of MTV Canada's The After Show with Jessi Cruickshank and its various incarnations, such as The Hills: The After Show and The City: Live After Show.[1] Following The After Show's cancellation and Cruickshank's departure, Levy wrote, produced, and starred in his own Christmas Special for MTV, Daniel Levy's Holi-Do's & Don'ts, and co-hosted the MTV Movie Awards Red Carpet, the X-Factor pre-show, and national coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Games for CTV.[9][10] Levy left MTV Canada in 2011 after five years with the network.[11]

In 2008, he appeared on Canada's Next Top Model as a guest judge.[9]

As an actor, he has appeared in a four-episode story arc of the Canadian TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation, which premiered as a TV movie called Degrassi Goes Hollywood. In his Degrassi arc, Levy played a film producer who hires Paige Michalchuk as the lead in a new film directed by actor Jason Mewes. He has also appeared in the 2012 thriller Offline and in the 2013 film Admission starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd.[12][13]

2013–present: Schitt's Creek

In 2013, Levy formed Not a Real Company Productions (with his father Eugene Levy and principals Andrew Barnsley and Fred Levy).[13] Their first project was a television pilot with CBC, which resulted in Schitt's Creek.[14] Levy also stars in the series alongside his father, sister Sarah Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Annie Murphy, and Chris Elliott.[15] It's the Not a Real Company Productions' first television series.[16] Levy has spoken publicly about his character's portrayal of pansexuality, saying:

I think in certain parts of America, David’s sexual ambiguity was a big question mark. (But) it was issues like that that I find quite exciting.[17]

For his work on Schitt's Creek, Levy has been nominated for numerous awards, including several Canadian Screen Awards for writing and acting, winning the awards for Best Comedy Series, Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series in 2016 and Best Comedy Series in 2019.[3][18]

In March 2019, Levy announced that the series was renewed for a sixth and final season. In a statement posted to social media, Levy indicated that the decision to end the series after season six on their own creative terms was a "rare privilege" and thanked fans for their support.[19]

In July 2017, it was announced that Levy would host The Great Canadian Baking Show with Julia Tayor Ross, which had its premiere November 1 on CBC.[20] Controversy arose when John Doyle of The Globe and Mail criticized the show's first episode in a review on October 30, 2017. Included in the review was a critique of Levy's "feyness" while performing as host and a joke hinting at nepotism at CBC.[21] While acknowledging the importance of criticism in media, Levy called the use of the word "feyness" "offensive, irresponsible, and homophobic".[22][23] The Globe's public editor, Sylvia Stead, published a statement on November 9 explaining that "Mr. Doyle was not aware that Mr. Levy was gay and he used the term to mean preciousness". She also acknowledged that, despite the dictionary not defining "fey" as a slur, "we need to understand not just the context of words, but how they evolve and are viewed by communities that may be justly sensitive to a range of meanings."[24] Levy and Chan returned as hosts for the series' second season, which premiered in September 2018.[25] In March 2019, Levy announced via Twitter that he and Chan would not be returning as hosts for the series' third season, citing "scheduling conflicts."[26]

In June 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, sparking the start of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, Queerty named him one of the Pride50 “trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people”.[27][28]

In September 2019, it was announced that Levy had signed a three-year deal with ABC Studios to produce and develop scripted content.[29]

Personal life

Levy splits his time between Toronto and Los Angeles, though he has said that London is his "favourite city," after having lived there in 2005.[30]

Levy previously avoided labelling his sexual orientation publicly,[31] though in a 2015 interview with Flare he was called "a member of the queer community."[32] In a 2017 interview, Levy confirmed he is gay and has been out since he was 19.[33]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes Refs.
2009 Degrassi Goes Hollywood Robbie TV movie
2012 Cyberstalker Jack Dayton / Unknown Man
2013 Admission James Credited as Daniel Joseph Levy [34]
2014 Stage Fright Entertainment Reporter
2017 Robot Bullies Robot 1 Short film
2018 Modern Family Jonah TV series (1 episode "A Sketchy Area") [35]
2019 The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show Narrator TV Movie [36]
2015 – present Schitt's Creek David Rose / David TV series (67 episodes)
2020 Happiest Season Filming [37]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2016 Canadian Screen Awards Best Comedy Series Schitt's Creek Won [38]
Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series Won
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role Nominated
Best Cross-Platform Project, Fiction - Schitt's Creek Webisodes Nominated
2017 ACTRA Awards Members' Choice Series Ensemble Schitt's Creek Nominated [39]
2017 Canadian Screen Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role Schitt's Creek Nominated [40]
Best Comedy Series Nominated [41]
2018 ACTRA Awards Members' Choice Series Ensemble Schitt's Creek Nominated [42]
2018 Canadian Screen Awards Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series Schitt's Creek Nominated [43]
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role Nominated [44]
2018 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Schitt's Creek Nominated [45]
2019 ACTRA Awards Members' Choice Series Ensemble Schitt's Creek Won [46]
2019 Canadian Screen Awards Best Comedy Series Schitt's Creek Won [18]
Best Direction in a Comedy Program or Series (with Andrew Cividino) Nominated [47]
Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series Nominated
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role Nominated
2019 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Schitt's Creek Won [48]
2019 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Schitt's Creek Nominated [49]
2019 GLAAD Media Awards Davidson/Valentini Award Schitt's Creek Awarded [50]
2019 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Schitt's Creek Nominated [51]
2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Schitt's Creek Nominated [52]
2020 Dorian Awards TV Performance of the Year - Actor Schitt's Creek Nominated [53]
Wilde Wit of the Year Nominated
2020 Producers Guild of America Awards The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy Schitt's Creek Nominated [54]
2020 Canadian Screen Awards Radius Award Schitt's Creek Awarded [55]


References

  1. ^ a b "'The Hills: After Show,' heads to Hollywood". CTV News. 2007-12-10. Archived from the original on 2008-02-05. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  2. ^ Martin, Michael. "Dan Levy Discusses Schitt's Creek, His Eyebrows & Being a Sex Object". www.out.com. Out. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b "www.academy.ca/Canadian-Screen-Awards". Archived from the original on 2016-04-04.
  4. ^ Verner, Amy (2007-12-01). "The Dan of the hour". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  5. ^ Brown, Emma. "Dan Levy's Family Tree". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  6. ^ d, deb (2018-10-30). "The best thing I ever did for my Protestant family was marry a Jewish man. We learned that a combined world is an enriched world". @tingtime. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  7. ^ levy, dan (2012-12-08). "One half of me is celebrating Hanukkah, the other half is decorating a tree. My body is confused. #halfie #chrismukkah". @danjlevy. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  8. ^ Episode 88 - Dan Levy, retrieved 2019-05-17
  9. ^ a b "Dan Levy". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  10. ^ "MTV cans 'After Show' after co-host announces departure | CTV News". www.ctvnews.ca. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  11. ^ "Dan Levy". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  12. ^ Monsaert, Peter (2012-11-14), Offline, retrieved 2016-08-28
  13. ^ a b "Daniel Levy - Cast - Schitt's Creek". Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  14. ^ "Dan Levy: the man behind new TV show Schitt's Creek, and those glasses". Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  15. ^ "SCTV stars Levy and O'Hara reunite for a forthcoming CBC sitcom called Schitt's Creek". canada.com, February 10, 2014.
  16. ^ "SCTV alums Levy and O'Hara to star in CBC comedy". Playback, February 11, 2014.
  17. ^ "Dan Levy on why the most provocative thing about Schitt's Creek isn't the name | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  18. ^ a b Canada, HELLO!. "Canadian Screen Awards 2018: All the winners". ca.hellomagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  19. ^ "Log In or Sign Up to View". www.facebook.com.
  20. ^ "Dan Levy and Julia Chan to host The Great Canadian Baking Show". CBC. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  21. ^ Doyle, John (October 30, 2017). "Major ingredients missing in CBC's Great Canadian Baking Show". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  22. ^ Atad, Corey (November 3, 2017). "Dan Levy Slams TV Critic John Doyle For 'Homophobic' Review". ET Canada. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  23. ^ Thompson, Ryan E. (November 3, 2017). "Why Dan Levy's shutdown of a TV critic's homophobic insult is necessary and good for us all". CBC Life. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  24. ^ Stead, Sylvia (November 9, 2017). "Public editor: The need to understand the context of words and how they evolve". The Globe and Mail.
  25. ^ "The Great Canadian Baking Show is back!". CBC Life. 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  26. ^ levy, dan (2019-03-27). "Due to scheduling conflicts, @juliacchan and I won't be returning to @cbcbakingshow. We wish the show well. BIG thank you to the fans who tuned in every week as we laughed and ate and ate and ate! pic.twitter.com/Rev9CAEVHo". @danjlevy. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  27. ^ "Queerty Pride50 2019 Honorees". Queerty. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
  28. ^ Tracer, Daniel (2019-05-29). "Dan Levy is ushering in a new era of queer representation on TV". www.queerty.com. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
  29. ^ "'Schitt's Creek' Creator Dan Levy Signs Overall Deal With ABC Studios". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  30. ^ "In the Bag: Dan Levy on the Art of Packing". Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  31. ^ "Dan Levy Discusses Schitt's Creek, His Eyebrows & Being a Sex Object". 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  32. ^ "Dan Levy Talks Playing Pansexual on Schitt's Creek - Flare". 2015-03-31. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  33. ^ Branco, Nelson. "Levy finds his groove as accidental sex symbol". 24 Hours Toronto. Archived from the original on January 11, 2017. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  34. ^ Michael Martin (9 March 2015). "Dan Levy Discusses Schitt's Creek, His Eyebrows & Being a Sex Object". Out. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  35. ^ Michael Ausiello (21 August 2018). "Modern Family Enlists Daniel Levy for 'Sketchy' Season 10 Guest Stint". TVLine. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  36. ^ Tiffany Leung (4 November 2019). "Kacey Musgraves Gifts Dan Levy Coal in New Christmas Show Trailer". Paper. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  37. ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 22, 2020). "Mary Steenburgen, Dan Levy Join Kristen Stewart in Gay Rom-Com 'Happiest Season'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  38. ^ Furdyk, Brent (19 January 2016). "2016 Canadian Screen Awards Nominees Announced". ET Canada. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  39. ^ Toronto, ACTRA. "The 15th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto nominees". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  40. ^ Canada, HELLO!. "Canadian Screen Awards 2017: Full list of nominees". ca.hellomagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  41. ^ "2017 TV Nominees - Academy.ca". web.archive.org. 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  42. ^ Toronto, ACTRA. "The 16th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto Nominees". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  43. ^ "2018 TV Nominees - Academy.ca". web.archive.org. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  44. ^ Canada, HELLO!. "Canadian Screen Awards 2018: All the winners". ca.hellomagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  45. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (May 3, 2018). "MTV Movie & TV Awards: 'Black Panther,' 'Stranger Things' Top Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  46. ^ "Winners: The 17th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto | ACTRA Toronto". Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  47. ^ "Canadian Screen Awards Nominees". Academy.ca. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  48. ^ Nickolai, Nate; Nickolai, Nate (2019-06-18). "MTV Movie & TV Awards Winners: The Complete List". Variety. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  49. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Television Academy. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  50. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (2019-08-13). "GLAAD To Honor 'Schitt's Creek' Co-Creator and Star Dan Levy With Davidson/Valentini Award". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  51. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (2019-12-08). "'When They See Us,' 'This Is Us,' 'Schitt's Creek' Lead 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards TV Noms". Variety. Retrieved 2019-12-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  52. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ® | Screen Actors Guild Awards". www.sagawards.org. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  53. ^ "Wilde Wit of the Year - 'Parasite,' 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire,' 'Pain and Glory' Lead Dorian Award Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  54. ^ Schneider, Michael (2020-01-07). "Producers Guild Awards Nominees Include '1917,' 'Parasite,' 'Succession,' 'Fleabag'". Variety. Retrieved 2020-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  55. ^ "Dan Levy | Radius Award". Academy.ca. 2019-11-29. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
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