| Dean Armstrong | |
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Dean Armstrong during TIFF 2011 |
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| Born | April 24, 1973 Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Actor, Acting Coach |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Website | |
| http://www.deanarmstrong.ca/, http://armstrongactingstudios.com/, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0035676/ | |
Dean Armstrong (born in Owen Sound, Ontario, Tuesday, April 24, 1973) is a Canadian actor and coach for performers in film and television.
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Armstrong works in film, TV and stage. His credits include lead and guest roles in Hiding, Alphas, Wrong Turn 4, The Listener, Haven, Saw 3D, 5 seasons on Showtime’s Queer as Folk, the season 2 host of the CBC 6 part mini-series Triple Sensation as well as 2 years on Broadway in Rent (musical).
Armstrong is a television and film preproduction and on-set acting coach, and director of Armstrong Acting Studios. Some of his former students include Brittany Allen, Miley Cyrus, Nina Dobrev, Devon Bostick, Miriam McDonald, and Jacqueline MacInnes Wood.
Armstrong is the founder and executive producer of Appulse Films. The company’s first film entitled Verona (short) was shot in the fall of 2009, directed by Laurie Lynd (Breakfast with Scot). Trailers for the movie can by found on YouTube or by visiting veronathemovie.com.
Armstrong has been a permanent resident of the US since 2010, residing in both New York and Los Angeles. Native to Canada, his ancestry includes roots in Ireland, Scotland, and England.
With an early interest in law and politics, in 1992, Armstrong began following in the footsteps of family members and renegade politicians Edward Henry Carson, a barrister, judge, and politician from Ireland, and Edward Carson (Eddie) Sargent, a Canadian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1987, as a member of the Liberal Party.
In 1993, 1 year after acceptance and studies at Queen’s University, Kingston, Armstrong’s interest in law gave way to pursuit of the performing arts. His interest in arts education began in 1996 after directing a production of West Side Story at the Grand Theater, in Kingston. It was through directing that he correlated his skill-sets with teaching. He graduated from Queen’s University with degree(s) in Theater Arts (BAH) 1996 and Education (BEd) 1997.
Armstrong laid the first foundations of what today is known as Armstrong Acting Studios in 1997; originally Players Workshops, later Dean Armstrong Acting Studio. In 2011, Armstrong Acting Studios was one of Canada’s largest independent film and television training studios with over 10,000 graduates and ongoing students.
Armstrong entered professional acting in his late 20s, only 2 years after his graduation. He simultaneously debuted in 2000 as a screen and stage actor in the US on Showtime (2000–2005) and Broadway (2000–2002). In 2003, after a year hiatus from Broadway’s Rent, Armstrong returned to the stage starring as Jonathan Larson in the Canadian Premiere of Tick, Tick ... Boom!
From 2004 onward, failing vocal chords and a shift into screen studies and practice prevented Armstrong from returning to musical theater; although considered and a finalist for title roles in the productions of We Will Rock You and Rock of Ages in Toronto, Canada. He spent 2005-2009 behind the scenes building Armstrong Acting Studios. During this time, he logged hundreds of episodes as well as feature credits as a screen-test advisor, preproduction, and on-set acting coach, including collaboration with Showtime, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Alliance/Atlantis, Discovery Channel, Impossible Pictures, Global, and CTV. Highlights include his work alongside Jeremy Podeswa on Fugitive Pieces and Annmarie Morais on How She Move.
Armstrong’s own production company, Appulse Films, was founded in 2009 as a continued commitment to bridging the gap between education and the industry.
Armstrong’s daughter, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, daughter of Dr. Berta Bacic, was born in New York City on 10 March 2010.