Chuck Shamata

Last updated

Chuck Shamata
Born
Charles Shamata

November 30, 1942
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Education Toronto Metropolitan University
OccupationActor

Charles "Chuck" Shamata (born 1942) is a Canadian actor. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Born and raised in Toronto, [1] he worked at Honest Ed's, [2] and studied acting at Toronto Metropolitan University. [2]

Career

Shamata had stage roles and bit parts in film and television, before his breakthrough role in the 1969 television film Dulcima , as the love interest of Jackie Burroughs' title character. [1] His later roles included the films Between Friends (1973), Death Weekend (1976), Welcome to Blood City (1977), Power Play (1978), I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses (1978), Stone Cold Dead (1979) and Running (1979), and guest appearances in the television series The Mod Squad , Police Surgeon , Baretta and The Littlest Hobo . In 1980 he appeared alongside Earl Pennington and Marcel Sabourin in The Mounties, Stuart Gillard's pilot for a proposed comedy series about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but the show was not picked up to series. [3]

In 1981 he played the lead role in The Running Man , an episode of the CBC Television anthology series For the Record which was the first LGBT-themed television film ever to air in Canada. [4] He won the award for Best Actor in a Non-Feature at the Bijou Awards for his performance. [5]

Through the 1980s, he continued to appear in films such as The Devil and Max Devlin (1981), The Terry Fox Story (1983), Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star (1986), Nowhere to Hide (1987), Night Friend (1987) and Martha, Ruth and Edie (1988), and in television series such as Seeing Things , Joshua Then and Now , Sylvanian Families , Katts and Dog , Street Legal and Night Heat . In the 1990s, he appeared in films such as Princes in Exile (1990), Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1994) and Virus (1996), and on television in Bordertown , E.N.G. , Scales of Justice , Due South , Traders and Wind at My Back .

In 2005, Shamata appeared as Det. Henry Messina in the short-lived Ving Rhames revival of Kojak . His most recent roles have included a regular voice role as Uncle Cheech in Fugget About It , the films The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Cinderella Man (2005), The Sentinel (2006), Flash of Genius (2008), One Week (2008), Still Mine (2012), Clown (2014) and Miss Sloane (2016), and guest appearances in the television series Cracked , Beauty and the Beast and The Art of More .

Family

His son Jesse Shamata is a film and television director most noted as the creator of Gaming Show (In My Parents' Garage) . [6]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1969 Change of Mind Second Reporter
1973 Between Friends Chino
1976 Death Weekend Harry
1977 Welcome to Blood City Ricardo
1978 Power Play Hillsman
1978 I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses Gershen Isen
1979 Running Howard
1979 Stone Cold Dead Sergeant Tony Colabre
1981 Scanners TonyUncredited
1981 The Devil and Max Devlin Jerry Nadler
1984 Unfinished Business Carl
1985 Joshua Then and Now Seymour Kaplan
1986 Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star Patterson
1987 Nowhere to Hide Mike Watson
1987 Night Friend Jack
1988 Martha, Ruth and Edie Mario Cellini
1990 Princes in Exile Dr. Merritt
1990A Touch of MurderDetective
1994 Death Wish V: The Face of Death Sal Paconi
1996VirusLeo Burns
1999When Justice FailsCaptain Tanner
1999AlegríaThe Narrator
2000 The Spreading Ground Captain Nieman
2001Getting InMr. ThomasWriter and director
2002 19 Months Rob's Dad
2003 Behind the Red Door Father
2004 The Day After Tomorrow General Pierce
2005 Cinderella Man Father Rorick
2006 The Sentinel Director Overbrook
2008 WarGames: The Dead Code Bill Carter
2008 Flash of Genius Professor Irwin
2008 One Week Gerald Tyler
2008 The Two Mr. Kissels Bill Kissel
2012 Still Mine Judge
2014 Clown Walt
2015Gone TomorrowFrank Thompson
2016 Miss Sloane Bill Sanford
2019 Breakthrough Chief Marlo

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1969 Dulcima The SurveyorTelevision film
1969 The Mod Squad The DispatcherEpisode: "Ride the Man Down"
1969 Adventures in Rainbow Country Sky PilotEpisode: "Wall of Silence"
1971 Play for Today BongoEpisode: "Reddick"
1972 Dr. Simon Locke Carl VincentEpisode: "Crossfire"
1976TeleplayReinhardtEpisode: "The Italian Machine"
1976 Baretta LynchEpisode: "Can't Win for Losin'"
1977-1981 For the Record Ben Carfield2 episodes
1979–1980 The Littlest Hobo Jake / Grimaldi3 episodes
1980 King of Kensington RayEpisode: "Good News, Bad News"
1983 The Terry Fox Story WilsonTelevision film
1983 Between Friends Dr. Seth Simpson
1984 Seeing Things GaryEpisode: "Someone Is Watching"
1985StarcrossedThe ChairmanTelevision film
1985In Like FlynnDanton
1985 The Edison Twins Coach HinksEpisode: "The Fix"
1985 A Time to Live Dr. StrathmoreTelevision film
1985The Suicide MurdersPete Staziak
1985-1986 Check It Out! Various Roles2 episodes
1985–1988 Night Heat 5 episodes
1986 The Right of the People Phil PetroniTelevision film
1986Mafia PrincessLouie
1986 Act of Vengeance Millard Atler
1987The Kidnapping of Baby John DoeFrank Syncroni
1987 Echoes in the Darkness Costopoulos2 episodes
1987 Sylvanian Families Papa Forrest Evergreen13 episodes
1987-1989 Street Legal Various Roles2 episodes
1988–1991 Katts and Dog Al Logan5 episodes
1989 T. and T. Bill StrattonEpisode: "The Contender"
1989 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Philip BellamyEpisode: "The Man Who Knew Too Little"
1990Uncut GemMaxTelevision film
1990 War of the Worlds Colonel James BradleyEpisode: "Max"
1990 Counterstrike Eric MorleyEpisode: "The Dealbreaker"
1990On Thin Ice: The Tai Babilonia StoryConnie Babilonia Sr.Television film
1990-1991 Top Cops Various Roles2 episodes
1991 Bordertown Frank WilsonEpisode: "Tall in the Saddle"
1991-1992 Tarzán Roger Taft Sr.2 episodes
1992 Tropical Heat Ray HamptonEpisode: "Deceit"
1992 Secret Service Teals / Rick2 episodes
1992 E.N.G. Vince FonsecaEpisode: "Harvest"
1993 Family of Strangers TimTelevision film
1993 Scales of Justice Episode "Rex v De Marigny"
1994 Kung Fu: The Legend Continues McIllroyEpisode: "An Ancient Lottery"
1994 Due South Captain WalshEpisode: "Pilot"
1994 RoboCop Richard GlessEpisode: "Midnight Minus One"
1995 The Great Defender Dr. ArledgeEpisode: "I Wuz Robbed"
1995 Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story Al BinderTelevision film
1995UltraforceAdditional VoicesEpisode: "Prime Time"
1995 Sugartime Michael DelfanoTelevision film
1996 Escape Clause Captain Vincent Nalli
1996 F/X: The Series "Mini", The PickpocketEpisode: "Zero Hour"
1996 Traders The TherapistEpisode: "Dancing with Mr. D."
1996-1997 Wind at My Back Principal Pagnutti2 episodes
1997 A Father for Brittany Bob MinkowitzTelevision film
1998 Highlander: The Raven Martin FosterEpisode: "So Shall Ye Reap"
1999 Twice in a Lifetime Coach RybeckEpisode: "Blood Brothers"
2000 La Femme Nikita Stephan VacekEpisode: "Kiss the Past Goodbye"
2000 The Thin Blue Lie VinnieTelevision film
2000Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Pierre Salinger
2001 The Associates Gregory Kassan3 episodes
2001Snap DecisionJack BradleyTelevision film
2001–2004 Doc Paul Nichol5 episodes
2002Guilty HeartsDetective Mike VirgilioTelevision film
2002 Whitewash: The Clarence Brandley Story Dan Brown
2003 DC 9/11: Time of Crisis Hugh Shelton
2004 Crimes of Fashion Sal Hugo
2004 Wild Card Angelo AntonelloEpisode: "Bada Bing, Bada Busiek"
2004 Saving Emily RussoTelevision film
2005The Perfect NeighborDetective Lupo
2005 Kojak Detective Henry Mussina9 episodes
2005The Engagement RingJohnny AnselmiTelevision film
2007Tipping PointJohn Patterson
2007 The Dresden Files Joe MurphyEpisode: "Second City"
2007 The Company John Roselli Episode #1.3
2008 ReGenesis Eric DixonEpisode: "Hearts and Minds"
2011 Flashpoint Robert LogastoEpisode: "Terror"
2011 Republic of Doyle Anton StrataEpisode: "Will the Real Des Courtney Please Stand Up?"
2012 The Listener Charles HarrowEpisode: "Now You See Him"
2012–2016 Fugget About It Uncle Cheech27 episodes
2013 Cracked Officer Vince Wisnefski2 episodes
2014 Beauty & the Beast Freddy DeMarcoEpisode: "Held Hostage"
2016 The Art of More Howard Brannan5 episodes
2017 Designated Survivor Senator Charlie KraussEpisode: "The Ninth Seat"
2019 The Hot Zone Nancy's Father3 episodes
2019 Good Witch Jonathan Radford2 episodes
2019 Blood & Treasure Sharif GazalEpisode: "The Brotherhood of Serapis"

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Beautiful Future for an Ugly Type". Ottawa Journal . January 10, 1970. p. 66. Retrieved January 6, 2017 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  2. 1 2 "Shamata's riding out acting's ups and downs". The Globe and Mail , October 12, 1974.
  3. "Mounties get their laughs". The Globe and Mail , May 2, 1980.
  4. "Running Man tires quickly after early sprint". The Globe and Mail , February 21, 1981.
  5. "CBC, NFB sweep new Bijou Awards". Calgary Herald , October 29, 1981.
  6. Julianna Cummins, "Disney XD Canada picks up second season of Gaming Show". Playback , January 29, 2015.