Tony Nardi

Last updated

Tony Nardi
Born
Carolei, Calabria, Italy
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)Actor, playwright, stage director
Years active1978–present
Honours 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal

Tony Nardi is a Canadian actor, playwright, and theatre director based in Toronto, who has performed on stage and in film and television. [1] [2]

Contents

Fluent in four languages; he has appeared in French, Italian and English-language productions, including over 60 plays and 70 films and television series. He won the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role twice, for The Saracen Woman (La Sarrasine) (which he co-wrote) [3] and My Father's Angel , with three additional nominations. [4]

His series of monologues, Two Letters...And Counting!, was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play and earned Nardi a nomination for the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre long list. [5] He has worked with Théâtre français de Toronto, Persephone Theatre, Great Canadian Theatre Company, and the Stratford Festival. [6] He has also taught Acting and Directing courses at the University of Toronto and York University. [7]

Career

Acting

Nardi made his stage debut in a 1978 production of Solzhenitsyn, directed by Alexander Hausvater. Since then, he has performed in over 60 plays including For Those in the Peril on the Sea, Sandinista, Nineteen Eighty-Four , La Storia Calvino, A Flea in Her Ear and The Lesson.

He received a Montreal Gazette Critic's Award in 1979 for his role in an adaptation of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Artistic Excellence – Collective – in 1985 for La Storia Calvino, garnered a Dora Award nomination in 2001 for his role in A Flea in Her Ear, and a Dora Award in 2002 for Outstanding Performance for his role in The Lesson. In 2007 he received a Best Actor Thespis Award for Two Letters.

His movie roles include Caffè Italia, Montréal , Concrete Angels , Cruising Bar , The Saracen Woman (La Sarrasine), An Imaginary Tale , Mr. Aiello (La Déroute), My Father's Angel , Almost America , Corbo and Kiss Me Like a Lover (Embrasse-moi comme tu m'aimes), and his TV credits include Rossini's Ghost, Galileo: On the Shoulders of Giants, Bonanno: A Godfather's Story, Almost America, Il Duce Canadese and Indian Summer: The Oka Crisis.

A four-time Genie Award nominee, he has won twice for Best Actor for roles in The Saracen Woman (La Sarrasine) (1992) [8] and My Father's Angel (2001), for which he had also received a Best Actor award at the Sonoma Wine and Country Film Festival in 2000. He received the Guy L’Écuyer Award for his role in La Déroute in 1998. In 2010, the year marking the 30th Genie Awards, he made the Academy's 30th Anniversary Top 10 list in the Lead Actor category in Canadian cinema – a ranking based on the number of wins and nominations over the 30-year period.

In television, he received a Gemini Award nomination in 2006 for his role in Il Duce Canadese and a Best Actor Award at the Geneva International Film Festival, Tous Écrans/All Screens, in 1999, for his role in Ken Finkleman's Foolish Heart .

Writing

Nardi is co-author with Vincent Ierfino of the play La Storia dell'Emigrante. Written in Calabrian, English and French, the play was the first in Canada (on record) written by an Italian-Canadian and addressing an Italian-Canadian reality. In 1982 La Storia dell'Emigrante received the first James Bullet Award for Best Original Canadian play at the Ontario Multicultural Theatre Festival.

A Modo Suo: A Fable, written in Calabrian in 1990, received a Dora Award nomination for Best Play. An English translation was published in its entirety in the Canadian Theatre Review in 2000.

He collaborated on the screenplays for La Sarrasine and La Déroute.

Two Letters (2006), two theatrical monologues based on two actual letters sent to a film/television producer and two theatre critics, [9] [10] [11] received a 2007 Dora Award Nomination for Outstanding New Play. "...And Counting!" - a postmortem of "Two Letters" and journey into the state of culture and funding in Canada [12] was presented in 2008 in Toronto and Montreal, at Factory Theatre and McGill University, respectively and in 2010 at the Festival TransAmeriques in Montreal. In 2008 he was nominated for a Siminovitch Prize in Theatre for playwriting. [13]

"Letter One", "Letter Two", and "...And Counting!" were filmed in front of a live audience and released respectively in 2011, 2013 and 2014. [14] "Letter One" was screened at Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois in Montreal in 2011, [15] at Hot Docs in Toronto in 2012 and the Italian Contemporary Film Festival at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2012. [16] "Letter Two" was screened at the Italian Contemporary Film Festival at TIFF in 2013. [17] "...And Counting!" was screened at the 2014 Italian Contemporary Italian Film Festival at TIFF. [18]


In 2013, "Two Letters...And Counting!" was published by Guernica Editions (Essential Drama Series). https://guernicaeditions.com/pages/authors In 2015 "Two Letters...And Counting!" was nominated for a Patrick O'Neill Scholarly Award. . https://www.cdtps.utoronto.ca/people/directories/graduate-students/tony-nardi In 2024 A Modo Suo (A Fable) was published (in English and in Calabrian) in the anthology "Canadian Plays of Italian Heritage" edited by Anna Migliarisi and co-published by Guernica Editions and constitutional lawyer Rocco Galati. https://guernicaeditions.com/products/canadian-plays-of-italian-heritage

Academia

Nardi began teaching acting and directing courses in Autumn of 2017. He has instructed courses at the University of Toronto and University of Toronto Scarborough, and directed courses at York University. [7] He is a PhD candidate in Performance at the University of Toronto, [19] specializing in “the impact of cultural background and first language on performance in Canadian theatre, film and TV."

Honors

In 1992, Nardi received the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal, awarded to Canadians for significant contribution to their fellow citizens, to their community, or to Canada.

In 2001, Nardi received a "Toronto Italian Filmfest Award for Major Contribution to Italian-Canadian Cinema" at the Toronto Italian Film Festival (Frank. A. Caruso, co-founder and head programmer)

In 2002, Nardi was included in "Canadian Who's Who," "the standard reference source of contemporary Canadian biographies, listing 13,000 notable Canadians selected on merit alone."

In June 2017, Nardi received a "Special Achievement Award" at the Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) in Toronto.

Personal life

Nardi is multilingual. His primary languages are French and English, but he is also fluent in both Standard Italian and Calabrian. [20] Nardi lived in Montreal with Janne Mortil, [21] his former partner, in 1999-2000. [22]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
1981 Gas Plant ManagerLes Rose
1982Deux super-dinguesToto Claudio Castravelli
1983 Videodrome Man at Conference David Cronenberg Uncredited
1985 Caffè Italia, Montréal Paul Tana
1987 Concrete Angels Sal Carlo Liconti Nominated- Genie Award for Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
1988 Kalamazoo Pasquale Globenski André Forcier
Dreams Beyond Memory Commercial DirectorAndrzej Markiewicz
1989 Cruising Bar MarcelloRobert Ménard
1989 Speaking Parts Eddy Atom Egoyan
1989Brown Bread SandwichesRogero Carlo Liconti
1990 An Imaginary Tale Toni André Forcier
1991 The Adjuster Motel Manager Atom Egoyan
1992 The Saracen Woman (La Sarrasine)Giuseppe MoschellaPaul TanaAlso co-writer

Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

1993Les AmoureusesNinoJohanne Prégent
1994Operation Golden PhoenixSaul “The Lawyer” Silverstein Jalal Merhi
1996La bruttina stagionataIanAnna Di Francisca
1998 Mr. Aiello (La déroute)Joe AielloPaul TanaAlso co-writer

Prix Guy-L'Écuyer for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated- Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

1999 My Father's Angel AhmedDavor Marjanovic Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
2000Cold BloodedVidalRandy Bradshaw
2001 Almost America Vincenzo De VitoAntonio Frazzi

Andrea Frazzi

2008 Adoration Principal Rollis Atom Egoyan
2011Another SilenceTony Santiago Amigorena
Man on the Train Loco Mary McGuckian
2012Havana 57Capt. CalzadoJim Purdy
2013The Resurrection of Tony GitoneMario Jerry Ciccoritti
2014 Corbo Nicola Corbo Mathieu Denis Nominated- Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated- Jutra Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Big Fat Stone Victor Rossi Frank D'Angelo
2015 No Deposit Det. Vincent Scartelli
Sicilian Vampire Little Anthony
Born to Be Blue Nicholas Robert Budreau
2016 Kiss Me Like a Lover (Embrasses-moi comme tu m'aimes)Élio André Forcier Nominated- Prix Iris for Best Supporting Actor
2017 The Neighborhood Shorty Frank D'Angelo
Hochelaga, Land of Souls Mario Ricci François Girard
2018 The Joke Thief Francis Sellano Frank D'Angelo
Bella Ciao!ArnaldoCarolyn Combs
2019The Last Big SaveGuy Bouche Frank D'Angelo
Making a Deal with the DevilMerant
From the Vine Marcello Sean Cisterna
Mafia Inc. Zizi “Z” Zippo Daniel Grou

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1987-93 Street Legal Schultz / Phil Carrera2 episodes
1990-93 E.N.G. Regossi / Frank Berman2 episodes
1993Embrasse-moi, c'est pour la vieJean-René Television film
Armen and BullikSpicuzza
1994 Side Effects PeterEpisode: “The Great Chendini”
1996 Rossini's Ghost Duke Cesarini Television film
1997 Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Alvin BarnesEpisode: “May I Talk With You”
Viper PeteEpisode: “Manhunt”
In the Presence of Mine Enemies Emmanuel Television film
1998 Da Vinci's Inquest François4 episodes
Loss of FaithVictor Television film
1999 Foolish Heart Judge James Schneller2 episodes
Bonanno: A Godfather's Story Joseph Bonanno (Ages 35–61) Television film
2001 Foreign Objects BureaucratEpisode: “The Award”
2002Escape from the NewsroomProducer Television film
2003 Platinum Nick TashijanMain cast; Season 1
2004 The Newsroom PatrickEpisode: “Slow Burn”
Il Duce Canadese Angelo Alvaro Miniseries; 2 episodes

Nominated- Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

2006Indian Summer: The Oka Crisis John Ciaccia Miniseries; 4 episodes
2007 Intelligence Nick Jordan7 episodes
2009-10 Cra$h & Burn LindoRecurring role; Season 1
2011Galileo: On the Shoulders of Giants Michelangelo Television film
Flashpoint Cary McCartyEpisode: “A Day in the Life”
2011-12 King Chief Paul GraciMain role; Seasons 1-2
2013 Motive Father Noel BarnettEpisode: “Fallen Angel”
Played Chief InspectorEpisode: “Cops”
2015 Pirate's Passage Immigration Officer (voice) Television film
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe Johnny Hyde

Awards and nominations

YearAward/AssociationCategoryWorkResult
1988 Genie Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Concrete AngelsNominated
1992Genie Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role La SarrasineWon
1998Prix Guy-L'Écuyer Rendez-vous Québec CinémaBest Performance by an Actor in a Leading RoleLa DérouteWon
1999Genie AwardsBest Performance by an Actor in a Leading RoleLa DérouteNominated
1999Geneva International Film Festival Tous EcransBest ActorFoolish HeartWon
2000Wine Country Film FestivalBest Actor (Tied with Brendan Fletcher for My Father's Angel)My Father's AngelWon
2001Genie AwardsBest Performance by an Actor in a Leading RoleMy Father's AngelWon
2006 Gemini Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic ProgramIl Duce CanadeseNominated
2016 Jutra Award Best Supporting ActorCorboNominated
Canadian Screen Awards Best Supporting Actor CorboNominated
2017 19th Quebec Cinema Awards Best Supporting Actor Kiss Me Like a Lover (Embrasses-moi comme tu m'aimes)Nominated

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References

  1. ↑ "Bio |". May 8, 2014. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Tony Nardi - Premier Rôle Agency". premierrole.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Interview with Paul Tana". offscreen.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  4. ↑ http://premierrole.com/en/download/?id=2059 [ bare URL PDF ]
  5. ↑ "26 playwrights on 2008 Siminovitch long list" . Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia - Nardi, Tony". www.canadiantheatre.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Security Verification | LinkedIn". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Sarrasine, La – Film de Paul Tana". Films du Québec (in French). Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Mavor's torch still burns". rabble.ca. October 9, 2008. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  10. ↑ Fiorito, Joe (February 21, 2007). "Nardi's aim: Art with a point". Toronto Star . p. D2. ProQuest   1349016608 . Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  11. ↑ "The gutsiest role this actor will ever play" . Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Tony Nardi: Lonely Voice in Canada's Cultural Wilderness. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  13. ↑ "TWO LETTERS... And Counting! - Guernica Editions". www.guernicaeditions.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Toronto". March 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  15. ↑ Couture, Philippe (June 5, 2010). "FTA-OFFTA: Colère noire et mix-off". Voir.ca (in Canadian French). Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Letter One | ICFF – Italian Contemporary Film Festival". archive.is. June 25, 2014. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Letter Two | ICFF – Italian Contemporary Film Festival". archive.is. June 25, 2014. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Letter Three | ICFF – Italian Contemporary Film Festival". archive.is. June 25, 2014. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Tony Nardi | University of Toronto - Academia.edu". utoronto.academia.edu. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  20. ↑ "e-TALENTA". www.e-talenta.eu. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  21. ↑ Lamey, Mary (November 5, 1999). "The little condos that couldn't: Buyer fights developers of Darcy McGee project over defects". The Gazette . Montreal. p. C1. ProQuest   433540723.
  22. ↑ Michael, Posner (March 19, 2001). "Acting, Italian-Canadian Style". The Globe and Mail . Toronto. p. R3. ProQuest   1125667655.
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