English-born Canadian actor (1931–2017)
Christopher John Wiggins (January 13, 1931 – February 19, 2017) was an English-born Canadian actor.
[1]
Career
Wiggins was born January 13, 1931, in Blackpool, England.
[2] He started out as a
banker in his home country before he began his acting career in
Canada , where he moved in 1952.
Wiggins is probably best recognized for his role as Jack Marshak, the benevolent, resourceful expert on the occult in the syndicated television horror show
Friday the 13th: The Series , and which ran from 1987 to 1990. Another well known role was Johann Robinson (Father) on
Swiss Family Robinson .
He won a
Canadian Film Award in 1969 for
Best Actor in a Non-Feature for his role in
The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar .
[3]
In addition to his television and film work, Wiggins was also a very popular radio actor, making over 1,200 appearances in various series over the years, particularly on
CBC Radio . One of his most popular roles was that of Dante, the insufferably brilliant (and insufferably arrogant) computer that ran the Aleph-9: the high-speed interdimensional spacecraft belonging to
Johnny Chase: Secret Agent of Space . Wiggins' also made numerous guest appearances on such CBC Radio programs as
CBC Playhouse ,
Nightfall ,
Vanishing Point and dozens of others.
Wiggins also lent his voice to many
animated TV series and
movies . He was the voice of
Thor and his human host
Dr. Donald Blake from
Marvel Comics in the 1966
The Marvel Super Heroes TV series, the voice of the villain
Mysterio in the 1960s animated cartoon
Spider-Man , the voice of Will Scarlet on
Rocket Robin Hood , the Great Wishing Star in 1986's
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation , and the
Care Bears ' head
villain , No Heart, on the
Nelvana version of their
TV show . He also voiced the character Dimetro in the 1980s cartoon
Dinosaucers . His other roles in animated series and films included
ALF Tales ,
Star Wars: Droids ,
Rock & Rule ,
Star Wars: Ewoks ,
Babar ,
Babar and the Adventures of Badou ,
Rupert ,
Richard Scarry ,
Franklin , and
Redwall .
Death
Wiggins died at a nursing home in
Elora, Ontario , on February 19, 2017, from complications from
Alzheimer's disease .
[4] His wife, Sandra Crysler-Wiggins, predeceased him (she passed in 2009), and he had no children.
[5]
Selected filmography
General Motors Presents (1954-1961, TV Series) .... Jonah Grundeen / Sweeney / George / Sgt Wyeth / Second booking agent
Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans (1957, TV Series) .... Mort Bailey / Major Conn / Major Duffy / Mr. Travers / Sheriff Peterson / Jess Adams
The Unforeseen (1958-1959, TV Series) .... King / Monfort
R.C.M.P. (1959-1960, TV Series) .... George Needham / Kurt Hummel / Bush Pilot Watt / Martinson
Playdate (1961-1964, TV Series) .... Heinrich / Grandpa / Vanderkemp / Dr. Bahn
The United States Steel Hour (1961, TV Series) .... Charles Blake
William Lyon Mackenzie: A Friend to His Country (1961, Short) .... Jeweller?
Vacation Time (1962, TV Series) .... Co-host (1964)
The Forest Rangers (1963-1966, TV Series) .... Prof. Mandell / Porter
Moment of Truth (1964, TV Series) .... Dexter
The Marvel Super Heroes (1966-1969) .... Balder (voice)
Julius Caesar (1966, TV Movie) .... Cassius
Once Upon a Prime Time (1966, Short)
Hatch's Mill (1967, TV Series) .... Donegan
Rocket Robin Hood (1967-1968, TV Series) .... Will Scarlet / Infinata / Baron Blank
Spiderman (1967-1970, TV Series) .... Mysterio / Harley Clivendon / Infinata (voice)
Wojeck (1968) .... Gilbert
The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar (1969) .... Emery
Adventures in Rainbow Country (1969, TV Series) .... Fred Vincent
King of the Grizzlies (1970) .... The Colonel
Paul Bernard, Psychiatrist (1971, TV Series) .... Dr. Paul Bernard
Follow the North Star (1972, TV Series) .... Dudley
Tom Sawyer (1973, TV Movie) .... Lawyer
The Neptune Factor (1973) .... Capt. Williams
The National Dream: Building the Impossible Railway (1974, TV Mini-Series documentary) .... Donald Smith
Swiss Family Robinson (1974-1976, TV Series) .... Johann Robinson / Buckley
Welcome to Blood City (1977) .... Gellor
Why Shoot the Teacher? (1977) .... Lyle Bishop
A Cosmic Christmas (1977, TV Short) .... Mayor (voice)
High-Ballin' (1978) .... King Caroll
Two Solitudes (1978) .... Captain Yardley
Voice of the Fugitive (1978, Short) .... Silas
The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978, TV Movie) .... B.L. Zebub / The Devil (voice)
Johnny Chase: Secret Agent of Space (1978-1981, TV Series)
Murder by Decree (1979) .... Doctor Hardy
Jigsaw (1979) .... MacKenzie
Riel (1979, TV Movie) .... Middleton
Fish Hawk (1979) .... Marcus Boggs
Intergalactic Thanksgiving (1979, TV Short) .... Pa Spademinder (voice)
An American Christmas Carol (1979, TV Movie) .... Mr. Nathaniel Brewster
The Littlest Hobo (1979-1981, TV Series) .... Ed Thompson / Grandpa
The Courage of Kavik, the Wolf Dog (1980, TV Movie) .... Dr. Vic Walker
Easter Fever (1980, TV Movie) .... Santa Claus / Baker (voice)
Virus (1980) .... Dr. Borodinov
Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper (1981, TV Movie) .... John Sheardown
Titans (1981, TV Series) .... Galieo
Billy Goat's Bluff (1981) .... Narrator
Shocktrauma (1982, TV Movie) .... Dr. McCall
Mazes and Monsters (1982, TV Movie) .... King
Hangin' In (1982-1986, TV Series) .... Ward / Abe
Faerie Tale Theatre (1982-1987)
Strawberry Shortcake: Housewarming Surprise (1983, TV Movie) .... Mr. Sun (voice)
Rock & Rule (1983) .... Toad (voice)
Cook & Peary: The Race to the Pole (1983, TV Movie) .... Roberts
A Case of Libel (1983, TV Movie) .... Colonel Douglas
Strawberry Shortcake and the Baby Without a Name (1984, TV Movie) .... Mr. Sun / Narrator (voice)
The Bay Boy (1984) .... Chief Charlie McInnes
Star Wars: Droids (1985, TV Series) .... (voice)
Strawberry Shortcake Meets the Berrykins (1985, TV Movie) .... Mr. Sun (voice)
Jimmy Valentine (1985, TV Short) .... Victor Adams
The Edison Twins (1985-1986, TV Series) .... Lafayette / Old Trainer
Star Wars: Ewoks (1985-1986, TV Series) .... (voice)
Night Heat (1985-1986, TV Series) .... Picard / Maxim Gates
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) .... Great Wishing Star (voice)
Barnum (1986, TV Movie) .... Olmstead
Spearfield's Daughter (1986, TV Mini-Series) .... Sylvester Spearfield
Adderly (1986, TV Series) .... Belkin
The Care Bears Family (1986-1988, TV Series) .... No Heart (voice)
The Liberators (1987, TV Series) .... Flour Merchant
Ford: The Man and the Machine (1987, TV Movie) .... Malcolmson
Mariah (1987, TV Series) .... Captain Timothy Quinlan
Dinosaucers (1987, TV Series) .... Dimetro (voice)
Friday the 13th: The Series (1987-1990, TV Series) .... Jack Marshak
ALF: The Animated Series (1987-1988, TV Series) .... (voice)
ALF Tales (1988-1989, TV Series) .... (voice)
Keroppi and Friends (1989-1994, TV Series) Narrator (voice)
Babar: The Movie (1989) .... Cornelius (voice)
Babar (1989-1991, TV Series) .... Cornelius (voice)
Divided Loyalties (1990) ....
Sir William Johnson
Counterstrike (1990-1991, TV Series) .... Kistler / Police Inspector / Sgt. Luther
Street Legal (1990-1992, TV Series) .... Ronald Spencer Sr. / Judge Ritter
Maniac Mansion (1990, TV Series) .... Santa Claus
Married to It (1991) .... Dave
Sweating Bullets (1991, TV Series) .... Corliss
Mark Twain and Me (1991, TV Movie) .... Captain
Rupert (1991, TV Series) .... (voice)
Hello Kitty and Friends (1991-1995, TV Series) .... (voice)
Road to Avonlea (1992, TV Series) .... Mr. McCorkadale
A Cry in the Night (1992, TV Movie) .... Clyde
By Way Of The Stars (1992-1993, TV Mini-Series) .... Captain Harris
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993, TV Series) .... Mike West
The Busy World of Richard Scarry (1993-1996, TV Series) .... (voice)
RoboCop: The Series (1994, TV Series) .... Dr. Roger Yung
Tales from the Cryptkeeper (1994, TV Series) ... Slim (voice)
Scales of Justice (1994, TV series) - Lawyer, episode "L'Affaire Belshaw"
Butterbox Babies (1995) .... Senator Danver
Black Fox (1995, TV Movie) .... Ralph Holtz
Black Fox: The Price of Peace (1995, TV Movie) .... Ralph Holtz
Voices (1995) .... Angus Fergusson
Ultraforce (1995, TV Series) .... (voice)
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1995–1998, TV Series) .... Robert Cansington (voice)
Sailor Moon (1995, TV Series) .... Narrator / Mr. Baxter (voice)
The Neverending Story (1995, TV Series) .... Mr. Correander (voice)
Little Bear (1995-2001, TV Series) .... Mr. Wind (voice)
Sins of Silence (1996, TV Movie) .... Father Flannigan
Pippi Longstocking (1997) .... Fridolf (voice)
Fast Track (1997, TV Series) .... Carl Scannel
Freaky Stories (1997, TV Series) .... Narrator ("Battleship")
Windsor Protocol (1997, TV Movie) .... Sir Charles Ferguson
Earth: Final Conflict (1998, TV Series) .... Tim O'Malley
Evidence of Blood (1998, TV Movie) .... Horace Talbott
Thunder Point (1998, TV Movie) .... Charles Ferguson
Pippi Longstocking (1998, TV Series) .... Fridolf (voice)
The Defenders: Taking the First (1998, TV Movie)
Birdz (1998, TV Series) .... Officer Pigeon (voice)
Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend (1998-1999, TV Series) .... King Proetus / Elderly Stable Hand / Great Oracle
Babar: King of the Elephants (1999) .... Cornelius (voice)
Redwall (1999-2002, TV Series) .... Abbot Mortimer / Mangiz the Seer / Crow (voice)
Franklin (2000-2004, TV Series) .... Mr. Groundhog
Franklin's Magic Christmas (2001, Video) .... Mr. Collie (voice)
Pecola (2001-2003, TV Series) ... (English version, voice)
The Snowman Who Saved Summer (2002, Video short) .... Santa Claus
The Piano Man's Daughter (2003, TV Movie) .... James Kilworth
ReGenesis (2005, TV Series) .... Vascily Popov
Our Fathers (2005, TV Movie) .... Angelo's Old Priest
Four Minutes (2006, TV Movie) .... Burnett
Babar and the Adventures of Badou (2010-2015, TV Series) .... Cornelius (voice), (final appearance)
References
^
StarPulse Page on Wiggins Retrieved 2013-08-01
^ Langan, Fred (March 5, 2017).
"Remembering prolific actor Christopher Wiggins" . The Globe and Mail . Retrieved January 13, 2024 .
^ Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards .
Stoddart Publishing , 2000.
ISBN
0-7737-3238-1 .
^ Vlessing, Etan (February 24, 2017).
"Chris Wiggins, Veteran Character Actor, Dies at 87" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 25, 2017 .
^
"Christopher John Wiggins Obituary" . Toronto Star . February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017 .
External links
International National Other