Michael Seater
Michael Seater (born January 15, 1987) is a Canadian actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. From 2005 to 2009, he starred as the titular role in the Canadian sitcom Life with Derek.[1] He later portrayed James Gillies in Murdoch Mysteries, from 2009 to 2017. His directing credits include the independent feature films People Hold On (2015) and Sadie's Last Days on Earth (2016).
Michael Seater | |
---|---|
Born | Michael Bruce Patrick Seater January 15, 1987 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Nationality | Canadian |
Occupation | Actor, director, screenwriter, producer |
Years active | 1997–present |
Known for | Life with Derek |
Early life
Seater was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. He attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts and worked as a child actor.[2] He identifies as queer, and had input into the creation of his character James, a gay man, on The Wedding Planners.[3]
Career
Early work
Seater began acting in the late 1990s and appeared in the short films Night of the Living and The Stone Skipper, and had minor roles in the direct-to-video film Future Fear and the made-for-television films Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples, Vanished Without a Trace, On Thin Ice, Dirty Pictures, Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life, the Hanukkah-themed Jenny and the Queen of Light, as well as in episodes of several television series, including The Zack Files.
2005–2010s: Life with Derek and further acting work
He voiced the title character in the series Mattimeo: A Tale of Redwall, which aired in 2000, starred as Lucas Randall in the television series Strange Days at Blake Holsey High, which began airing in 2002 and ended in 2006, and had a role in the 2005 film The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, which starred Julianne Moore. Seater then appeared in the recurring role of Owen on the series ReGenesis, which ended after its fourth season.
Seater garnered wider public recognition for his role as Derek Venturi on the popular Canadian family sitcom, Life with Derek, which was a hit with teens.[4] Seater starred on the series from its premiere in 2005 to its finale in 2009 after four seasons.[5][6] Before the show's cancellation, Seater had written a script for an episode of the fourth season with his brother, Graham.[7]
In 2009, he played a character in the Degrassi movie Degrassi Goes Hollywood and in 2010 he starred in the CBC series 18 to Life.[8] He also played the recurring role of murderer and criminal mastermind James Gillies in the Canadian series Murdoch Mysteries.
Seater also had a recurring role on the Canadian television series Bomb Girls.[9] He also appeared in Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy, a television film based on the series.[10]
2015–present: Directing work
In 2015, Seater wrote and directed the feature film People Hold On, which was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Song (by Noah Reid).[11] The film premiered at the Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival in 2015.[12] It received mixed reviews from critics.[13][14][15][16]
In 2016, Seater wrote and directed his second feature film, Sadie's Last Days on Earth, which was produced by Shaftesbury Films.[17] It was released on December 9, 2016 in theatres.[18] It received mostly negative reviews from critics,[19][20][21] and scored a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes.[22]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Night of the Living Dead | Zack | Short |
Future Fear | Young Daniel | ||
1999 | The Stone Skipper | Simon | Short |
2005 | The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio | Bub Ryan (age 15) | |
2012 | Adventures in the Sin Bin | Brian | |
Water's Edge | Lorne | Short | |
2013 | Bank$tas | Neal | |
2014 | Sly Cad | Jack | Short |
2017 | The Definites | Fitz |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples | Peter | TV film |
1998-1999 | Noddy | Grit | 4 episodes |
1999 | Real Kids, Real Adventures | Robby Naylor | "Desert Rescue: The Robby Naylor Story" |
Twice in a Lifetime | Steven Stovall (age 12) | "Death and Taxes" | |
Jenny and the Queen of Light | Eli | TV film | |
2000 | Dirty Pictures | Ian Barrie | |
2000–02 | The Zack Files | Spencer Sharpe | Main role |
2001 | Redwall | Mattimeo (voice) | |
I Was a Rat | Pikey | TV miniseries | |
2002–06 | Strange Days at Blake Holsey High | Lucas Randall | Main role |
2003 | On Thin Ice | Jason McCartle | TV film |
2005 | Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life | Nolan Mitchell | |
2005–09 | Life with Derek | Derek Venturi | Lead role |
2006 | Shades of Black: The Conrad Black Story | Young Conrad Black | TV film |
2006–07 | ReGenesis | Owen | Recurring role |
2007 | Naturally, Sadie | Cole | "As the Whirly Turns" |
She Drives Me Crazy | Pete Valenti | TV film | |
2009 | Degrassi Goes Hollywood | Michael Ray | |
Family Biz | Warren Silverman | "Out with the Intern", "Trading Up" | |
2009–17 | Murdoch Mysteries | James Gillies | Recurring role |
2010 | Vacation with Derek | Derek Venturi | TV film |
2010–11 | 18 to Life | Tom Bellow | Main role |
2013 | Long Story, Short | Dave | TV series |
Bomb Girls | Ivan Buchinsky | Regular role | |
2014 | Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy | Ivan Buchinsky | TV film |
2016 | The Brief | Scoot | TV miniseries |
2019 | Hudson & Rex | Tad Harrison | TV series |
2020 | The Wedding Planners | James Clarkson | Series lead |
References
- "The Guy From 'Life With Derek' Grew Up And He Looks Totally Different Now". Elite Daily. April 28, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- "Seasoned Young Actor and Actress Stacey Farber & Michael Seater | Beaches|Life magazine". www.beachesliving.ca. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- Greg David, "The Wedding Planners’ Michael Seater: “It speaks to themes I think everybody can get”". TV, eh?, April 1, 2020.
- "Derek From Life With Derek Looks Quite Different Now". MTV News. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- seatersource (December 18, 2013), LWD EXTRA // Cast Interview with Michael Seater [SEASON 1], retrieved June 1, 2016
- Malchuk, Carlye (September 7, 2005). "Season 2 of popular kids' series 'Life With Derek' begins on Family Channel". Canada.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
- "Life with Derek…In Muskoka". Seater Source - A Michael Seater Fansite. July 23, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- "Meet 18 to Life's Michael Seater". Seventeen. August 3, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- 9, Etan Vlessing August; 2012. "Michael Seater boards Bomb Girls' second season". Retrieved June 1, 2016.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- "'Bomb Girls: Facing The Enemy' TV movie set to air March 27". Global News. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- Jancelewicz, Chris. "2016 Canadian Screen Awards nominees: 'Rookie Blue,' 'Vikings,' 'Big Brother Canada' nominated". Global News. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
- "Check out who's coming to this year's Cinéfest". Sudbury.com. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- "People Hold On review: So no one told you life was gonna be this way". National Post. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- "Review: People Hold On". Toronto Film Scene. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- "People Hold On". www.firstweekendclub.ca. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- "People Hold On: Film on the daunting prospects of adulthood". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- "Shaftesbury | Sadie's Last Days on Earth". shaftesbury.ca. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- Joy, Helene; Chambers, Munro; Flanery, Lola; Hoyos, Ricardo (December 9, 2016), Sadie's Last Days on Earth, retrieved January 30, 2017
- "'Donnie Darko this ain't': In which Sadie's Last Days on Earth include sneaking into a bar and kissing a boy". National Post. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- "Reel Brief: Mini reviews of Miss Sloane, Sadie's Last Days on Earth and Sugar Mountain, plus Little Men and Suicide Squad on DVD | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- "Sadie's Last Days on Earth: All quirk, no play – it's the Cancon way". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- Sadie's Last Days on Earth, retrieved January 30, 2017