Kenneth Welsh

Acting

Kenneth Welsh

Born 1942-03-30 · Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Kenneth Welsh, CM (March 30, 1942 – May 5, 2022) was a Canadian film and television actor (sometimes credited as Ken Welsh). He was known to Twin Peaks fans as the multi-faceted villain Windom Earle, and had more recently played the father of Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator. In 1984 he was nominated for a Genie Award as Best Actor for his portrayal of Reno Colt in the film "Reno and the Doc", written and directed by Charles Dennis. In 1997 Welsh directed Dennis in the latter's play "SoHo Duo" at the West Bank Theatre in New York City. Welsh was born in Edmonton, Alberta to a father who worked for the Canadian National Railway. He grew up in Alberta and studied drama at school. He later moved to Montreal and attended the National Theatre School. Following graduation, he auditioned for the Stratford Festival in Ontario and then spent the first seven years of his career on stage. Welsh has portrayed historical figures including Thomas E. Dewey, Colin Thatcher, Harry S. Truman (twice), Thomas Edison, James "Scotty" Reston, General Harry Crerar and James Baker. He has made guest appearances on the acclaimed TV series Due South and Slings and Arrows. In 2003, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. His role as the Vice-President of the United States in the 2004 environmental disaster film The Day After Tomorrow sparked some controversy due to his physical resemblance to Dick Cheney, who at the time was the real Vice President. Director Roland Emmerich later confirmed that he deliberately chose Welsh for that very reason. Emmerich stated that the character of the Vice-President in the film was intended to be a not-so-subtle criticism of the environmental policies of the Presidency of George W. Bush. Description above from the Wikipedia article Kenneth Welsh, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

The Aviator poster
7.2

A biopic depicting the life of filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, while simultaneously growing more unstable due to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The Aviator

2004

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer poster
5.6

The Fantastic Four return to the big screen as a new and all powerful enemy threatens the Earth. The seemingly unstoppable 'Silver Surfer', but all is not what it seems and there are old and new enemies that pose a greater threat than the intrepid superheroes realize.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

2007

Legends of the Fall poster
7.4

In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel. Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.

Legends of the Fall

1994

The Exorcism of Emily Rose poster
6.6

When a younger girl called Emily Rose dies, everyone puts blame on the exorcism which was performed on her by Father Moore prior to her death. The priest is arrested on suspicion of murder. The trial begins with lawyer Erin Bruner representing Moore, but it is not going to be easy, as no one wants to believe what Father Moore says is true.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

2005

The Day After Tomorrow poster
6.6

After paleoclimatologist Jack Hall is largely ignored by UN officials when presenting his environmental concerns about the beginning of a new Ice Age, his research proves true when a superstorm develops, setting off catastrophic natural disasters throughout the world. Trying to get to his son, Sam, who is trapped in New York City with his friend Laura and others, Jack and his crew must travel to get to Sam before it's too late.

The Day After Tomorrow

2004

Four Brothers poster
6.8

Four adopted brothers return to their Detroit hometown when their mother is murdered and vow to exact revenge on the killers.

Four Brothers

2005

The Covenant poster
5.6

Four young men who belong to a supernatural legacy are forced to battle a fifth power long thought to have died out. Another great force they must contend with is the jealousy and suspicion that threatens to tear them apart.

The Covenant

2006

Absolute Power poster
6.7

A master thief coincidentally is robbing a house where a murder—in which the President of the United States is involved—occurs in front of his eyes. He is forced to run, while holding evidence that could convict the President.

Absolute Power

1997

Timecop poster
6.0

In 2004, an officer for a security agency that regulates time travel must fend for his life against a shady politician who has a tie to his past.

Timecop

1994

The Void poster
6.0

In the middle of a routine patrol, officer Daniel Carter happens upon a blood-soaked figure limping down a deserted stretch of road. He rushes the young man to a nearby rural hospital staffed by a skeleton crew, only to discover that patients and personnel are transforming into something inhuman. As the horror intensifies, Carter leads the other survivors on a hellish voyage into the subterranean depths of the hospital in a desperate bid to end the nightmare before it's too late.

The Void

2016

The Fog poster
4.6

Trapped within an eerie mist, the residents of Antonio Bay have become the unwitting victims of a horrifying vengeance. One hundred years earlier, a ship carrying lepers was purposely lured onto the rocky coastline and sank, drowning all aboard. Now they're back – long-dead mariners who've waited a century for their revenge.

The Fog

2005

Crocodile Dundee II poster
5.9

Australian outback expert protects his New York love from gangsters who've followed her down under.

Crocodile Dundee II

1988

The Art of the Steal poster
6.2

Crunch Calhoun, a third-rate motorcycle daredevil and part-time art thief, teams up with his snaky brother to steal one of the most valuable books in the world. But it's not just about the book for Crunch — he's keen to rewrite some chapters of his own past as well.

The Art of the Steal

2013

The Wrong Guy poster
6.8

Nelson Hibbert expects to become the new president of Nagel Industries, but Mr. Nagel gives the promotion to another employee. When Nelson barges into Nagel's office to confront him, he finds Nagel's been murdered. Fearing that he will be implicated, Nelson decides to run from the law...despite the fact that the police already know the killer's identity.

The Wrong Guy

1997

Silk poster
5.8

French silkworm trader Hervé is married to the beautiful Hélène. When an outbreak of disease ravages European silkworms, Hervé must travel to Japan to retrieve healthy eggs. After a long journey, Hervé finally arrives at a village where he can buy them. He becomes infatuated with a young concubine and goes to great lengths to see her again. But, when war breaks out in Japan, the concubine flees, forcing Hervé to return home to his wife.

Silk

2007

Death Wish V: The Face of Death poster
5.6

Paul Kersey is back at working vigilante justice when his fiancée, Olivia, has her business threatened by mobsters.

Death Wish V: The Face of Death

1994

Another Woman poster
6.8

Marion is a woman who has learned to shield herself from her emotions. She rents an apartment to work undisturbed on her new book, but by some acoustic anomaly she can hear all that is said in the next apartment in which a psychiatrist holds his office. When she hears a young woman tell that she finds it harder and harder to bear her life, Marion starts to reflect on her own life. After a series of events she comes to understand how her unemotional attitude towards the people around her affected them and herself.

Another Woman

1988

Ice Bound poster
5.3

Physician Jerri Nielsen finds herself stranded at the Amundsen-South Pole Research Station along with a tiny staff of researchers and technicians. Though there is at first little love lost between the somewhat aloof Nielsen and her more down-to-earth colleagues, a strong bond develops among them as the extreme winter progresses.

Ice Bound

2003

Miracle poster
7.1

When college coach Herb Brooks is hired to helm the 1980 U.S. men's Olympic hockey team, he brings a unique and brash style to the ice. After assembling a team of hot-headed college all-stars, who are humiliated in an early match, Brooks unites his squad against a common foe: the heavily-favored Soviet team.

Miracle

2004

Straight Line poster
3.4

Mr. T stars as T.S. “Too Strong” Turner, a tough private investigator hired to take down a violent street gang terrorizing the city’s East End. Known as The Future, the gang is fueled by a sinister agenda and a shadowy mastermind bent on control. When Turner discovers their extremist plans, he sets out on a relentless mission to uncover who’s pulling the strings—and to stop them before the chaos spirals into full-blown terror.

Straight Line

1989

Perfect poster
5.6

A female aerobics instructor meets a male reporter doing a story on health clubs, but it isn't love at first sight.

Perfect

1985

The Freshman poster
6.3

After a film student gets his belongings stolen, he meets a mobster bearing a startling resemblance to a certain cinematic godfather. Soon, he finds himself caught up in a caper involving endangered species and fine dining.

The Freshman

1990

Hideaway poster
5.2

Hatch Harrison, his wife, Lindsey, and their daughter, Regina, are enjoying a pleasant drive when a car crash leaves wife and daughter unharmed but kills Hatch. However, an ingenious doctor, Jonas Nyebern, manages to revive Hatch after two lifeless hours. But Hatch does not come back unchanged. He begins to suffer horrible visions of murder -- only to find out the visions are the sights of a serial killer.

Hideaway

1995

Heartburn poster
6.0

She's a magazine writer who gives up her career for love and family. He's a playboy newspaper columnist who can't quite give up his old tricks. And if that combination doesn't give a relationship heartburn, nothing will.

Heartburn

1986