Peter Hanlon was born in Ottawa, Ont. and received his post secondary training at Ryerson University’s Theatre School in Toronto. Upon landing in the real world he gravitated towards the Television Commercial Industry, acting and “spokespersoning” in well over a hundred National and North American spots for big ticket clients (Kellogs, Kraft, Campbells Inc., Post, Molsons, McDonalds etc.) After several years it occurred to him that there had to be more to this “acting thing” than making money being a mercenary shill for big industry. This realization prompted a re-inventive move to the west coast in the late 80s, with the objective of returning to the style of acting he had been trained to do and to secure work in Vancouver’s burgeoning film and television industry. Shortly after arrival he won principal roles in McGyver, 21 Jump Street, Wiseguy, The Commish and Danger Bay.
Peter began teaching a scene study class at the Gastown Actors Studio in the early 90s and found he had an affinity for teaching and an understanding of the actor’s condition. Over the years he has carefully developed his teaching techniques coupled with a style of delivering and turning sometimes highly complex or layered concepts into understandable and “do-able” action. He also realized that teaching acting was making him a better actor; breaking down scripts beat by beat, identifying and encapsulating key ideas, phrases and words, determining specific action and objectives… and transforming all this thought and theory into truthful, compelling, forward moving, three dimensional action. Breathing life into Romeo or Juliet or Frankenstein. Hanlon says, “Teaching these skills sharpens one’s own.”
Peter has continued his professional acting career in tandem with his teaching vocation. In the early nineties he accepted the position of Artistic Director of Full Time Studies at the Gastown Actors Studio and engineered this program, over a seven year tenure, into a world class centre for actors study. His feature film credits (selected and in no particular order) include Deadly Sins, Annie O, Past Perfect, Hostile Force, Voyage of Terror, My 5 Wives, The Unsaid, Truth, It, Little Man, Contagious, Shattered Image, And the Sea Will Tell, Fetching Cody, The Unauthorized Story of Mork and Mindy, Time After Time and Scary Movie.
He has also secured recurring roles in the television series: So Weird, The L-Word, The Killing, and The X-Files as the “evil incarnate” Clyde Tolson, featuring in the Emmy nominated episode \”Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man\”; also reprising this character in an episode of Millennium. His television credits (selected and in no particular order) include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Odyssey, Sliders, Unsub, Poltergeist, The Highlander, Outer Limits, Dead Man’s Gun, First Wave, Viper, Beggars and Choosers, Hollywood Off-Ramp, The Immortal, Dead Like Me, The 4400, The Guard, Psych, Fringe, The New Addams Family and Supernatural. Peter has recently appeared as a psychotic postal worker in Signed, Sealed and Delivered, a diamond dealer getting shaken down by the mob in ICE, a happy coroner in The Garage Sale Mysteries, the world’s friendliest grandpa in At home in Mitford and Chief Nazi Coroner for New York City, Peter Berg, in The Man in the High Castle.
Peter’s directing credits (selected and in no particular order) include: Ascension Day, Eastern Standard, The Cherry Orchard, When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder, Life and Limb, The Lark, Our Town, The Crucible, Animal Farm, Eclectica, As You Like It, The Dining Room, Four Dogs and a Bone, The Laramie Project, A Little Piece of My Heart, You Belong to Me and Clybourne Park.
Peter has been with the NIC family for over 10 years. He is energized and grateful to be sharing all that he has assimilated over the past four decades and is a passionate, energetic and caring member of the team. Three qualities that have made him one of our most beloved members.
Peter’s speciality in the classroom is clarity, posture and verbiage “I find it is incredibly important for an actor, whether professional or just starting out to be specific with one’s intention. We are specific and understand exactly what we want in life, we must learn to duplicate that on stage or for the camera. I teach our students to bring a strong level of clarity to the work that they produce.”
Hanlon has emerged as one of Vancouver’s most sought after acting coaches. His strength being his incredible ability to open up students to the possibilities that lie before them; drawing out the courage and skill to hone the natural talents they never thought they had within them.
