Dean Armstrong

Dean Armstrong (born in Owen Sound, Ontario, Tuesday, April 24, 1973) is a Canadian actor and coach for performers in film and television. --- With an early interest in law and politics, in 1992, Armstrong began following in the footsteps of family members and renegade politicians Edward Henry Carson, a barrister, judge, and politician from Ireland, and Edward Carson (Eddie) Sargent, a Canadian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1987, as a member of the Liberal Party. In 1993, 1 year after acceptance and studies at Queen’s University, Kingston, Armstrong’s interest in law gave way to pursuit of the performing arts. His interest in arts education began in 1996 after directing a production of West Side Story at the Grand Theater, in Kingston. It was through directing that he correlated his skill-sets with teaching. He graduated from Queen’s University with degree(s) in Theater Arts (BAH) 1996 and Education (BEd) 1997. Armstrong laid the first foundations of what today is known as Armstrong Acting Studios in 1997; originally Players Workshops, later Dean Armstrong Acting Studio. In 2011, Armstrong Acting Studios earned the position as one of Canada’s largest independent film and television training studios with over 10,000 graduates and ongoing students. Armstrong entered professional acting in his late 20s. In 2000, only 2 years after his graduation, he debuted simulatenously as a screen and stage actor in the US on Showtime (2000–2005) and Broadway (2000–2002). In 2003, after a year hiatus from Broadway’s Rent, Armstrong returned to the stage starring as Jonathan Larson in the Canadian Premiere of Tick, Tick ... Boom! From 2004 onward, failing vocal chords and a shift into screen studies and practice prevented Armstrong from returning to musical theater; although considered and a finalist for title roles in the productions of We Will Rock You and Rock of Ages in Toronto, Canada. He spent 2005-2009 behind the scenes building Armstrong Acting Studios. During this time, he logged hundreds of episodes as well as feature credits as a screen-test advisor, preproduction, and on-set acting coach, including collaboration with Showtime, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Alliance/Atlantis, Discovery Channel,Impossible Pictures, Global, and CTV. Highlights include his work alongside Jeremy Podeswa on Fugitive Pieces and Annmarie Morais on How She Move. Armstrong works in film, TV and stage. His credits include lead and guest starring roles in Time of Death, Flashpoint, Hiding, Alphas, Wrong Turn 4, The Listener, Haven, Saw 3D, 5 seasons on Showtime’s Queer as Folk, the season 2 host of the CBC 6 part mini-series Triple Sensation as well as 2 years on Broadway in Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical, Rent (musical). --- Armstrong’s daughter, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, daughter of Dr. Berta Bacic, was born in New York City on 10 March 2011. Armstrong has been a permanent resident of the US since 2010, residing in both New York and Los Angeles. Native to Canada, his ancestry includes roots in Ireland, Scotland, and England.