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Hrant Alianak

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Hrant Alianak (born 1950[1]), also billed as Harant Alianak or Grant Aljanak, is a Sudanese-Armenian-Canadian actor and playwright.[2] He gained notoriety as Dr. Jon Mendez in Pontypool.

Early life

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Alianak was born in Khartoum, Sudan to an Armenian family.[3] At age fifteen, he enrolled in a university in Khartoum, where he studied economics. He moved to Canada when he was 17, and moved to Montreal, Quebec, where he studied business administration. Alianak said he started to write in 1972, and spent most of the 1970s writing plays "nonstop" before entering acting in the 1980s.[4]

Career

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In 1988, he was nominated for the Genie Award "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role" for the 1987 film Family Viewing.[5] He played Pete in the 1995 Adam Sandler movie Billy Madison. He portrayed Dr. Mendez in the 2009 Canadian horror film Pontypool.[6][7] He also played Dr. Marek in "Stay Out of the Basement", a 1996 episode of the TV series Goosebumps.

Alianak's plays include Lucky Strike,[8] The Walls of Africa,[2] and The Blues.[9] Alianak made his debut as a writer in 1972 at Theatre Passe Muraille, with Tantrums.

The Walls of Africa was the 2001 winner of three Dora Awards,[10] including Best New Play, and was published by Scirocco Drama in 2002. Scirocco has also published The Blues (2003).

In 2010, Alianak portrayed Principal Hicks in the movie My Babysitter's a Vampire. In 2011, he reprised the role in the TV series based on the movie. His other television credits include being a member of the repertory cast of the A&E TV series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2002).[2]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1983 Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone Chemist
1984 Best Revenge Elliah
1984 One Night Only Wenko
1985 Head Office President Sanchez
1987 Family Viewing Administrator
1989 Destiny to Order Marlay
1993 Life with Mikey Cereal Commercial Director
1995 Billy Madison Pete
1998 The Secret Life of Algernon Mahir Sulleyman
1998 Dirty Work Kirkpatrick
2001 Full Disclosure Hosni
2008 The Echo Max
2008 Pontypool Dr. Mendez
2012 Inescapable Ali Homs
2014 A Trip to the Island Harry
2017 Becoming Burlesque Waleed Aziz
2019 Guest of Honour Garo
2020 Possessor Lead Technician

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1981 Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper Iranian Minister Television film
1983 The Sins of Dorian Gray Nightclub Manager
1985 The Undergrads Zook
1985 Tucker and the Horse Thief Jonah
1986 Seeing Things Omar Baheshti Episode: "The Eyes of Ra"
1986 Courage Eddie Cuba Television film
1986 Sword of Gideon Wael Zwaiter
1986, 1987 Adderly Dictator / Grant 2 episodes
1987, 1988 Night Heat Varga / Ramos' Associate
1988 Mount Royal Gomes Episode: "Royal Wedding"
1988 Inside Stories Episode "Looking for Nothing"
1988 Friday the 13th: The Series Sandy Episode: "Master of Disguise"
1988 Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs Omar Television film
1988 The Twilight Zone Dr. Greenburg Episode: "The Trance"
1989 T. and T. Carna Episode: "Hunted"
1991–1992 Counterstrike Ladner / Lopez / Jomal 3 episodes
1992 Street Legal Det. Hasson Episode: "The Phoenix"
1993 Rapture Chief Galati Television film
1993 Matrix Joseph Haddad Episode: "Collateral Damage"
1993 Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Sidekick #2 Episode: "Illusion"
1993 The Hidden Room Murdock Episode: "Stark in Love"
1994 TekWar: TekJustice Judge Tsuruda Television film
1994 RoboCop Stitch Molotov 4 episodes
1996 Goosebumps Dr. Marek 2 episodes
1997 Psi Factor Hran Jamal Episode: "The Curse/Angel on a Plane"
1997 Earth: Final Conflict Dr. Kaplan Episode: "Avatar"
1997 Ghostwriter Stanley Ferguson Episode: "Broken Window"
1998 More Tears Shaffik 1 episode
1998 Thanks of a Grateful Nation Dr. Sid Beria Television film
1999 Total Recall 2070 Dr. Karl Gish 2 episodes
1999 La Femme Nikita Salla Vacek
1999 Ultimate Deception Dr. Amos Television film
1999 Love Songs Doctor
1999 Foolish Heart Judge Episode: "The Trial"
2000 Relic Hunter Moustaffa Episode: "Afterlife and Death"
2000 The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery Gerstner Television film
2000 The Deadly Look of Love Dr. Dunning
2000 The Royal Diaries: Cleopatra - Daughter of the Nile Pharaoh
2000 Code Name: Eternity Ambassador Dumant Episode: "Not a Bite to Eat"
2001 WW 3 Abdus Hamdoon Television film
2001–2002 Nero Wolfe Various roles 9 episodes
2002 Monk Judge Hackman 2 episodes
2004 Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss Prince Hassan Television film
2004 This Is Wonderland Mr. Barsumian Episode #1.13
2004 The Grid Yemeni Colonel 5 episodes
2004 H2O Dr. Rafsamjhanni 2 episodes
2004 The Eleventh Hour Kamal's father / Ahmad
2005–2007 Jeff Ltd. Uncle Kazem 12 episodes
2005–2013 Mayday Various roles 3 episodes
2006 Covert One: The Hades Factor Al-Fulani 2 episodes
2006 At the Hotel Zlawko 5 episodes
2006 Angela's Eyes Hrant Tosbath Episode: "Open Your Eyes"
2006 The Wives He Forgot Dr. Bajaria Television film
2007–2010 Little Mosque on the Prairie Mr. Rashid 3 episodes
2008 XIII: The Conspiracy Dr. Kimmler 2 episodes
2008, 2009 The Border General Zaki / Sharif Assad
2009 ZOS: Zone of Separation Colonel Ali Episode: "Hour One: Welcome"
2009–2010 Cra$h & Burn Yaro Massout 5 episodes
2010 My Babysitter's a Vampire Principal Hicks Television film
2010 Lost Girl Kouyoumijian Episode: "Food for Thought"
2011 InSecurity Arkady Brautman Episode: "Spy Bites Dog"
2011–2012 My Babysitter's a Vampire Principal Hicks 26 episodes
2012 King Salim Atassi Episode: "Jamilla Karan"
2012 XIII: The Series Dr. Kleinberg Episode: "Breakout"
2013 Cracked Dr. Karl Karzik Episode: "No Traveller Returns"
2014 Darknet Plastic Surgeon Episode: "Darknet 4"
2015 Riftworld Chronicles Jeweller 8 episodes
2016 Private Eyes Omar Torkia Episode: "Disappearing Act"
2016 Designated Survivor Saudi Ambassador Episode: "The Traitor"
2016–2017 Kim's Convenience Baran / Garlic Customer 4 episodes
2018 Murdoch Mysteries Mr. Morrissey Episode: "Mary Wept"
2018 The Detail Judge Safaryan Episode: "The Long Walk"
2019 Frankie Drake Mysteries Butler Episode: "A Sunshine State of Mind"
2019 V Wars Doctor Episode: "The Junkie Run of the Predator Gene"
2021 Sex/Life Mr. Mann 2 episodes
2021 The Lost Symbol Ario Fazeli Episode: "L'Enfant Orientation"

References

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  1. ^ "Confronting memories of genocide" by Richard Ouzounian at www.thestar.com
  2. ^ a b c "Playing against type" by Michael Posner at www.theglobeandmail.com
  3. ^ "Playing against type". The Globe and Mail. 2001-09-29. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  4. ^ Babian, Varak (2018-03-09). "Hrant Alianak: A Tentative Armenian? | Torontohye". Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  5. ^ "Stars hard to find at pre-Genie lunch" by Rita Zekas, The Toronto Star (22 March, 1988) [ONT Edition] Retrieved from ProQuest 435731233
  6. ^ "Bruce McDonald's new film asks what happens when English eats you alive" by Jennie Punter at www.theglobeandmail.com
  7. ^ "Pontypool: Frightfully Canadian" by Peter Howell at www.thestar.com
  8. ^ Alianak, Hrant (1989). "Lucky Strike". National Library of Australia. Playwrights Canada. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  9. ^ "Passe Muraille unveils upcoming season" at www.theglobeandmail.com
  10. ^ "Repressed emotion extends to audience" by Kate Taylor at www.theglobeandmail.com
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