Bruno Gerussi
Encyclopedia
Bruno Gerussi was a Canadian television actor born in Medicine Hat, Alberta
, best known for the lead role in the CBC Television
series The Beachcombers
. He also hosted CBC's daily cooking-talk show Celebrity Cooks
in the late 1970s.
, Alberta
area, as well as a musician. In 1927, he married Teresina and they moved to Medicine Hat where their eldest son, Bruno, was born. The family subsequently moved to Exshaw
where Enrico worked as a sectionman on the Canadian Pacific Railway
. Near Exshaw, according to Edna (Hill) Appleby, author of Canmore
: The Story of An Era, there remains a stone bridge built by Mr. Gerussi.
Bruno Gerussi grew up in Exshaw and later moved with his family to New Westminster, British Columbia
.
Both of Bruno's children went on to work in Film & Television.
Bruno's daughter, Tina Gerussi, is a successful casting director in Toronto
.
Bruno's son, Rico Gerussi, is a 1st Assistant Director (as well as a lead guitarist/vocalist in R&B band The Raging Butanes) in Toronto
.
led him to acting and in 1954 he joined the Stratford Festival in its second season. He acted in numerous stage productions in Canada and the United States before joining CBC
radio which led ultimately to television. One of his earliest TV appearances was as Feste in a 1962 TV production of Twelfth Night.
After a two-year stint (1967–68) with his own nationally broadcast mid-morning CBC radio show Gerussi, Words and Music, Gerussi won the lead role on the popular CBC family adventure series The Beachcombers (1972–90) created by Marc and Susan Strange.
, a comedy-adventure-drama set on the west coast of Canada. The Beachcombers
ran for 387 episodes between 1972 and 1990 and remains Canada's longest-ever running weekly dramatic series.
During part of his time with The Beachcombers
, Gerussi hosted the popular CBC
cooking program Celebrity Cooks
in the late 1970s. The series featured the last public appearance of actor Bob Crane
of Hogan's Heroes
fame, who was murdered soon afterwards. The taping of Crane's episode was recreated in the 2002 film, Auto Focus
in which actor John Kapelos
portrayed Gerussi.
Gerussi's popularity in Celebrity Cooks led him to become commercial spokesperson for one of the first lines of microwave oven
s to be made available for home use in Canada in the late-1970s/early-1980s.
He was the host of the first Genie Awards broadcast in 1980. The Genies are the primary honours for Canadian cinema.
On 21 November 1995, Bruno Gerussi died of a heart attack in Vancouver at the home of his companion, Supreme Court Judge Nancy Morrison.
The TV movie The New Beachcombers (2002), was dedicated in his memory. However, this did not lead to a new series of The Beachcombers
.
nomination for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Continuing Dramatic Role in 1990 for the final season of The Beachcombers.
He won the Geminis' Earle Grey Award
posthumously for lifetime achievement in 1996. His children Rico & Tina accepted it on his behalf.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, best known for the lead role in the CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
series The Beachcombers
The Beachcombers
The Beachcombers is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that ran from October 1, 1972 to December 12, 1990 and is the longest-running dramatic series ever made for English-language Canadian television...
. He also hosted CBC's daily cooking-talk show Celebrity Cooks
Celebrity Cooks
Celebrity Cooks was a Canadian cooking show independently produced by Initiative Productions and aired on the CBC from 1975 to 1979 and on Global from 1980 to 1984. It was syndicated throughout Canada and the United States from 1980 to 1989. It was hosted by Bruno Gerussi who introduced various...
in the late 1970s.
Family
Enrico Gerussi, who trained in Italy as a stonemason, was a coal miner working in the LethbridgeLethbridge
Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
area, as well as a musician. In 1927, he married Teresina and they moved to Medicine Hat where their eldest son, Bruno, was born. The family subsequently moved to Exshaw
Exshaw, Alberta
Exshaw is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8. Located approximately west of downtown Calgary and east of Canmore, Exshaw is situated within the Bow River valley north of the Bow River....
where Enrico worked as a sectionman on the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
. Near Exshaw, according to Edna (Hill) Appleby, author of Canmore
Canmore, Alberta
Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of the City of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rockies. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of...
: The Story of An Era, there remains a stone bridge built by Mr. Gerussi.
Bruno Gerussi grew up in Exshaw and later moved with his family to New Westminster, British Columbia
New Westminster, British Columbia
New Westminster is an historically important city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and is a member municipality of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. It was founded as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia ....
.
Both of Bruno's children went on to work in Film & Television.
Bruno's daughter, Tina Gerussi, is a successful casting director in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Bruno's son, Rico Gerussi, is a 1st Assistant Director (as well as a lead guitarist/vocalist in R&B band The Raging Butanes) in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Early career
A scholarship to the Banff School of Fine ArtsBanff Centre
The Banff Centre, formerly known as The Banff Centre for Continuing Education, is an arts, cultural, and educational institution and conference complex located in Banff, Alberta...
led him to acting and in 1954 he joined the Stratford Festival in its second season. He acted in numerous stage productions in Canada and the United States before joining CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
radio which led ultimately to television. One of his earliest TV appearances was as Feste in a 1962 TV production of Twelfth Night.
After a two-year stint (1967–68) with his own nationally broadcast mid-morning CBC radio show Gerussi, Words and Music, Gerussi won the lead role on the popular CBC family adventure series The Beachcombers (1972–90) created by Marc and Susan Strange.
The Beachcombers years
The role of his career arrived in 1972 when he was signed to play Nick Adonidas in The BeachcombersThe Beachcombers
The Beachcombers is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that ran from October 1, 1972 to December 12, 1990 and is the longest-running dramatic series ever made for English-language Canadian television...
, a comedy-adventure-drama set on the west coast of Canada. The Beachcombers
The Beachcombers
The Beachcombers is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that ran from October 1, 1972 to December 12, 1990 and is the longest-running dramatic series ever made for English-language Canadian television...
ran for 387 episodes between 1972 and 1990 and remains Canada's longest-ever running weekly dramatic series.
During part of his time with The Beachcombers
The Beachcombers
The Beachcombers is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that ran from October 1, 1972 to December 12, 1990 and is the longest-running dramatic series ever made for English-language Canadian television...
, Gerussi hosted the popular CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
cooking program Celebrity Cooks
Celebrity Cooks
Celebrity Cooks was a Canadian cooking show independently produced by Initiative Productions and aired on the CBC from 1975 to 1979 and on Global from 1980 to 1984. It was syndicated throughout Canada and the United States from 1980 to 1989. It was hosted by Bruno Gerussi who introduced various...
in the late 1970s. The series featured the last public appearance of actor Bob Crane
Bob Crane
Robert Edward "Bob" Crane was an American actor and disc jockey, best known for his performance as Colonel Robert E...
of Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
fame, who was murdered soon afterwards. The taping of Crane's episode was recreated in the 2002 film, Auto Focus
Auto Focus
Auto Focus is a 2002 American biographical film directed by Paul Schrader that stars Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe. The screenplay by Michael Gerbosi is based on the book The Murder of Bob Crane by Robert Graysmith....
in which actor John Kapelos
John Kapelos
John Kapelos is a Canadian actor from London, Ontario. He is best known for his portrayals of janitor Carl Reed in The Breakfast Club and Detective Donald Schanke in Forever Knight....
portrayed Gerussi.
Gerussi's popularity in Celebrity Cooks led him to become commercial spokesperson for one of the first lines of microwave oven
Microwave oven
A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that heats food by dielectric heating, using microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules within the food...
s to be made available for home use in Canada in the late-1970s/early-1980s.
He was the host of the first Genie Awards broadcast in 1980. The Genies are the primary honours for Canadian cinema.
After The Beachcombers
Canadian rock group Bruno Gerussi's Medallion performed at the Beachcombers wrap party on August 4, 1990 at the Gibsons Curling Rink.On 21 November 1995, Bruno Gerussi died of a heart attack in Vancouver at the home of his companion, Supreme Court Judge Nancy Morrison.
The TV movie The New Beachcombers (2002), was dedicated in his memory. However, this did not lead to a new series of The Beachcombers
The Beachcombers
The Beachcombers is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that ran from October 1, 1972 to December 12, 1990 and is the longest-running dramatic series ever made for English-language Canadian television...
.
Awards and recognition
Gerussi received a Gemini AwardGemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
nomination for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Continuing Dramatic Role in 1990 for the final season of The Beachcombers.
He won the Geminis' Earle Grey Award
Earle Grey Award
The Earle Grey Award is the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Canadian Gemini Awards. The Earle Grey Award is presented annually to an actor or actress in recognition of their body of work in television...
posthumously for lifetime achievement in 1996. His children Rico & Tina accepted it on his behalf.
Filmography
- 1962: Alexander Galt: The Stubborn Idealist (movie)
- 1962: Twelfth Night (TV)
- 1967: Do Not Fold, Staple, Spindle, or Mutilate (movie)
- 1972-1990: The BeachcombersThe BeachcombersThe Beachcombers is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that ran from October 1, 1972 to December 12, 1990 and is the longest-running dramatic series ever made for English-language Canadian television...
(CBC TelevisionCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
dramatic series) - 1975-1979: Celebrity CooksCelebrity CooksCelebrity Cooks was a Canadian cooking show independently produced by Initiative Productions and aired on the CBC from 1975 to 1979 and on Global from 1980 to 1984. It was syndicated throughout Canada and the United States from 1980 to 1989. It was hosted by Bruno Gerussi who introduced various...
(CBC TelevisionCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
daytime series) - 1980: The NewcomersThe Newcomers (TV miniseries)The Newcomers was a series of seven hour-long Canadian television specials that aired from 1977 to 1980 on CBC Television. The series was sponsored by Imperial Oil to mark the company's 100th anniversary in 1980....
("1978" episode; limited TV series) - 1987: Moving Day (TV movie)
- 1991: The Hitman (movie)
- 1995: Prince for a Day (TV movie)
- 1995: "Under My Skin" (TV movie)