Gig Morton
Encyclopedia
Gig Morton is a Canadian actor. Beginning a professional career as a child actor at the age of nine, Morton is a six time Young Artist Award
nominee, best known for his role as B-Dawg's boy, "Billy" in four installments of the Air Buddies
film franchise, Air Buddies
, Snow Buddies
, Space Buddies
, and Santa Buddies
, as well as for his co-starring role as "Derby" on the Canadian teen sitcom, Mr. Young
.
. "Gig" is Morton's given name and, when asked about where the name originated during an interview with Celebuzz
, Morton explained - "It’s actually my real name that’s on my birth certificate. It’s a funny story: when my dad was little — my dad’s name is Gary — his little brother couldn’t say Gary, so he called him ‘Gig’ and that became his nickname. And everyone calls him Gig besides my Nana, my dad’s mom."
Raised in Courtenay, British Columbia
, Morton began acting at the age of seven when his sisters were doing community theatre. His mother and his sisters convinced him to audition, and he ended up landing his first role in the Rainbow Youth Theatre's production of The Wizard of Oz. After discovering his love for musical theatre, Morton would go on to appear in numerous musical stage productions, including lead roles in the Vanier Senior Secondary's production of Adventures in the Forest, the Red Room Studio's production of Oliver!
and the Courtenay Little Theatre's production of Peter Pan
.
, and has since appeared in numerous commercials for Aviva Insurance
, Kellogg's and Mattel
among others. In 2006, Morton made his film debut, appearing as the boy (known in later films as "Billy") selected to adopt the golden retriever
puppy, "B-Dawg" in the Walt Disney
family comedy, Air Buddies
, and made his television debut the following year with a small guest-starring role on the detective series, Psych
.
In 2008, Morton reprised his role as "Billy" in the second installment of the Air Buddies
franchise, Snow Buddies
, and landed his first starring role in the black comedy
short film The Escape of Conrad Lard-Bottom. Later that same year he starred in the holiday fantasy film, Christmas Town
as "Mason McCann", a boy who, along with his mother, discovers a town where Santa Claus
and his elves are working. These roles earned Morton a total of three Young Artist Award
nominations the following year as "Best Young Actor in a DVD film" for his role as "Billy" in Snow Buddies, "Best Young Actor in a Short Film" for his role as "Conrad Lard-Bottom" in The Excape of Conrad Lard-Bottom and "Best Young Actor in a TV Movie" for his role as "Mason McCann" in Christmas Town.
In 2009, Morton appeared as "Tommy Shatterfield" in the pilot
for the family television drama, Mistresses, and as "John" in the western television movie, Angel and the Bad Man. That same year, he once again reprised his role as "Billy" in the third and fourth installments of the Air Buddies franchise, Space Buddies
and Santa Buddies
. Morton was once again recognized with two Young Artist Award
nominations the following year as "Best Supporting Actor in a TV Movie" for his role as "John" in Angel and the Bad Man and as "Best Young Actor in a DVD Film" for his role as "Billy" in Santa Buddies.
In 2010, Morton guest-starred on the crime series Shattered as "Stephen Alvert", the son of a wealthy German immigrant who is being investigated for murder. His dramatic performance earned him his sixth Young Artist Award
nomination the following year as "Best Young Guest-Starring Actor, age 14-17, in a TV Series". In 2011, Morton appeared in a co-starring role as "Carl", one of three travelers who share a taxi with a slacker who believes he is Jesus
in the comedy short, Jesus, Chris. That same year, Morton landed a co-starring role on the teen situation comedy, Mr. Young
, playing "Derby", the naive, but loyal best friend to a 14-year-old boy genius, played by Brendan Meyer
, who takes a job as a high school science teacher.
alongside his fellow co-stars, Brendan Meyer
and Matreya Fedor. At the age of ten, after discovering his passion for musical theatre and dance, Morton began taking performance arts classes, studying acting, singing, guitar, hip-hop dancing, tap dancing and ballet
. When he isn't busy with work and school, Morton enjoys swimming, skateboarding, fencing, biking, soccer, basketball, trampoline, yo-yo tricks, video games, and robot building.
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
nominee, best known for his role as B-Dawg's boy, "Billy" in four installments of the Air Buddies
Air Bud (series)
The Air Bud film series is an American film franchise based on a sports-playing golden retriever named Buddy, portrayed by Air Buddy. The franchise began in 1997 with the theatrical release of Air Bud, followed by the theatrical release of Air Bud: Golden Receiver in 1998...
film franchise, Air Buddies
Air Buddies
Air Buddies is the sixth film in the Air Bud series and the first in the direct to video spin-off series Air Buddies, which follows the life of a lonely teenager and his dog who has the uncanny ability to play every sport. The film was released on December 12, 2006...
, Snow Buddies
Snow Buddies
Snow Buddies is a 2008 direct to video in the Air Bud series. It was released on DVD on February 5, 2008. The movie was shot on location in Canada at Mount Seymore and the town of Ladner, British Columbia.-Plot:...
, Space Buddies
Space Buddies
Space Buddies is a 2009 family comedy film. It is the third film in the Air Buddies series. It was released February 3, 2009. Like Air Buddies and Snow Buddies, this film was released directly on DVD and became the first Air Bud film to be released on Blu-ray.-Plot:The film starts as Buddha and...
, and Santa Buddies
Santa Buddies
Santa Buddies is a 2009 direct to video film. It is the fourth instalment of the Air Buddies spin-off series, and ninth film in the entire Air Bud franchise...
, as well as for his co-starring role as "Derby" on the Canadian teen sitcom, Mr. Young
Mr. Young
Mr. Young is a Canadian television series that premiered on March 1, 2011 on YTV. The series is shot in front of a live audience in Burnaby, British Columbia....
.
Early life
Gig Morton was born March 22, 1996 in Comox, British ColumbiaComox, British Columbia
Comox is a town of 12,000 people located on a small peninsula in the Georgia Strait on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The warm dry summers, mild winters, fertile soil and abundant sea life attracted First Nations thousands of years ago, who called the area kw’umuxws...
. "Gig" is Morton's given name and, when asked about where the name originated during an interview with Celebuzz
Celebuzz
Celebuzz.com is a social media destination that focuses exclusively on celebrity culture. Based in Hollywood, CA Celebuzz is run by Buzz Media, Inc., a media company also home to Buzznet, a social media network that is predominately centered around music...
, Morton explained - "It’s actually my real name that’s on my birth certificate. It’s a funny story: when my dad was little — my dad’s name is Gary — his little brother couldn’t say Gary, so he called him ‘Gig’ and that became his nickname. And everyone calls him Gig besides my Nana, my dad’s mom."
Raised in Courtenay, British Columbia
Courtenay, British Columbia
Courtenay is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the largest city in the area commonly known as the Comox Valley, and it is the seat of the Comox Valley Regional District which replaced the Comox-Strathcona Regional District...
, Morton began acting at the age of seven when his sisters were doing community theatre. His mother and his sisters convinced him to audition, and he ended up landing his first role in the Rainbow Youth Theatre's production of The Wizard of Oz. After discovering his love for musical theatre, Morton would go on to appear in numerous musical stage productions, including lead roles in the Vanier Senior Secondary's production of Adventures in the Forest, the Red Room Studio's production of Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
and the Courtenay Little Theatre's production of Peter Pan
Peter Pan (1954 musical)
Peter Pan is a musical adaptation of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and Barrie's own novelization of it, Peter and Wendy. The music is mostly by Mark "Moose" Charlap, with additional music by Jule Styne, and most of the lyrics were written by Carolyn Leigh, with additional lyrics by Betty...
.
Career
Morton began his professional acting career in 2005 at the age of nine, appearing in a commercial for Save-On-FoodsSave-On-Foods
Save On Foods is a chain of supermarkets located across the Western Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Founded in 1982, it is a subsidiary of the Overwaitea Food Group, which, in turn, is owned by the Vancouver-based Jim Pattison Group....
, and has since appeared in numerous commercials for Aviva Insurance
Aviva
Aviva plc is a global insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has 53 million customers in 28 countries...
, Kellogg's and Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
among others. In 2006, Morton made his film debut, appearing as the boy (known in later films as "Billy") selected to adopt the golden retriever
Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is a medium-sized breed of dog. They were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties. As such, they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and have an instinctive love...
puppy, "B-Dawg" in the Walt Disney
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
family comedy, Air Buddies
Air Buddies
Air Buddies is the sixth film in the Air Bud series and the first in the direct to video spin-off series Air Buddies, which follows the life of a lonely teenager and his dog who has the uncanny ability to play every sport. The film was released on December 12, 2006...
, and made his television debut the following year with a small guest-starring role on the detective series, Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
.
In 2008, Morton reprised his role as "Billy" in the second installment of the Air Buddies
Air Bud (series)
The Air Bud film series is an American film franchise based on a sports-playing golden retriever named Buddy, portrayed by Air Buddy. The franchise began in 1997 with the theatrical release of Air Bud, followed by the theatrical release of Air Bud: Golden Receiver in 1998...
franchise, Snow Buddies
Snow Buddies
Snow Buddies is a 2008 direct to video in the Air Bud series. It was released on DVD on February 5, 2008. The movie was shot on location in Canada at Mount Seymore and the town of Ladner, British Columbia.-Plot:...
, and landed his first starring role in the black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
short film The Escape of Conrad Lard-Bottom. Later that same year he starred in the holiday fantasy film, Christmas Town
Christmas Town
Christmas Town is a 2008 direct-to-video film starring Nicole de Boer and Patrick Muldoon.As of 2009, it was shown on television in the 25 Days of Christmas programming block on ABC Family, but it was not in the block in 2010.-Plot:...
as "Mason McCann", a boy who, along with his mother, discovers a town where Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
and his elves are working. These roles earned Morton a total of three Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
nominations the following year as "Best Young Actor in a DVD film" for his role as "Billy" in Snow Buddies, "Best Young Actor in a Short Film" for his role as "Conrad Lard-Bottom" in The Excape of Conrad Lard-Bottom and "Best Young Actor in a TV Movie" for his role as "Mason McCann" in Christmas Town.
In 2009, Morton appeared as "Tommy Shatterfield" in the pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
for the family television drama, Mistresses, and as "John" in the western television movie, Angel and the Bad Man. That same year, he once again reprised his role as "Billy" in the third and fourth installments of the Air Buddies franchise, Space Buddies
Space Buddies
Space Buddies is a 2009 family comedy film. It is the third film in the Air Buddies series. It was released February 3, 2009. Like Air Buddies and Snow Buddies, this film was released directly on DVD and became the first Air Bud film to be released on Blu-ray.-Plot:The film starts as Buddha and...
and Santa Buddies
Santa Buddies
Santa Buddies is a 2009 direct to video film. It is the fourth instalment of the Air Buddies spin-off series, and ninth film in the entire Air Bud franchise...
. Morton was once again recognized with two Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
nominations the following year as "Best Supporting Actor in a TV Movie" for his role as "John" in Angel and the Bad Man and as "Best Young Actor in a DVD Film" for his role as "Billy" in Santa Buddies.
In 2010, Morton guest-starred on the crime series Shattered as "Stephen Alvert", the son of a wealthy German immigrant who is being investigated for murder. His dramatic performance earned him his sixth Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
nomination the following year as "Best Young Guest-Starring Actor, age 14-17, in a TV Series". In 2011, Morton appeared in a co-starring role as "Carl", one of three travelers who share a taxi with a slacker who believes he is Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
in the comedy short, Jesus, Chris. That same year, Morton landed a co-starring role on the teen situation comedy, Mr. Young
Mr. Young
Mr. Young is a Canadian television series that premiered on March 1, 2011 on YTV. The series is shot in front of a live audience in Burnaby, British Columbia....
, playing "Derby", the naive, but loyal best friend to a 14-year-old boy genius, played by Brendan Meyer
Brendan Meyer
Brendan Meyer is a Canadian teen actor, known for his role as Adam Young in Mr. Young and Nelson Ort in the television program Dinosapien.-Filmography:-Awards/Nominations:-External links:...
, who takes a job as a high school science teacher.
Personal life
Morton lives in Vancouver, British Columbia and attends school on the set of Mr. YoungMr. Young
Mr. Young is a Canadian television series that premiered on March 1, 2011 on YTV. The series is shot in front of a live audience in Burnaby, British Columbia....
alongside his fellow co-stars, Brendan Meyer
Brendan Meyer
Brendan Meyer is a Canadian teen actor, known for his role as Adam Young in Mr. Young and Nelson Ort in the television program Dinosapien.-Filmography:-Awards/Nominations:-External links:...
and Matreya Fedor. At the age of ten, after discovering his passion for musical theatre and dance, Morton began taking performance arts classes, studying acting, singing, guitar, hip-hop dancing, tap dancing and ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
. When he isn't busy with work and school, Morton enjoys swimming, skateboarding, fencing, biking, soccer, basketball, trampoline, yo-yo tricks, video games, and robot building.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | Air Buddies Air Buddies Air Buddies is the sixth film in the Air Bud series and the first in the direct to video spin-off series Air Buddies, which follows the life of a lonely teenager and his dog who has the uncanny ability to play every sport. The film was released on December 12, 2006... |
B-Dawg Boy (aka: Billy) | Direct-to-DVD |
| 2008 | Snow Buddies Snow Buddies Snow Buddies is a 2008 direct to video in the Air Bud series. It was released on DVD on February 5, 2008. The movie was shot on location in Canada at Mount Seymore and the town of Ladner, British Columbia.-Plot:... |
Billy | Direct-to-DVD |
| 2008 | The Escape of Conrad Lard-Bottom | Conrad Lard-Bottom | Short film |
| 2008 | Christmas Town Christmas Town Christmas Town is a 2008 direct-to-video film starring Nicole de Boer and Patrick Muldoon.As of 2009, it was shown on television in the 25 Days of Christmas programming block on ABC Family, but it was not in the block in 2010.-Plot:... |
Mason | Direct-to-DVD |
| 2009 | Space Buddies Space Buddies Space Buddies is a 2009 family comedy film. It is the third film in the Air Buddies series. It was released February 3, 2009. Like Air Buddies and Snow Buddies, this film was released directly on DVD and became the first Air Bud film to be released on Blu-ray.-Plot:The film starts as Buddha and... |
Billy | Direct-to-DVD |
| 2009 | Santa Buddies Santa Buddies Santa Buddies is a 2009 direct to video film. It is the fourth instalment of the Air Buddies spin-off series, and ninth film in the entire Air Bud franchise... |
Billy | Direct-to-DVD |
| 2010 | Elopement | Skateboard kid | Feature film |
| 2011 | Jesus Chris | Carl | Short film |
| Television | |||
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Psych Psych Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts... |
Finn | Episode: "Gus's Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy" |
| 2008 | Past Lies | Jacob | TV movie |
| 2008 | Fear Itself Fear Itself (TV series) Fear Itself was a horror/suspense anthology television series shot in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with some additional shooting in the city of St. Albert and the town of Devon, Alberta. It began airing on June 5, 2008 on NBC.... |
Sean Mahoney | Episode: "Family Man" |
| 2009 | Mistresses | Tommy Satterfield | Pilot |
| 2009 | Impact Impact (TV miniseries) Impact is a mini-series about a meteor shower which eventually sends the moon on a collision course with Earth. The two-part mini-series premiered February 14 and 15, 2009 on the Canadian premium television channel Super Channel and was also shown on ABC on June 21 and 28, 2009 and on Alpha TV on... |
Markus | Miniseries: Part 2 |
| 2009 | Angel and the Bad Man | John | TV movie |
| 2010 | Shattered | Stephan | Episode: Wheres the Line? |
| 2011–present | Mr. Young Mr. Young Mr. Young is a Canadian television series that premiered on March 1, 2011 on YTV. The series is shot in front of a live audience in Burnaby, British Columbia.... |
Derby | Co-starring |
Awards
| Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Award | Category | Film/Series | Result | Ref. |
| 2009 | Young Artist Award Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist... |
Best Performance in a Short Film - Young Actor | The Escape of Conrad Lard-bottom | ||
| Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special - Leading Young Actor | Christmas Town Christmas Town Christmas Town is a 2008 direct-to-video film starring Nicole de Boer and Patrick Muldoon.As of 2009, it was shown on television in the 25 Days of Christmas programming block on ABC Family, but it was not in the block in 2010.-Plot:... |
||||
| Best Performance in a DVD Film | Snow Buddies Snow Buddies Snow Buddies is a 2008 direct to video in the Air Bud series. It was released on DVD on February 5, 2008. The movie was shot on location in Canada at Mount Seymore and the town of Ladner, British Columbia.-Plot:... |
||||
| 2010 | Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special - Supporting Actor | Angel and the Bad Man | |||
| Best Performance in a DVD Film | Santa Buddies Santa Buddies Santa Buddies is a 2009 direct to video film. It is the fourth instalment of the Air Buddies spin-off series, and ninth film in the entire Air Bud franchise... |
||||
| 2011 | Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actor 14-17 | Shattered | |||
External links
- Official Website
- Gig Morton on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...