Bill Turnbull is a Canadian actor best known for his role of Curtis Weaver in the cult horror-comedy television series Todd and the Book of Pure Evil. Other notable TV roles include live-action/animated sitcom The Stanley Dynamic as Doop, comedy-drama Being Erica as Dave, and as Trevor in satirical superhero series The Boys. Film appearances include True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet (2008), The Vow (2012), Cottage Country (2013), and Fatman (2020).
Bill Turnbull | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1995–present |
Personal life
editTurnbull grew up in Toronto[1][2] and began acting at a young age.[3] He plays the drums and has played with several bands, like goth folk group Golden Feral, in the Toronto area.[3][4]
Career
edit2009–2011 From season two onwards, Turnbull played recurring character Dave on mystical comedy-drama series Being Erica. Turnbull's character was first the manager of the coffee shop "Goblins" and eventually, with his partner Ivan (played by Michael Northey), owner.[5] Dave and Ivan would eventually marry in season four episode: "Erica's Adventures in Wonderland".[6]
2010: Turnbull was cast in the series Todd and the Book of Pure Evil[7] as Curtis Weaver, the best friend of the titular character, who just wants to smoke weed and listen to heavy metal music but ends up fighting supernatural evil.[4] Turnbull said of his character: "I liked that he was a sweet, lovable, cuddly dummy. He was a genuine and loyal dude".[8] While the character he played had a missing lower-left-arm in the series, the actor does in fact have both limbs and used special prosthetics to achieve the effect.[8] Turnbull returned the next year when the series was renewed for a second season.[9][10]
Turnbull and the original cast were reunited to voice their roles in Todd and The Book of Pure Evil: The End of the End,[11] an animated feature film that served as a conclusion to the television series after it went out on a cliffhanger at the end of season two.[12] The film was released in 2017.[13]
From 2015–2017 Turnbull played Doop on the sitcom that blended live-action with animation, The Stanley Dynamic. The show centered around a family who had twin sons, one of whom was an animated cartoon. Doop was the eccentric, workaholic caretaker of the local Community Centre who often gets wrapped up in the family's shennigans.[14][15]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Right Way | Matt | |
| 2006 | The Naked Mile | Beer Guy | |
| 2008 | True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet | Dan | |
| 2012 | The Vow | Funky Clerk | |
| 2013 | Cottage Country | Stoned Kid | |
| 2017 | Todd and the Book of Pure Evil: The End of the End | Curtis Weaver (voice) | Animated feature film |
| 2018 | Little Italy | Hipster Barista | |
| 2020 | Fatman | Elf 23 | [16] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Johnny & Clyde | Football Player | TV movie |
| 1996 | Goosebumps | Sam | 1 episode: s02e09 "Ghost Beach" |
| 1997 | Real Kids, Real Adventures | Bean | |
| 1998 | Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension | Bully | 1 episode |
| 1999 | Tales from the Cryptkeeper | Teen Clerk (voice) | Cartoon TV series, 1 episode: s03e11 "It's for You" |
| 2007, 2009 | The Jon Dore Television Show | Writers Room: Writer #1, Writers Room: Nerdy Writer #1 | 2 episodes: s01e07 "STD", s2e09 "Jon Saves the Planet" |
| 2009 | The Best Years | Travis | 1 episode: s02e05 "Destiny" |
| 2009–2011 | Being Erica | M.C., Dave | 23 episodes |
| 2010–2012 | Todd and the Book of Pure Evil | Curtis Weaver | 26 episodes |
| 2012 | Degrassi: The Next Generation | Max | 5 episodes |
| 2012 | Home Alone: The Holiday Heist | Simon | TV movie |
| 2016 | Rio Heat | TV movie, AKA Paradise Inc. | |
| 2017 | Salvation | Carnahan | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2017 | The Stanley Dynamic | Doop | 40 episodes |
| 2017 | Haunters: The Musical | Gary | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | The Boys | Trevor | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Private Eyes | Trent Shakeley | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Angel Falls Christmas | Bob | TV movie |
| 2023 | Accused | Conspiracist #1 | |
| 2024 | Murdoch Mysteries | Byron | 1 episode: s18e01 "The New Recruit" |
Awards and nominations
editTurnbull and fellow lead cast members of Todd and the Book of Pure Evil were nominated[17] for Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series for the highly rated[18] musical episode "The Phantom of Crowley High" at the 2011 Gemini Awards, which they went on to win.[19][20]
References
edit- ^ Bill Turnbull's bio at www.cbc.ca
- ^ "A win for The Peg; A slew of film shoots has brought an influx of creative types to Manitoba's capital, and they like what they see" by Amy Rosen, National Post (22 May 2010) Retrieved from ProQuest 324547533
- ^ a b "“A Day in the Life” with Toronto actor and writer Bill Turnbull" by Joel Levy at torontoguardian.com
- ^ a b "Todd & The Book of Pure Evil in production for Space" by Diane Wild at www.tv-eh.com
- ^ "Being Erica in production and in reruns" by Diane Wild at www.tv-eh.com
- ^ "Being Erica recap, episode 9: wherein we learn that no man could ever not love Erica Strange" by Fraser Abe at torontolife.com
- ^ "Moves & Signings" at playbackonline.ca
- ^ a b "Retrospective Part Two: TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL" by Derek Anderson at dailydead.com (Originally appeared in the January 2015 issue of DEADLY Magazine)
- ^ "Todd & The Book of Pure Evil season 2 in production" by Diane Wild at www.tv-eh.com
- ^ "FEARnet Confirms a Second Season of Todd & the Book of Pure Evil" by Steve Barton at www.dreadcentral.com
- ^ "Telefilm invests $8.1M across 14 features" by Julianna Cummins at playbackonline.ca
- ^ "Why You Should Watch ‘Todd and the Book of Pure Evil’!" by Luiz H. C. at bloody-disgusting.com
- ^ "Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil: The End Of The End Review – A Heavy Metal Massacre In Cartoon Form" by Matt Donato at www.dreadcentral.com
- ^ "Orangeville’s Tiny Tim grows up and hits the small screen" by James Matthews at orangeville.com
- ^ "BubbleCAN Review: The Stanley Dynamic “The Stanley Halloween”" by Taylor Wyatt at www.bubbleblabber.com
- ^ "Review: Fatman Squanders Its Lurid One-Joke Premise with Literal-Mindedness" by Chuck Bowen at www.slantmagazine.com
- ^ "Gemini nominations announced: Flashpoint leads, once again, and controversial Kennedys miniseries gets some nods" by Mishki Vaccaro at torontolife.com
- ^ "10 Best “Todd and the Book of Pure Evil” Episodes!" by Matt Donato at bloody-disgusting.com
- ^ "Todd and the Book of Pure Evil proves a screaming hit" by Bill Brioux at www.thestar.com
- ^ "Call Me Fitz comes up big at Geminis" by Etan Vlessing at playbackonline.ca