Kenneth Clifford Welsh, CM (March 30, 1942 – May 5, 2022)[2][3] was a Canadian actor,[4] who made over 300 stage, film, and television appearances over a nearly 60-year career.
Educated at the National Theatre School, he was a member of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival for six years,[5] before to New York and appearing in many Off-Broadway and Broadway plays.
He was well-known to television audiences for his portrayal of the multi-faceted villain Windom Earle on Twin Peaks (1990-91), and for playing Dr. Watson in a series of CTV Sherlock Holmes telefilms.
[5] He continued his acting studies at the University of Alberta under Gordon Peacock,[7] before moving to Montreal to attend the National Theatre School.
During the 1980's, he starred in such notable Broadway productions as Piaf, The Real Thing, Social Security, and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.
Emmerich stated that the character of the vice-president in the film was intended to be a not-so-subtle criticism of the environmental policies of the George W. Bush administration.
[19] Welsh's best-known television role is as Windom Earle, the primary antagonist and cunning foil to Dale Cooper, during the second season of the Twin Peaks (1990-91, 2017).
Welsh won four Gemini Awards out of six total nominations - Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Limited Series for And Then You Die (1987), Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and JoAnn Thatcher (1987), and Hiroshima (1995).
He made guest appearances on numerous series, including Seeing Things, the 1980s revival of The Twilight Zone, The X-Files, Due South,[20] Law & Order, The Practice, Murdoch Mysteries, Stargate Atlantis, Slings & Arrows,[21] The Expanse, The Blacklist, Lodge 49, and The Kids in the Hall.
"[28] Upon his death, the official ACTRA Twitter account eulogized him saying "Ken was one of Canada’s all-time great performers, with hundreds of memorable roles spanning decades.