{{short description|Canadian television writer and actor (born 1943)|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Infobox person | name = Louis Del Grande | birth_date = {{birth date and age|March 23, 1943}} | birth_place = Union City, New Jersey, U.S. | known_for = Seeing Things | occupation = Actor, screenwriter, producer | years_active = 1964–2016 | spouse = Martha Gibson }}
'''Louis Del Grande''' (born March 23, 1943) is a retired American-Canadian actor, comedian, and television writer. He is best known as the co-creator and star of the mystery-comedy CBC Television series ''Seeing Things'' (1981–87). He won four Gemini Awards for his work on the series, two for Best Actor in a Comedy Series and two for Best Comedy Series.
==Early life== Del Grande was born and raised in Union City, New Jersey. At age 16, Del Grande began acting in New York City, eventually landing a part in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.<ref name="NYT">{{Cite news |last=Kaufman |first=Michael T. |date=1984-05-21 |title=AMERICAN MYSTERY SERIES FOR CANADIAN TV A HIT |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/21/arts/american-mystery-series-for-canadian-tv-a-hit.html |access-date=2023-02-04 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=February 1, 1985 |title=Keeping an eye on Seeing Things creator Louis Del Grande |url=https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.3234681 |access-date=20 Oct 2025 |website=cbc.ca}}</ref>
==Career== Del Grande moved to Toronto in 1964, drawn to Canada by the Stratford Festival,<ref name="NYT" /> and soon found work as a stand-up comedian and comedy writer. In 1975, he was hired as head writer for a new sitcom, ''The King of Kensington'', which became a hit in Canada until the end of the decade. He also appeared in the show a handful of times as Fred, a friend of Al Waxman's lead character Larry King. Del Grande later became (with Jack Humphries) the show's co-producer (a ''Fifth Estate'' documentary said the two producers ran ''Kensington'' "with an iron hand").
After a brief stint in Hollywood, Del Grande returned to Toronto where he created, wrote and produced ''Seeing Things'',<ref name="NYT"/> which aired from 1981 to 1987. Del Grande played a crime-solving clairvoyant tabloid reporter who was separated from his wife Marge (played by Del Grande's real-life wife, actress Martha Gibson). The series was popular and won Del Grande four Gemini Awards, two for best actor in a comedy and two for the show itself.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}
Outside Canada, Del Grande is probably best known as the ConSec scanner in the infamous "head explosion" scene in the David Cronenberg movie ''Scanners''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Meyers |first=Ric |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z3tRjWcqzogC&dq=Louis+Del+Grande+scanners&pg=PA184 |title=For One Week Only: The World of Exploitation Films |date=2011 |publisher=Eirini Press |isbn=978-0-9799989-3-5 |language=en}}</ref> He has also appeared in numerous theatrical and television movies and series, including ''Monkeys in the Attic'', ''Due South'', ''The Outer Limits'' and ''Goosebumps''.
== Personal life == Del Grande is married to actress Martha Gibson.
== Filmography ==
=== Film === {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ !Year !Title !Role !class="unsortable" | Notes |- |1973 |''Monkeys in the Attic'' |Frederick | |- |1976 |''Second Wind'' |Howie | |- |1980 |''Atlantic City'' |Mr. Shapiro | |- |1981 |''Scanners'' |First Scanner | |- |1981 |''Happy Birthday to Me'' |Surgeon | |- |1983 |''Of Unknown Origin'' |Clete | |- |1989 |''Speed Zone'' |Mr. Benson | |- |1992 |''Buried on Sunday'' |Prime Minister | |- |1993 |''Cadillac Girls'' |Adam | |- |1997 |''Hostile Intent'' |Soames | |- |2016 |data-sort-value="Second Time Around, The" | ''The Second Time Around'' |Charlie | |}
=== Television === {| class="wikitable sortable" !Year !Title !Role !class="unsortable" | Notes |- |1973–75 |''Dr. Simon Locke'' |Man / Al Kutner / Boulder |3 episodes |- |1975-79 |''King of Kensington'' |Fred |Actor; 2 episodes<br>Writer; 4 episodes |- |1978 |''Home to Stay'' |Richard | rowspan="2" |Television film |- |1978 |''Tom and Joann'' |Norman |- |1980, 1981 |data-sort-value="Littlest Hobo, The" | ''The Littlest Hobo'' |Kent / Detective Woods |2 episodes |- |1981 |data-sort-value="Far Cry from Home, A" | ''A Far Cry from Home'' |Lawyer |Television film |- |1981–87 |''Seeing Things'' |Louis Ciccone |Actor; 43 episodes<br>Writer; 2 episodes<br>Co-creator |- |1988 |data-sort-value="Elephant Show, The" | ''The Elephant Show'' |Willy Bookem |Episode: "The Early Years" |- |1990 |''Sanity Clause'' |Leo | rowspan="2" |Television film |- |1990 |''Clarence'' |Brimmer |- |1991 |''Tropical Heat'' |Glenn Lawson |Episode: "Big Brother Is Watching" |- |1995 |''Sugartime'' |Chuckie English |Television film |- |1996 |''Due South'' |Lyndon Buxley |Episode: "We Are the Eggmen" |- |1997 |''F/X: The Series'' |Director |Episode: "Medea" |- |1997 |''North Shore Fish'' |Markie | rowspan="3" |Television film |- |1997 |''Let Me Call You Sweetheart'' |Joe |- |1997 |''Galileo: On the Shoulders of Giants'' |Colombe |- |1998 |data-sort-value="Outer Limits, The" | ''The Outer Limits'' |Detective Renfro |Episode: "Criminal Nature" |- |1998 |data-sort-value="Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The" | ''The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'' |Frank Stonehouse |Television film |- |1998 |''Goosebumps'' |Mr. Saur |Episode: "Say Cheese and Die... Again" |- |1998 |data-sort-value="Dumb Bunnies, The" | ''The Dumb Bunnies'' |Mr. Grudge |Episode: "Stressed to Impress" |- |1998 |''Traders'' |Sonny Palin |Episode: "Independence Days" |- |1999 |''Family of Cops 3'' |Sean the Bartender |Television film |- |1999 |''Ned's Newt'' |Dump Hermit / Big Criminal | rowspan="2" |2 episodes |- |1999, 2002 |''Lexx'' |Louie / Roada |- |2000 |''Big Wolf on Campus'' |Dr. Frank Stein |Episode: "Frank Stein" |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|id=0215581}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Del Grande, Louis}} Category:1943 births Category:20th-century American male writers Category:20th-century American screenwriters Category:20th-century Canadian male writers Category:20th-century Canadian screenwriters Category:21st-century American male writers Category:21st-century American screenwriters Category:21st-century Canadian male writers Category:21st-century Canadian screenwriters Category:Actors from Union City, New Jersey Category:American emigrants to Canada Category:American male comedians Category:American male film actors Category:American male screenwriters Category:American male television actors Category:Best Actor in a Comedy Series Canadian Screen Award winners Category:Canadian male comedians Category:Canadian male film actors Category:Canadian male screenwriters Category:Canadian male television actors Category:Comedians from Hudson County, New Jersey Category:Comedians from Toronto Category:Living people Category:Male actors from Hudson County, New Jersey