Kerry Shale

Kerry Shale (born 1952 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) is a Canadian actor.

After training at Studio 58 Theatre School in Vancouver and beginning his career in that city, he moved to London where he has been living and working since 1978. He is married to Suzanne Shale, a former Oxford law don, currently a lecturer and medical ethicist.

Shale’s theatre credits include six solo shows (five of which he wrote) which he has performed in Edinburgh, London, Berlin, Sydney, Cape Town and Off Broadway. Other stage work includes "His Girl Friday" at the National Theatre, "Aunt Dan & Lemon" at the Almeida, "True West" for Shared Experience Theatre, "Henry V" at the Bristol Old Vic, "The Normal Heart" at the Royal Court, "The Exonerated" at the Riverside Studios and "Frost/Nixon" at the Donmar Theatre and in the West End.

British television appearances include "10 Days To War" (2008), "Not Going Out" (2007), the Stephen Poliakoff film "Gideon's Daughter" (2006) and "Love Soup" by David Renwick (2005), as well as episodes of "Cracker", Sherlock Holmes, "Sharpe’s Rifles" and "The Tomorrow People" (1994). He played "Mr Beaver" in the BBC TV series "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" (1988).

Shale's many film appearances include Michael Winterbottom's "Genova" (release date 2009), the Emmy Award-winning HBO production "RKO 281" in which he played composer Bernard Herrmann, "The Jacket", "102 Dalmatians", "Code 46", "Max", "Welcome To Sarajevo", "Jude", "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Yentl".

He has acted in over 200 BBC radio plays, read Bill Bryson's travel books on the radio and as audio books, has won a Sony Award as Best UK Radio Actor and a Writers' Guild Award for his radio dramatization of "Dr Strangelove". Shale's most recent radio script was his adaptation of Budd Schulberg's boxing novel "The Harder They Fall", starring Dominic Chianese.

He has written columns, reviews and sketches for BBC Radio, articles for "The Guardian" and "The Word" and a BAFTA-nominated video game (Dog’s Life). He presented "Kerry Shale's Listy Show", an eclectic music program on Oneword Radio and appeared at tributes to Bob Dylan and Bernard Herrmann at London’s Barbican Centre.

In the past few years, he has appeared as a panelist on BBC television and radio review programs such as "Newsnight Review" and "Saturday Review".

Shale's many audio books include "Life of Pi" (Reader of the Year, APA Awards) and "Q & A" (Audie Award Winner, Best Abridged Fiction).

In the early to mid 90s, Shale lent his voice to UK cartoon series such as "Dennis the Menace", "Budgie The Little Helicopter" and "Dr. Zitbag's Transylvania Pet Shop". Currently, he plays the part of "Big Chris" in the US version of the popular children's animated series "Roary The Racing Car".

He has provided voices for over 60 video games, including the title role in Marvel's "The Punisher".

External links

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* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/review/panel/4700583.stm Newsnight Review biography]