Chris Leavins

Chris Leavins
Born	Saskatchewan, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Years active	1994—2011
Known for	Satire
Notable works	Cute With Chris
Internet information
Web alias(es)	cutewithchris
Web hosting service(s)	YouTube
Signature phrase	All your dreams are dead
Website
http://www.chrisleavins.com/

Chris Leavins is a Canadian actor^[1] and writer based in Los Angeles, USA. He has appeared in a number of successful Canadian television shows and been nominated for two Gemini Awards. Internationally, he is best known for his satirical internet show, Cute With Chris.^[2]

Leavins has been a cast member, or guest-star on some of Canada's most popular and critically acclaimed television series including Traders (Gemini Winner 1997^[3] and 1998 Best Dramatic Series), The Eleventh Hour (Gemini Winner 2002-2003 Best Dramatic Series) and Slings and Arrows (Gemini Winner 2006 Best Dramatic Series) which airs in America on the Sundance Channel. Leavins was also in the 1997 film The Hanging Garden which won four Gemini Awards.

Leavins was nominated for a Gemini Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his work as Christopher Todson in the series, Traders, in 1997, and for Best Actor in a Guest Role for his work on Slings and Arrows in 2007. He has also been nominated for a Gemini for his role in Todd and the Book of Pure Evil in 2011.

Features/TV Movies

• Nothing to Lose (1994)
• Deeply, Deeply Trunk (1996)
• The Hanging Garden (1997)
• American Whiskey Bar (TV-1998)
• Family of Cops III: Under Suspicion (TV-1999)

Television series

• Traders (1996–2000)
• Robocop (1994)
• Due South (1995)
• La Femme Nikita (1998)
• Blue Murder (2003)
• Zoe Busiek: Wild Card (2004)
• The Eleventh Hour (2003, 2004, 2005)
• Todd and the Book of Pure Evil (2010-present)

An accomplished stage performer and playwright, Leavins' shows Posterchild, The Captain, and The Best Play in the Fringe Festival Ever have been performed across North America.

After 12 years living and working in Toronto, Leavins moved to Los Angeles, USA in 2003. In 2006 he started the internet show Cute with Chris, a satirical video podcast which he writes, anchors and produces himself in his apartment.^[4] The show features photos and letters sent in by viewers, which Leavins comments on, mocks, and subjects to polls on which is cutest. His show also features co-hosts: Colty, the female plastic horse, Pervy, the larger male perverted plastic horse with racist issues, and Peanuts, a bag of polystyrene peanuts that can only be understood by Leavins. Its popularity has increased over time, and the weekly episodes now regularly attract at least 100,000 views each.^[5] Chris abruptly ceased production of the show in June 2009. As of June 2011, absolutely no information has been given as to the possibility of a return, so it can be considered to have ended permanently.

On January 30, 2008, he performed a live version of the show for free at the 99-seat Hudson Theater in Hollywood, California. The show sold out in 85 minutes.^[6] Another two shows, this time charging money for tickets, were put on at the Theatre Centre, Toronto on April 19 and April 20, 2008. Both sold out; the first in 20 minutes. Leavins has said that he sees this use of an Internet fan base to attract theatre audiences as a new model for success, and a solution to the difficulties that he experienced attracting audiences as a conventional writer and performer.^[4]

External links

• Official site
• Chris Leavins at the Internet Movie Database

References

1. ^ Leavins, Chris. "Northern Stars". http://www.northernstars.ca/actorsjkl/leavins_chris.html. 
2. ^ Ouzounian, Richard (2008-10-26). "Don't get cute!". The Star (Toronto). http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/524731. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
3. ^ "Gemini Awards 1997". http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Gemini_Awards/1997. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Tossel, Ivor (2008-04-19). "Web hit, live show thrives on the power of cute" (Fee required). The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2008-04-27. http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:JP-h_TgdC84J:www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080419.CHRIS19/. 
5. ^ Leavins, Chris. "About Me". Cute With Chris. http://chrisleavins.typepad.com/about.html. Retrieved 2008-04-27. 
6. ^ Leavins, Chris (2008-01-14). "Show Sold Out". Cute With Chris. http://chrisleavins.typepad.com/chrisleavins/2008/01/show-sold-out.html. Retrieved 2008-04-27. 

Persondata
Name	Leavins, Chris
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth	Saskatchewan, Canada
Date of death
Place of death