John Pyper-Ferguson

John Pyper-Ferguson
{{{credit}}}
Portrays:	Tomas Vergis Cole Taylor Xander Toth
Date of Birth:	February 27, 1964
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month! ,
Age:	61
Nationality:	CAN
Related Media
		@ BW Media
[ Official Site]
IMDb profile

John Pyper-Ferguson (born February 27, 1964) is a Canadian actor who portrayed three characters in the Battlestar Galactica universe. He played Tomas Vergis, the Tauron billionaire and adversary of Daniel Graystone, in Caprica. He also appeared as Captain Cole "Stinger" Taylor in the Battlestar Galactica episodes "Pegasus" and "Resurrection Ship, Part I", and marine Xander Toth in Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome.

Career

Born in Mordialloc, Australia, to Canadian Olympic swimmer Kathleen McNamee and Canadian runner Richard Ferguson, Pyper-Ferguson moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he was raised. He attended Handsworth Secondary School and later graduated with distinction from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance.

Pyper-Ferguson's path to acting was not initially direct. He originally enrolled in business administration but found himself "nothing short of miserable" with the prospect of that career path. His stepmother's advice proved pivotal: "Well, you liked that acting thing in high school. Why don't you go do that?" When he expressed concerns about career difficulty, she responded, "Just go do it. You are young. See what happens!" This encouragement led him to switch to the University of Alberta's Bachelor of Fine Arts program, which he describes as superior to immediately pursuing opportunities in Los Angeles because "your real chances of getting on a TV show are so slim" and university programs "have to cast you."

Pyper-Ferguson began his acting career in the Canadian drama series Hamilton's Quest (1986-1988), where he played Sonny Hamilton. This early role brought about Hollywood film opportunities, including appearances in Bird on a Wire (1990) alongside Mel Gibson and Unforgiven (1992) with Clint Eastwood.

His television career expanded significantly throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with notable recurring roles including Peter Hutter on The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993-1994), for which he earned recognition as a fan favorite. He received a Gemini Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role Dramatic Series for his portrayal of Brian Cullen on Highlander: The Series in 1994.

Battlestar Galactica Universe

From 2005 to 2013, Pyper-Ferguson appeared in multiple productions within the reimagined Battlestar Galactica universe, establishing a significant presence across the franchise. His first role was Captain Cole "Stinger" Taylor in the Battlestar Galactica episodes "Pegasus" and "Resurrection Ship, Part I" during the show's second season.

In Caprica, he portrayed Tomas Vergis, the Tauron technology mogul and head of the Vergis Corporation, appearing in six episodes throughout the series. Composer Bear McCreary praised Pyper-Ferguson's performance, noting that he "played brilliantly" the "complex and interesting character" of Vergis, describing him as "clearly an antagonist, with his sights set on ruining Daniel Graystone and his company" while being "understandably motivated by vengeance for the two men who were killed in the theft." McCreary specifically created a unique musical theme for Vergis that incorporated Tauron cultural elements, using instruments like the Chinese membrane flute and acoustic fiddle to underscore the character's heritage and intimidating presence.

Pyper-Ferguson completed his Battlestar Galactica universe appearances as Tech Sergeant Xander Toth in Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (2012), the final production in the reimagined franchise. In this role, he played a marine sergeant who becomes the sole survivor of an ambushed unit on the ice planet Djerba, helping young William Adama and his companions before ultimately being killed in action against attacking Cylons.

Recent Work

Following his work in the Battlestar Galactica universe, Pyper-Ferguson continued with significant television roles. He played Tex Nolan, a private security contractor, on TNT's The Last Ship (2014-2016), initially as a recurring character before being promoted to the regular cast in the second season. Regarding his casting, Pyper-Ferguson noted that producers had initially been seeking "a younger, hotter guy" for the role, but he brought a unique interpretation: "I saw him as a real guy... He tries to make the best of every situation he is in and that is probably how he has survived." He described Tex as a character who "lightens up the situation when it's looking grim" and noted that the character's civilian status allowed him to challenge authority in ways military personnel couldn't.

The character's popularity led to his return in season three after being absent for most of the season. In a 2016 interview, Pyper-Ferguson explained that his temporary departure was storyline-driven: "As you know with The Last Ship, the whole thing is about being on the Nathan James, it's about Navy men and women in service, and they authentically want to portray that. And Tex isn't that. He's a bit of a misfit in that group, and there's not a lot he can do on the ship." However, Tex was ultimately killed off in the season three finale, much to the disappointment of fans.

He also appeared as Jack Soloff, a recurring character on USA Network's Suits (2015-2016), and played Bill Cadogan on The 100 during seasons four and seven. His portrayal of Cadogan began as a brief cameo in season four but evolved into a major role in the final season. Pyper-Ferguson described the character as someone who "wanted to be liked" and believed "he's doing a good thing for everybody," while acknowledging Cadogan's fundamental flaws: "I don't think he viewed himself as a hypocrite, but he totally was a hypocrite." He noted that Cadogan's driving motivation was his desire to reconnect with his daughter, making him "definitely a flawed man" whose mind may have been affected by extended cryosleep.

Film Work

Pyper-Ferguson has appeared in numerous films throughout his career, including notable roles in Wolves (2014), where he underwent extensive prosthetic makeup to portray Wild Joe, a lycanthrope character. The makeup process proved challenging, requiring "three-and-a-half to four hours to put the full wolf prosthetics on" and "about and hour-and-a-half to two hours to get out of it." Interestingly, he originally auditioned for Jason Momoa's role but consciously played it like Wild Joe, knowing that was the part he could realistically obtain.

Acting Philosophy and Training

Pyper-Ferguson attributes his career longevity to continuous preparation and what he calls the "10,000 hours" principle, referencing Malcolm Gladwell's concept from "Outliers" that mastery requires extensive practice. He proudly states, "I have done more than my share of hours!" His educational foundation included graduating with distinction from the University of Alberta, where he spent three years in an intensive program with just 12 actors who were "in it 24/7 for three years," providing ample opportunity to develop skills since "they have to cast you" in university productions.

He credits his first acting teacher, Tom Peacock, as his most influential mentor, describing him as someone who "broke it down and gave me tools as opposed to just getting up and doing things." Peacock, who headed the University of Alberta's drama department, was instrumental in creating professional theater opportunities for Canadian actors and instilled crucial values of "discipline, practice and putting the time in to create the opportunities."

His Los Angeles training with Larry Moss proved equally formative. Moss, who "studied with all the big names in New York," provided both acting technique and life philosophy. A particularly impactful lesson came when Moss told him to post on his refrigerator: "What am I actively doing to get what I want?" Pyper-Ferguson initially understood this as scene work advice but later realized "he didn't tell me" it was also "a life lesson" about daily goal pursuit.

Reflecting on artistic development, Pyper-Ferguson describes career growth as quantum leaps that occur gradually: "you suddenly look back and say, 'Oh my gosh, I made this giant leap and I wasn't even aware of it!' Those improvements have been so small along the way." He cites the contrast between playing "a balls-out comic nutcase" like Peter Hutter on The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and a "really strong authentic and honest performance" on Motive as evidence of this evolution, noting with characteristic self-awareness: "Who'd of thought a scenery chewing character actor could pull that off?"

Working on The 100, Pyper-Ferguson praised his co-stars' work ethic, particularly noting Bob Morley's preparation: "I remember being really impressed by that kind of work ethic... this guy might actually work harder than me." The role required him to develop extensive backstory connections for a character with "massive history" despite working "over such a short period of time," leading him to employ various mental techniques including using songs to create the proper emotional space for performance.

Other Work

Ferguson also appeared as the holographic character Eli Hollander in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "A Fistful of Datas".

References