Winston Rekert

Winston Rekert
PerformerRDMCAP
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Portrays:	Priest (TRS) Obal Ferras (CAP)
Date of Birth:	July 10, 1949
Date of Death:	September 14, 2012
Age at Death:	63
Nationality:	CAN
Related Media
		@ BW Media
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IMDb profile

Winston Houghton Rekert (July 10, 1949—September 14, 2012) was a Canadian actor, director, writer, and producer who portrayed an unnamed Priest who administered the presidential oath of office in the Re-imagined Series episodes "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II" and "Collaborators," and Obal Ferras, head of the Conclave of the Monotheist Church, in the Caprica episode "Unvanquished."

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Rekert built a career spanning more than 40 years and over 70 credits in film, television, and theatre. He is best remembered as the series lead on Adderly (1986–1988) and Neon Rider (1990–1995), the latter of which he co-created with stunt coordinator Danny Virtue through their company Virtue/Rekert Productions. He earned four Genie Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role, won two Gemini Awards, and received the Sam Payne Lifetime Achievement Award from the Union of British Columbia Performers (UBCP/ACTRA) in 2012.

Rekert died of cancer on September 14, 2012, in Vancouver, at the age of 63.

Early Life

Rekert was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, the son of Henry Muller Rekert (1908–1990), a logger, and Gladys Eleanor Houghton Brown Rekert (1911–2007), a schoolteacher. He had one sister, Anastashia.

His performing career began at age 12, when his mother enrolled him in an amateur production of the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. After high school, he spent a year working in a logging camp, following his father's profession. He then joined the Arts Club Theatre Company in Vancouver, where his first professional stage role consisted of a single line in Lanford Wilson's The Hot L Baltimore during the 1973–1974 season. Arts Club artistic managing director Bill Millerd later recalled that Rekert was a natural performer who followed his instincts and spoke from the heart. Early stage work included The Sea Horse with Janet Wright and Cruel Tears at the Queen Elizabeth Playhouse. The Arts Club during this era also launched the careers of Michael J. Fox, Bruce Greenwood, and Brent Carver.

In 1973, Rekert landed his first television role on the CBC comedy-drama The Beachcombers. By the mid-1970s, he had moved to Toronto and was landing leading roles in both Canadian and American productions.

Career

Film

Rekert built a strong film career through the late 1970s and 1980s, earning four Genie Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: for Suzanne (1980), Heartaches (1981) opposite Margot Kidder and Annie Potts, Walls (1984), and Eternal Evil (1985) opposite Karen Black. His highest-profile film role was Detective Langevin in Norman Jewison's Agnes of God (1985), alongside Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, and Meg Tilly. Other film credits include Coming Out Alive (1980), Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid (1981) with Richard Harris, Dead Wrong (1983) with Britt Ekland, Toby McTeague (1986), and High Stakes (1986).

Adderly

Rekert's television breakthrough came with Adderly, a comedy-drama adventure series created by Elliott Baker and based on his novel Pocock & Pitt. The series aired on CTV in Canada and CBS in the United States from 1986 to 1988 across two seasons and 44 episodes.

Rekert starred as V.H. Adderly, a former intelligence operative for the International Security and Intelligence agency (I.S.I.) who loses the use of his left hand after being tortured by an enemy agent in East Germany. Reassigned to the "Department of Miscellaneous Affairs"—a basement office handling mundane paperwork—Adderly nonetheless finds ways to uncover genuine security threats. The cast included Jonathan Welsh as his bureaucratic boss Melville Greenspan, Dixie Seatle as secretary Mona Ellerby, and Ken Pogue as Major Clack. On CBS, the series initially aired in the 11:30 PM late-night slot before briefly moving to prime time at 10:00 PM on Fridays for the start of Season 2.

The role earned Rekert the 1987 Gemini Award for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Continuing Dramatic Role, tied with Eric Peterson for Street Legal.

Neon Rider

After Adderly's cancellation, Rekert's childhood friend Danny Virtue pitched him an idea for a new series. They developed a TV movie called Dude, which became the Neon Rider pilot. In 1990, Rekert and Virtue co-founded Virtue/Rekert Productions, based at the Virtue Studio Ranch, a 200-acre working ranch and film studio in Mission, British Columbia.

Neon Rider aired on CTV from 1990 to 1995 across five seasons and was syndicated in more than 100 countries. Rekert starred as Dr. Michael Terry, a psychologist and best-selling author who relocates to his remote ranch to counsel troubled teenagers through hands-on therapy, environmental education, and ranch work. Beyond starring, Rekert served as writer, director, producer, and story consultant on the series. The cast included Sam Sarkar, Peter Williams, Suzanne Errett-Balcom, and Barbara Tyson.

Through the show, Rekert became national spokesman for Youth at Risk, a Canadian charity. In 1993, Rekert and Virtue jointly received the Peter Ustinov Humanitarian Award at the Banff International Television Festival for the series' educational values.

Battlestar Galactica and Caprica

Rekert appeared in two episodes of the Re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series in 2006, playing an unnamed Priest who administered the presidential oath of office. In "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II," the Priest swore in Gaius Baltar as President of the Twelve Colonies, and in "Collaborators," the same Priest swore in Laura Roslin to the office—two very different leaders under very different circumstances.

In 2010, Rekert appeared in the Caprica episode "Unvanquished" as Obal Ferras, the head of the Conclave of the Monotheist Church.

Other Genre Work

Rekert was a familiar presence in Vancouver-shot science fiction and genre television:

• Star Wars: Droids (1985–1986): Voiced Mungo Baobab in the animated series and the TV special "The Great Heep" (1986).
• Stargate SG-1 (1998): Played Cordesh, a Tok'ra Grand Council member, in "The Tok'ra" two-part episode (Season 2, Episodes 11–12).
• Sliders (1999): Played Lt. General Thomas Beckett in "The Return of Maggie Beckett."
• First Wave (2000): Played Horace Burke in "Skywatchers."
• Andromeda (2002): Played Zeus in "The Shards of Rimni."
• Supernatural (2007): Played Jonah Greeley in "Roadkill."

Other Television Work

Beyond his series lead roles and genre guest work, Rekert compiled approximately 73 acting credits. Notable television series guest roles include Night Heat, Cold Squad (recurring as Sgt. Pete Chorney, 1998–2001), Blue Murder (2003), Young Blades (2005), and The L Word (2007). Television movie credits include Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 (1995), Captive Heart: The James Mink Story (CBS, 1996), Undercover Christmas (CBS, 2003), and his final credited role, Goodnight for Justice (Hallmark Channel, 2011) with Luke Perry.

Awards

Rekert won two Gemini Awards over his career: the 1987 Gemini for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Continuing Dramatic Role for Adderly, and the 2003 Gemini for Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series for Blue Murder. He received nine additional Gemini nominations, including a 1994 nomination for Neon Rider.

He earned four Genie Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, for Suzanne (1981), Heartaches (1982), Walls (1985), and Eternal Evil (1987).

In April 2012, five months before his death, he received the Sam Payne Lifetime Achievement Award from the Union of British Columbia Performers, recognizing professional performers who display humanity, artistic integrity, and encouragement of new talent. He had also previously received the Sam Payne Award (a separate, non-lifetime category) in 2009, shared with Sheila Paterson.

He was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame with a star on Granville Street. In 2009, he was included in the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's top ten list of leading actors of the previous 30 years.

Personal Life

Rekert was married to Lidija Rekert until his death. He had two sons, Dylan and Carson, with their mother Pat, and a stepdaughter, Sara. His family described him as a musician, wood carver, and animal lover.

He was known within the Vancouver acting community for his generosity toward fellow performers. When news of his death spread, tributes across social media from Vancouver actors thanked him for providing many of them with early career opportunities.

Death

Rekert had been battling cancer for several years and continued acting throughout his illness. He died on the morning of September 14, 2012, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the age of 63.

His family obituary, published in the Vancouver Sun and National Post on October 13, 2012, noted that Rekert viewed his illness as an opportunity to live more fully, and that he passed peacefully.

References

External Links

• Winston Rekert at the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame
• Winston Rekert at Find a Grave