Prime Ministers of Canada in popular culture
There have been numerous depictions of Prime Ministers of Canada in popular culture.
Film and television
Real
- John A. Macdonald: in 1979 TV movie Riel, played by Christopher Plummer (Note: Plummer is a great-grandson of John Abbott), In 2011, John A.: Birth of a Country.
- Pierre Trudeau: in the 1980 film The Kidnapping of the President, played by Aubert Pallascio
- In the 2002 CBC mini series Trudeau, four Prime Ministers were portrayed
- Pierre Trudeau, played by Colm Feore
- Jean Chrétien, played by Guy Richer (during the film's time frame, Chrétien was a cabinet minister under Trudeau)
- Lester Pearson, played by William Parsons
- John Turner, played by Karl Pruner
- Pierre Trudeau: in 2005 CBC mini series Trudeau II: Maverick in the Making, played by Stéphane Demers
- In the 2006 CBC mini series Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, two Prime Ministers were portrayed
- John Diefenbaker, played by Paul Gross
- Mackenzie King, played by Andy Jones
- John Diefenbaker, in the 1997 CBC miniseries The Arrow played by Robert Haley
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier, in a 2011 episode of Murdoch Mysteries, played by Brian Paul[1] (the actual Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a cameo portraying a police officer in that episode)
Fictional
Fictional Prime Ministers of Canada have been portrayed in television series, including Rideau Hall, South Park, Jacob Two-Two, The Best Laid Plans and The West Wing, televisions films such as H2O, and motion pictures such as Canadian Bacon, My Internship in Canada, Buried on Sunday and London Has Fallen.
Literature
Real
- Sir John Sparrow David Thompson plays a significant role in Knights of the Sea by Paul Marlowe
- Pierre Trudeau appeared in the Marvel Comics series Uncanny X-Men, issues #120-121. He ordered the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight to apprehend Wolverine, who resigned from Alpha Flight to join the X-Men.
- Justin Trudeau appears on the cover of the Chapterhouse Comics 2016 Summer Special with Captain Canuck.[2]
Fictional
- Jean-Jacques Charles: A Very Political Lady (1979) by Judy LaMarsh, said to be based on Pierre Elliott Trudeau.[3]
- Gary Cody, in Marvel Comics' Alpha Flight (introduced as a low-level bureaucrat in 1978, killed by a supervillain in 2012)
- Scotty Gutenberg, replaced Cody after Cody's death
- Ross Hamilton: Party Favours (1997) by Jean Doe, said to be based on Brian Mulroney[3]
- Bobby Laurier: Party Favours (1997) by Jean Doe, said to be based on Jean Chrétien[3]
- Sir Henry Marwood: Pour la patrie (1895) by Jules-Paul Tardivel, said to be based on Sir John A. Macdonald.[3]
- Barton McGarvie: Scribes and Scoundrels (1997) by George Galt, said to be based on Brian Mulroney.[3]
- April McTavish: Party Favours (1997) by Jean Doe, said to be based on Kim Campbell.[3]
- Perry Pleaser: Jacob Two Two and the Dinosaur (1987) by Mordecai Richler
- The Prime Minister: S: Portrait of a Spy (1977) by Ian Adams, said to be based on Pierre Elliott Trudeau.[3]
- Jean Rioux: Party Favours (1997) by Jean Doe, said to be based on Paul Martin.[3]
- James Howden: "In High Places" (1961) By Arthur Hailey
As themselves
Paul Martin and Stephen Harper have appeared as themselves as the sitting prime ministers on the CTV sitcom Corner Gas:
- Paul Martin in the third-season episode "Fun Run"
- Stephen Harper in the fourth season episode "Gopher It"
Several sitting prime ministers have also appeared as themselves on the CBC sketch comedy series Royal Canadian Air Farce, while Harper, Martin, and Chretien have all appeared in at least one installment of the satirical CBC series The Rick Mercer Report.
Prime minister impersonators
Radio and TV parodies
- Royal Canadian Air Farce has portrayed several Prime Ministers
- Pierre Trudeau, played by Don Ferguson
- Joe Clark, played by Don Ferguson
- Brian Mulroney, played by Don Ferguson
- Kim Campbell, played by Luba Goy
- Jean Chrétien, played by Roger Abbott
- Paul Martin, played by Don Ferguson
- Stephen Harper, played by Craig Lauzon
- Double Exposure has portrayed several Prime Ministers
- Joe Clark, played by Bob Robertson
- Jean Chrétien, played by Bob Robertson
- Pierre Trudeau, played by Bob Robertson
- Brian Mulroney, played by Bob Robertson
- Kim Campbell, played by Linda Cullen
- Max Ferguson has portrayed several Prime Ministers on his radio shows
- Pierre Trudeau: on CBC Radio's Max Ferguson Show
- Lester Pearson: on CBC Radio's Rawhide and the Max Ferguson Show
- John Diefenbaker: on CBC Radio's Rawhide and the Max Ferguson Show
- Martin Short played Pierre Trudeau on episodes of SCTV
- Brian Mulroney was portrayed in the "Robin Sparkles" video on season two of How I Met Your Mother.