Christopher Makepeace (born April 22, 1964) is a Canadian former actor, known for his starring roles in the coming-of-age film My Bodyguard (1980) and comedy horror Vamp (1986), and supporting roles in the screwball comedy Meatballs (1979) and the dystopian sci-fi film The Last Chase (1981), during his teen and young adult years.

Chris Makepeace
Born (1964-04-22) April 22, 1964 (age 60)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Years active1974–2001
Known forMeatballs
My Bodyguard
The Last Chase
Vamp
Spouse
Elizabeth
(m. 2015)

Life and career

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Makepeace was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Doreen and Harry Makepeace.[1] His older brother, Tony Makepeace, is a Canadian photographer.

He began his acting career in a 1974 Canadian television special, The Ottawa Valley. His next role was in a 1979 Canadian comedy, Meatballs, in which he starred opposite Bill Murray, portrayed as a shy, loner teen attendee of a summer camp, who has trouble fitting in. The movie was a hit, grossing more than $43 million at the box office, and Makepeace received good notices for his work in the film. He was then cast in the lead role in the Fox film, My Bodyguard, released in July 1980 to positive reviews,[2] earning $22.5 million domestically.[3] In his review of the film, critic Roger Ebert said that Makepeace's performance resulted in "one of the most engaging teenage characters I've seen in the movies in a long time."[4] Makepeace also starred opposite Lee Majors and Burgess Meredith in the 1981 film The Last Chase. Makepeace's subsequent roles included appearances in made-for-television films and a few more feature films, including Mazes and Monsters with Tom Hanks, The Falcon and the Snowman in 1985 and 1986's Vamp.

In 1981, Makepeace recorded spoken dialogue for the Kiss album Music from "The Elder" with Producer Bob Ezrin, but it was not used in the final mix; plans to turn the album into a feature film never materialized.

He has not appeared in any films since 2001, moving instead behind the camera as an assistant director.

Filmography

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Film and television credits

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Year Title Role Notes
1974 The Ottawa Valley Unknown Uncredited
1979 Meatballs Rudy Gerner Film
1980 Other People's Children TV Movie
1980 My Bodyguard Clifford Peache Film
1981 The Littlest Hobo Willie (1979 TV series) Episode: "East Side Angels"
1981 The Last Chase Ring Film
1982 Going Great Series Host (1982 TV series)
1982 The Mysterious Stranger August Feldner TV Movie
1982 Mazes and Monsters Jay "Jay-Jay" Brockway Made-for-television movie CBS
1983 The Terry Fox Story Darrell Fox TV movie
1983-1984 Going Great Host TV series
1984 The Oasis Matt Film
1985 The Falcon and the Snowman David Lee Film
1985 The Undergrads Dennis "Jody" Adler TV movie
1986 Vamp Keith Film
1987 Captive Hearts Robert Film
1988 Aloha Summer Mike Tognetti Film
1988 Why on Earth? Franklin Smith TV series Pilot
1989 The Jim Henson Hour Zeb Norman (1989 TV series) Episodes: "Science Fiction" and "Aquatic Life"
1989 The Hitchhiker Jeremy (1983 TV series) Episode: "Power Play"
1991 Beyond Reality Anthony Bowen (1991 TV series) Episode: "Miracle Worker"
1996 Memory Run Andre Fuller Film
1996 A Holiday for Love Joe Marsdon TV movie
1998 Short for Nothing Glen Film
2001 Full Disclosure Pilot Video

Awards

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Year Award Category/Recipient Result Refs
1980 Genie Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for: Meatballs (1979) Nominated [5]

References

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  1. ^ "Chris Makepeace Biography (1964-)". Film Reference.
  2. ^ "My Bodyguard (1980)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  3. ^ "My Bodyguard". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1980). "My Bodyguard". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  5. ^ "Chris Makepeace is going places" by Donald Martin, The Globe and Mail (21 Jan, 1984) Retrieved from ProQuest 386511222
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