Christopher Wiggins (born January 13, 1931 in Blackpool, England) was an award-winning English-born Canadian actor with an illustrious career spanning around six decades in both live-action and animation, as well as radio. He actually started off as a banker in England before moving to Canada in 1952 to do acting.
He is probably best recognized for such roles as the retired magician and occult-savvy antiques dealer Jack Marshak on Friday the 13th: The Series, Robinson family patriarch Johann Robinson in the 70s Swiss Family Robinson series, the brilliant but insufferable A.I. Dante on Johnny Chase Secret Agent Of Space, the Evil Sorcerer No Heart on the 80s Care Bears cartoon, the absent-minded elephant prime minister Cornelius in all of Nelvana's adaptations of Babar, and The Smart Guy and second-in-command Dimetro on Dinosaucers.
He passed on February 19, 2017 from Alzheimer's Disease in Elora, Ontario at the age of 86. His final role was reprising the character of Cornelius for the final time in the 2010-2015 series Babar and the Adventures of Badou.
Tropes found in his roles:
- Affably Evil: The suave B.L. Zebub in The Devil and Daniel Mouse.
- Brief Accent Imitation: Affects both an Irish and Yorkshire accent in Friday the 13th: The Series; being originally from Blackpool, Lancashire may have helped with the latter.
- Big Good: As the Great Wishing Star in Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation.
- Cool Old Guy: Was fighting the forces of darkness well into his fifties.
- Deadpan Snarker: His very funny narration for the Friday the 13th: The Series outtakes.
- Evil Laugh: Supplied a magnificent one for No Heart.
- Evil Sorcerer: As No Heart on Care Bears (1980s).
- Gentle Giant: Quite literally in Care Bears (1980s) as the Sleeping Giant, who, befriended by Hugs and Tugs, rediscovers the joys of life.
- Positive Friend Influence: In An American Christmas Carol, Mr Nathaniel Brewster, an equivalent to Mr Fezziwig, benevolently inspires Henry Winkler's Scrooge Expy.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He often conveyed a benevolent wisdom, notably in An American Christmas Carol, Friday the 13th: The Series, and as Father Abbot Mortimer in Nelvana's Animated Adaptation of Redwall.
Filmography
Film
- The Best Damn Fiddler From Calabogie To Kaladar - Emery
- McQueen - Brother John
- King Of The Grizzlies - The Colonel
- The Neptune Factor - Capt. Williams
- Welcome To Blood City - Gellor
- Why Shoot The Teacher - Lyle Bishop
- High Ballin - King Carol
- Two Solitudes - Captain Yardley
- Voice Of The Fugitive - Silas
- Murder by Decree - Doctor Hardy
- Jigsaw - Mackenzie
- Riel - Middleton
- Fish Hawk - Marcus Boggs
- An American Christmas Carol - Mr. Nathaniel Brewster
- A Man Called Intrepid - Heisenberg
- The Courage Of Kavik The Wolf Dog - Dr. Vic Walker
- Virus - Dr Borodinov
- Escape From Iran The Canadian Caper - John Sheardown
- Shocktrauma - Dr. McCall
- Mazes and Monsters - King
- Cook And Perry The Race To The Pole - Roberts
- A Case Of Libel - Colonel Douglas
- The Bay Boy - Chief Charlie Mc Innes
- Love And Larceny - Mr. Newton
- Jimmy Valentine - Victor Adams
- Barnum - Olmstead
- Ford The Man In The Machine - Malcomson
- Married To It - Dave
- A Cry In The Night - Clyde
- Butterbox Babies - Senator Danver
- Black Fox - Ralph Holtz
- Voices - Angus Ferguson
- Sins Of Silence - Father Flannigan
- Windsor Protocol - Sir Charles Ferguson
- Evidence Of Blood - Horace Talbot
- Thunder Point - Charles Ferguson
- The Piano Mans Daughter - James Kilworth
Live-Action TV
- Julius Caesar (1966 TV film) - Cassius
- General Motors Presents - Jonah Grundeen, Sweeney, George, Sgt. Wyeth
- Folio - Don Eduardo
- Hawkeye And The Last Of The Mohicans - Mort Bailey, Major Conn, Major Duffy, Mr. Travers, Sheriff Peterson, Jess Adams
- The Unforseen - King, Monfort
- RCMP - George Needham, Kurt Hummel, Bush Pilot Watt
- Playdate - Heinrich, Grandpa, Vanderklamp, Dr. Bahn
- The Man Born To Be King - Joseph Caiaphas
- The United States Steel Hour - Charles Blake
- Vacation Time - Co-host
- The Forest Rangers - Prof Mandell, Porter
- Moment Of Truth - Dexter
- Hatchs Mill - Donegan
- Wojeck - Gilbert
- Adventures In Rainbow County - Fred Vincent
- Paul Bernard Psychiatrist - Dr. Paul Bernard
- Follow The North Star - Dudley
- The Swiss Family Robinson - Johann Robinson
- Matt And Jenny - Captain Herbert Ramsbottom
- The Littlest Hobo - Ed Thompson, Grandpa
- Titans - Galileo
- Hangin In - Ward, Abe
- The Edison Twins - Lafayette
- Night Heat - Maxim Gates, Picard
- Adderly - Belkin
- Spearfields Daughter - Sylvester Spearfield
- Mariah - Captain Timothy Quin
- Friday the 13th: The Series - Jack Marshak
- Divided Loyalties - Sir William Johnson
- Counterstrike - Sgt. Luther, Kistler
- Street Legal - Judge Ritter, Ronald Spencer Sr.
- Maniac Mansion - Santa Claus
- Sweating Bullets - Corliss
- Road to Avonlea - Mr. McCorckadale
- By Way Of The Stars - Captain Harris
- Kung Fu: The Legend Continues - Mike West
- RoboCop: The Series - Dr. Roger Yung
- The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes - Robert Cansington
- Fast Track - Carl Scannel
- Earth: Final Conflict - Tim O’Malley
- ReGenesis - Vascily Popov
Voiceovers
- Captain America - Thor
- Mighty Thor - Thor, Balder
- Rocket Robin Hood - Will Scarlet, Infinata, Baron Blank
- Spider-Man (1967) - Mysterio, Harley Clivendon, Infinata, Juan Ponce de León, Boomer, Mr. Mayor
- A Cosmic Christmas - The Mayor
- The Devil and Daniel Mouse - B.L. Zebub
- Johnny Chase Secret Agent Of Space - Dante
- Intergalactic Thanksgiving - Pa Spademinder
- The Jack Rabbit Story: Easter Fever - Santa Claus, Baker
- Billy Goats Bluff - The Narrator
- Strawberry Shortcake - Mr. Sun, The Narrator
- Rock and Rule - Toad
- Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation - Great Wishing Star
- Care Bears (1980s) - No Heart
- Dinosaucers - Dimetro
- Kero kero Keroppi - The Narrator, Keroppi’s Dad
- Babar - Cornelius
- Dog City - Rusty McCracken
- Pochacco - The Narrator
- Tales From The Cryptkeeper - Slim
- Sailor Moon - The Narrator, Mr. Baxter
- The Neverending Story: The Animated Adventures of Bastian Balthazar Bux - Carl Conrad Coreander
- Freaky Stories - Narrator ("Battleship", "The Fly")
- Pippi Longstocking - Fridolf
- Birdz - Officer Pigeon
- Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - Mr. Brown
- Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend - The Great Oracle, King Proetus
- Redwall - Father Abbot Mortimer, Magniz the Seer
- Franklin - Mr. Groundhog, Mr. Collie
- Pecola - Pecolius
- The Snowman Who Saved Summer - Santa Claus
- Babar and the Adventures of Badou - Cornelius (Role Reprise from the original 80s Babar series and final role)