Martin Randez

Stuntman, actor, writer, director and graduate of higher learning, Martin Randez is a rarity in the world of Canadian cinema. A native francophone who speaks impeccable English, Randez worked exclusively in Quebec film until he moved to Toronto in 1993. He set out to learn English at the age of 22, a time when most people, having learned a second language in their formative years, are mastering the unique idioms of speech. Randez shunned conventional English lessons, opting instead to watch hours of stock American television -- from Oprah to Roseanne -- to learn the rudiments of colloquial English. Bridging the language gap paid off handsomely -- his breakthrough into the popular North American marketplace came with an ABC made-for-television movie, where Randez played opposite two-time Academy Award-nominee Judy Davis in "Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows." Randez plays Mark Herron, Garland's fourth husband. Renowned Quebec filmmaker and a director known internationally as the 'enfant terrible' of French-speaking cinema, André Forcier discovered Randez. After Forcier's triumph at the 1990 Montreal World Film Festival -- where his seminal "Une Histoire Inventée" won Most Popular Film -- he cast Randez in the lead role of his next feature film, "Le Vent du Wyoming" (A Wind from Wyoming). The movie was an Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival that year and won Best Canadian Film and Critic's First Prize at the Montreal World Film Festival in 1994. Randez's repertoire is ample in substance. He's portrayed a series of psychologically complex leading characters for various independent short film productions. In addition to film, Randez has appeared in numerous Canadian television shows. Furthermore, Randez is an accomplished classically trained stage actor, having performed in nearly 20 theatrical productions for Canadian Stage, Toronto French Theatre, Pounds Per Square Inch, and others.