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Jerry Wasserman

Anyone who has watched television or gone to the movies sometime over the last few decades has seen Jerry Wasserman in one of the over 200 parts he's played, often as a tough cop or detective. But few know that Wasserman has a surprising second life -- he is also Dr. Wasserman, scholar and college professor. Wasserman grew up in the New York City area, where he acquired the accent that would serve him well in acting. He entered college as an engineering major but finished with a Ph.D. in literature. In the 1970s, he moved to Vancouver to teach, but with the local theater scene heating up, Wasserman was also able to indulge in his love of acting, eventually appearing in every major theater company in the province. Thus he was more than prepared when Hollywood began working in Canada in the é80s, lured by the country's lower production costs. As a middle-aged character actor who could play Americans because he actually was one, Wasserman was suddenly in demand for a steady stream of roles. He has had guest spots in dozens of TV shows, and recurring roles in such series as "Smallville" and "Wiseguys." Wasserman's movie work includes roles in "The Last Mimzy" and "I, Robot." Not surprisingly, one of the courses he now teaches as head of the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of British Columbia is Acting for the Camera.