Chris Gauthier, 'Once Upon a Time' actor and Hallmark movie actor, dies at 48

Chris Gauthier, the British-born Canadian actor known for his roles in the TV series “Once Upon a Time” and “Eureka,” died Friday. He was 48 years old.

Tristar Appearances/Event Horizon Talent, which represented Mr. Gauthier, said in a statement that he died “after a short illness.” His representatives did not say where he died.

Mr. Gauthier had roles in more than 20 films, including “40 Days and 40 Nights” in 2002, “Freddy vs. Jason” in 2003, and “Watchmen” in 2009. He also appeared in dozens of television shows, including “Supernatural,” “Smallville,” “Charmed,” and “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” according to IMDb, and in several short films.

He is best known for playing William Smee in Once Upon A Time, a series that blends real life and fantasy in the fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine, where storybook characters live under siege by an evil queen. Mr. Gauthier appeared in 14 episodes as Smee, based on the “Peter Pan” character Mr. Smee, Captain Hook's first mate.

Mr. Gaultier also played Vincent, a café owner, in the science fiction television series “Eureka.” He appeared in 67 episodes of the show, from the pilot through season five, according to IMDb.

in Interview in 2021Mr. Gauthier said he began acting in school plays and that he acted in amateur and professional theater during high school.

“I've always been a ham, trying to be a funny guy,” he said.

Chris Gauthier was born on January 27, 1976 in Luton, England. He said in that Interview in 2020 He moved to Canada when he was five years old and grew up in a small town in British Columbia. in 2010 interviewHe said he saw a local theater production of “Sing of a Song of Sixpence” during elementary school, which inspired him to think about becoming an actor.

“There wasn't a lot going on there as far as film and television,” he said. “And for me, it was just about the love of acting. It wasn't about the money. It wasn't about anything but the absolute love of acting.”

After moving to Vancouver around the age of 20, his on-screen acting career began in 2000, when he appeared in an episode of the television series “Cold Squad.” His first two films were in 2002 for small roles in “40 Days and 40 Nights” and “Insomnia”.

His television roles were largely limited to one or a few episode appearances on shows like “The L Word” and “Dead Like Me” until “Eureka” premiered on the Syfy Channel in 2006. The show is set in a fictional town north of Western Pacific. Eureka City, where many of the world's brightest minds live in a strange group that produces technological inventions unknown to the rest of the world.

Mr. Gauthier said In 2010 that while auditioning for the character of Vincent, described in a casting call as “talking,” he gave a performance that contrasted with the other actors, who were “basically a bunch of guys who were wearing half-shirts and skinny jeans.”

He said: “When each actor came out of the audition room, they commented, 'Take it down,' or 'Don't be so weird, for example.'” “When my turn came, I did my job and they were like, ‘Excellent.’” They loved it, I think maybe it was the juxtaposition of my burlesque body mixed with some androgynous undertones.

Among his most recent works, Mr. Gauthier appeared in seven episodes of the Western drama “Joe Pickett.”

No information was immediately available about its survivors.

He said in interviews that his wife encouraged him to move to Vancouver to pursue an acting career in television and film.

“I wasn't very motivated because I was happy making plays,” he said of the move. “But I said OK, and it worked out.”