--- name: "Don McKellar" canonical: "https://film.one/person/don-mckellar" fi1m_id: "don-mckellar" imdb_id: "nm0001528" tmdb_id: 20173 wikidata_id: "Q372256" roles: ["Writer"] born: "17 August 1963" reviewed_on_fi1m: 4 average_fi1m_score: 75 average_as: "writer" average_over: 2 updated: "2026-09-26T02:18:21.753948+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Don McKellar ## Identity Don McKellar - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/don-mckellar - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** don-mckellar - **IMDb ID:** nm0001528 - **TMDB ID:** 20173 - **Wikidata ID:** Q372256 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_McKellar, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q372256, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001528/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/20173 Writer. Born 17 August 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ## Details - **Work:** Writer - **Born:** 17 August 1963, Toronto, Ontario, Canada - **Active:** 1993–present - **Titles on Fi1m:** 4: 2 acting, 2 writing - **Frequently works with:** [Park Chan-wook](https://film.one/person/park-chan-wook.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as writer, over 2 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 85 (1), 2010s 81 (1), 2020s 75 (2) - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_McKellar, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q372256, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001528/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/20173 ## Streaming the US now - **Disney+:** [*No Other Choice*](https://film.one/film/no-other-choice.md) (78) - **HBO Max:** [*The Sympathizer*](https://film.one/tv/the-sympathizer.md) (72) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Don McKellar > Don McKellar writes stories that will not sit still in one tone or one voice, and his recent work with Park Chan-wook, *The Sympathizer* and *No Other Choice*, is clever, funny and a little too long. We rate him, with that caveat. In *The Sympathizer* (2024) a communist mole follows the South Vietnamese general he is supposed to be betraying out of Saigon and into Los Angeles, and he narrates it himself, which is the first thing to distrust. The narrator has his version of the war, Hollywood is filming another in the background, and the series is a running argument between the two. That is the Don McKellar habit: a story with more than one owner, told deadpan, with a joke under it and something sourer under the joke. He said of the series that "We wanted this dizzying feel, the multiplicity of voices competing to tell the story", and for once a writer describing his own method has got it right. The habit was there from the start. He came out of Toronto theatre and Bruce McDonald's *Roadkill* (1989), and his first film as director, *Last Night* (1998), which he wrote and starred in, put a handful of people through the last evening of the world and watched what they did with it, most of it funny and some of it not. The same year he co-wrote *The Red Violin*, one instrument passed hand to hand across centuries and continents, and in 2008 he adapted José Saramago's *Blindness* and acted in it, a film that split its audience. Along the way he worked with Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg and François Girard. The shape is plain enough: he likes an ensemble, a structure that shows its joins, and material other writers would call unfilmable. The pairing with Park Chan-wook is where we can speak with most confidence. *The Sympathizer* is handsome, clever and often funny, and Hoa Xuande carries it; it also tells its one joke about casting five times, and the middle episodes drift while the series works out what it is for. *No Other Choice* (2025) is the better piece of work. McKellar is one of four writers who move Donald E. Westlake's *The Ax* from American paper to Korea without anything feeling forced, and they add a firm that is replacing its people with software, so that Lee Byung-hun's Man-su is not really competing with the men he sets out to kill. He is competing with a machine, and they are in the way. When the film laid that out we laughed, and then we were uneasy for the rest of it, because the arithmetic is sound. It also runs long and repeats itself, and Park's pictures carry stretches the script does not. That is the caveat with McKellar in this phase. He has found a director who shares his taste for the deadpan and for a story that argues with itself, and neither of them yet knows when a point has been made. Start with *No Other Choice*, then the series, and stay for its second half, which is where the argument about who owns the story finally pays. ## Biography Don McKellar is a Canadian actor, writer and director. Born on 17 August 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, he studied English and theatre at the University of Toronto and began working in film and theatre in the late 1980s. He is known for writing and directing *Last Night* (1998), which won the Prix de la Jeunesse at Cannes, and for screenplays including *Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould* (1993), *The Red Violin* (1998) and *Blindness* (2008). McKellar has acted in films by Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg, including *Exotica* (1994), *eXistenZ* (1999) and *Crimes of the Future* (2022). He wrote the book for the Tony Award-winning musical *The Drowsy Chaperone* and has appeared in Canadian television series such as *Twitch City*, *Odd Job Jack* and *Slings & Arrows*. He received two Genie Awards and is an eight-time nominee. McKellar co-wrote the screenplay for *No Other Choice* (2025) with Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi and Jahye Lee. *Sources: imdb.com, deadline.com, metacritic.com, en.wikipedia.org.* ## On Fi1m (4) ### Performed in (2) - *Scott Pilgrim vs. the World* (2010), Fi1m 81, as Director — [page](https://film.one/film/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world.md) - *Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould* (1993), Fi1m 85, as Concert Promoter — [page](https://film.one/film/thirty-two-short-films-about-glenn-gould.md) ### Wrote (2) — the average rests on these - *No Other Choice* (2025), Fi1m 78, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/no-other-choice.md) - *The Sympathizer* (2024), Fi1m 72, Executive Producer, Writer, Creator — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-sympathizer.md) ## Complete filmography (80) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *The Occupant of the Room* (2025), as Minturn - *No Other Choice* (2025), Screenplay — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/no-other-choice.md) - *The Haunted Season* (2024), series, as Minturn - *The Sympathizer* (2024), series, Executive Producer, Writer, Creator — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-sympathizer.md) - *Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent* (2024), series, as Les Cake - *Crimes of the Future* (2022), as Wippet - *The Middle Man* (2021), as Doctor - *The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw* (2020), as Bernard Buckley - *Target Number One* (2020), as Norm - *Hey Lady!* (2020), series, as Dr. Wolfe - *American Woman* (2019), as Newscaster 1 (voice) - *Through Black Spruce* (2019), as Journalist · Director - *Meditation Park* (2017), as Gabriel - *Blood Honey* (2017), as Dr. Bert Morrison - *Lolz-ita* (2017), as Eric - *Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming* (2017), as Dietmar (voice) - *Michael: Every Day* (2017), series, Executive Producer - *Your Mother and I* (2016), as Father - *Closet Monster* (2016), Story Editor - *Zoom* (2016), as Horowitz - *It's Not You* (2015), Writer, Director - *Sensitive Skin* (2014), series, as Al · Executive Producer - *The Grand Seduction* (2014), Director - *Three Days in Havana* (2014), as Pepe - *Treading Water* (2013), as Richard - *Subconscious Password* (2013), as The Host (voice) - *I'm Yours* (2012), as Phil - *Trigger* (2010), as Brian - *Scott Pilgrim vs. the World* (2010), as Director — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world.md) - *This Movie Is Broken* (2010), Idea, Writer - *Cooking With Stella* (2010), as Michael Laffont - *Republic of Doyle* (2010), series, as JJ Murphy - *Leslie, My Name Is Evil* (2009), as Prosecutor - *Green Door* (2008), as Ron - *Blindness* (2008), as Thief · Screenplay - *Redacted* (2007), as Criminal Investigator (voice) - *Phone Call From Imaginary Girlfriends: Istanbul* (2007), Director, Writer - *Phone Call From Imaginary Girlfriends: Ankara* (2007), Writer, Director - *Monkey Warfare* (2006), as Dan - *Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story* (2006), series, as Clarence Fines - *Where the Truth Lies* (2005), as Publishing Executive - *Childstar* (2004), as Rick Shille · Director, Writer - *Clean* (2004), as Vernon - *Slings & Arrows* (2003), series, as Darren Nichols - *Odd Job Jack* (2003), series, as Jack Ryder (voice) - *The Event* (2003), as Matt Shapiro - *Public Domain* (2003), as Host - *Rub & Tug* (2002), as Conrad - *Trudeau* (2002), as Greenbaum - *Waydowntown* (2002), as Brad - *I Was a Rat* (2001), as Oliver Tapscrew - *Degrassi* (2001), series, as Keith - *The Art of Woo* (2001), as Nathan - *Preludes* (2000), Director - *This Might Be Good* (2000), Actor - *A Word from the Management* (2000), Director, Writer - *Sea People* (1999), as Mr. Whittaker - *eXistenZ* (1999), as Yevgeny Nourish - *The Passion of Ayn Rand* (1999), as Alfred - *The Red Violin* (1998), as Evan Williams (Montréal) · Screenplay - *Last Night* (1998), as Patrick Wheeler · Director, Writer - *Elimination Dance* (1998), as Male Dance Partner · Writer, Director - *Twitch City* (1998), series, as Curtis · Story, Teleplay, Writer, Creator - *Never Met Picasso* (1997), as Jerry - *Sarabande* (1997), as Max - *In the Presence of Mine Enemies* (1997), as Paul Heller - *Joe's So Mean to Josephine* (1997), as Mike - *Once a Thief* (1996), series, Actor - *Dance Me Outside* (1995), Writer - *When Night Is Falling* (1995), as Timothy - *Camilla* (1994), as Security Guard - *Exotica* (1994), as Thomas - *Arrowhead* (1994), as Ray Bud - *Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould* (1993), as Concert Promoter · Screenplay — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/thirty-two-short-films-about-glenn-gould.md) - *My Niagara* (1992), as Cabel - *Giant Steps* (1992), as Real Estate Hucker - *Blue* (1992), Writer, Director - *The Adjuster* (1991), as Tyler, the young censor - *Highway 61* (1991), as Pokey Jones · Screenplay, Story - *Roadkill* (1989), as Russel, the Serial Killer · Screenplay ## Gallery - ![Don McKellar](https://film.one/media/person/7283/gallery-0e1ba16257be.jpg) Don McKellar — gdcgraphics at https://www.flickr.com/photos/gdcgraphics/, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/DonMcKellar09TIFF.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Don McKellar and Keith Bearden at Sotto Sotto after the Canadian Premiere of Meet Monica Velour (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/7283/gallery-55c2d4bfc910.jpg) Don McKellar and Keith Bearden at Sotto Sotto after the Canadian Premiere of Meet Monica Velour (2011) — Canadian Film Centre, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/%27Meet_Monica_Velour%27_45.jpg/1280px-%27Meet_Monica_Velour%27_45.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Lesley Barber and Don McKellar. Photo: Ernesto Di Stefano / George Pimentel Photography. (2020)](https://film.one/media/person/7283/gallery-cd26806c57b8.jpg) Lesley Barber and Don McKellar. Photo: Ernesto Di Stefano / George Pimentel Photography. (2020) — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/2020_CFC_Annual_Gala_%26_Auction_%2849565945971%29.jpg/1280px-2020_CFC_Annual_Gala_%26_Auction_%2849565945971%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Don McKellar and John Patrick Shanley Hosted by filmmaker Don McKellar, Academy Award-winning writer/director John Patrick Shanley sat down to discuss adaptatio (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/7283/gallery-69703ed783d8.jpg) Don McKellar and John Patrick Shanley Hosted by filmmaker Don McKellar, Academy Award-winning writer/director John Patrick Shanley sat down to discuss adaptatio (2015) — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/An_Evening_With_John_Patrick_Shanley_%2816293950834%29.jpg/1280px-An_Evening_With_John_Patrick_Shanley_%2816293950834%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Don McKellar](https://film.one/media/person/7283/gallery-123b8c594e11.jpg) Don McKellar — Image via TMDB - ![Don McKellar and John Patrick Shanley Hosted by filmmaker Don McKellar, Academy Award-winning writer/director John Patrick Shanley sat down to discuss adaptatio (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/7283/gallery-f495ddc2b815.jpg) Don McKellar and John Patrick Shanley Hosted by filmmaker Don McKellar, Academy Award-winning writer/director John Patrick Shanley sat down to discuss adaptatio (2015) — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/An_Evening_With_John_Patrick_Shanley_%2816296321943%29.jpg/1280px-An_Evening_With_John_Patrick_Shanley_%2816296321943%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Don McKellar and John Patrick Shanley Hosted by filmmaker Don McKellar, Academy Award-winning writer/director John Patrick Shanley sat down to discuss adaptatio (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/7283/gallery-94a8f2ab33ae.jpg) Don McKellar and John Patrick Shanley Hosted by filmmaker Don McKellar, Academy Award-winning writer/director John Patrick Shanley sat down to discuss adaptatio (2015) — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/An_Evening_With_John_Patrick_Shanley_%2816728907580%29.jpg/1280px-An_Evening_With_John_Patrick_Shanley_%2816728907580%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) ## Awards ### Other awards — 1 won - Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical 2006: Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (won), for *The Drowsy Chaperone* *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/don-mckellar