Adi Da, Adidam, and Current Events > Ken Welsh: Appreciation

Kenneth Welsh:
An Appreciation

Kenneth Welsh, one of the greatest Canadian actors of his generation, died on May 5, 2022 at the age of 80. He is known for his memorable, unhinged villain, Windom Earle, from Twin Peaks, in addition to roles in such hit films as The Day After Tomorrow and The Aviator. Ken was a devotee of Adi Da, and will be greatly missed by all those in the Adidam community who knew and appreciated him.

A Long and Prolific Acting Career

Ken was a prolific actor. ACTRA (the union of Canadian actors) wrote on his passing, "Ken was one of Canada's all-time great performers, with hundreds of memorable roles spanning decades."

Born March 30, 1942, in Edmonton, Alberta, Ken relocated to Montreal to attend the National Theatre School. "His background and his roots were on the stage, especially in his early years,” his agent, Pam Winter, said. He began his career as a member of Ontario's acclaimed Stratford Festival, heralded for its performances of Shakespearean plays. The Stratford Festival writes: "He was a deeply valued company member for both our audiences and artists alike. Ken played more than 20 roles across seven seasons and on tour with us, between 1966 and 1972. He played the title role in Hamlet (1969), Lord Hastings in Richard III (1967), Octavius Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra (1967), Macduff in Macbeth (1971) and many more."

Ken as Hamlet (1969). Thanks to the Stratford Festival for the photograph. (click image to enlarge)		Ken as Hamlet (1969). Thanks to the Stratford Festival for the photograph. (click image to enlarge)		Ken (right) and Leon Pownall addressing a student matinee at the Stratford Festival Theatre in Toronto. (click image to enlarge)

From 1963 to 2022, Ken went on to star in numerous TV and film projects, many shot in his native Canada. He portrayed a number of historical figures over the course of his career and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his performance as Thomas Edison in the 1998 TV movie Edison: The Wizard of Light.

Ken as Windom Earle in Twin Peaks. (click image to enlarge)

Ken is best known to American audiences for his role as Windom Earle, the crazed FBI agent, evil genius, and master of disguise in Season 2 of the groundbreaking television series, Twin Peaks. His character was the mentor to (and later, adversary of) FBI special agent, Dale Cooper (played by Kyle MacLachlan).

Ken played the vice president in Roland Emmerich's 2004 blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow and played the father of Katharine Hepburn, as played by Cate Blanchett, in Martin Scorsese’s 2004 Oscar-winning Howard Hughes biopic, The Aviator.

Ken has also appeared in films such as Legends of the Fall (1994), Miracle (2004), The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), and on such popular series as The X-Files, Law & Order, Smallville, and The Practice.

Ken and Kathy Bates in the off-Broadway play, Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune (1987). (click image to enlarge)		Ken as Dr. John Watson in the television movie, The Hound of the Baskervilles (2000). (click image to enlarge)

Ken continued acting right up to the end of his life, with recurring roles on Lodge 49, Star Trek: Discovery, and The CW’s rebooted Charmed. He had a number of projects in post-production at the time of his death, including his appearance on an episode of Amazon’s revival of Canadian sketch series The Kids in the Hall (May 2022 launch).

Ken in Lodge 49. (click image to enlarge)		Ken in Star Trek: Discovery. (click image to enlarge)

Ted Dykstra, a director who worked with Ken on many stage projects, said, "There's no end to what he did. He was the most unassuming guy, he wasn't ambitious in the way of 'I want everyone to know who I am', he just loved the work."

Vanessa Matsui directed Ken's last film, "Midnight at the Paradise",where he played a movie critic nearing the end of his life. She said Ken captivated his colleagues. "He was always telling the cast and crew funny stories from his life, and he blew us all away with his performance and grace. . . I’ll never forget shooting this one scene with him and Allan Hawco, and you could hear a pin drop because the crew was just so drawn in by his performance. It was one of those special, intangible moments on set where you knew you just captured magic."

Ken earned many accolades throughout his long, renowned career, including a nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award (Outstanding Performer in the 1998 Children's Special, Edison: The Wizard of Light), 4 Gemini Awards (and 2 nominations), the 1985 ACTRA Award for Best TV Male Lead, and a Canadian Genie Award for his role in the 1995 film, Margaret's Museum, set in Nova Scotia and starring Helena Bonham Carter. He received an honorary degree from the University of Alberta, and, in 2003, was named a member of the prestigious Order of Canada.

Ken and Adidam

The Mummery Book — At the request of Adi Da (who was particularly appreciative of Ken's stage background, especially in Shakespearean theater), Ken performed the role of the narrator in Adi Da's dramatic work, The Mummery Book. Ken had this to say about The Mummery Book:

KEN: In The Mummery Book, Adi Da Samraj has created an astonishing work which, through a skillful weaving of mind-challenging techniques, seems to re-define the very essence and usage of the English language, in much the same way as Shakespeare restructured it almost half a millennium ago, and, it seems to me, for a similar purpose — to offer, through an autobiographical exploration, a heart-opening invitation to feel the human spiritual journey at its core. . . Just as I find fresh knowledge with each re-reading of Shakespeare's plays, no matter which work, each time I return to The Mummery Book and its masterful boldness, the way its words startle and surprise and cry out from the heart of its Creator, I feel blessed by its beauty and I am moved by the truth that pulses through its every image.

Below is a "peek" inside Ken's process of preparing to play the role of narrator in the January, 2000, ten-hour long performance of The Mummery Book. The video excerpt was edited (by Chris Tong) from a much longer, unreleased documentary (created by well-known director, Terence Gross) about the making of The Mummery Book. (Consequently, the audio and visual quality are a little spotty in places.)

At a certain point in the process (3:02), Avatar Adi Da ("Beloved") sits at a rehearsal, and then begins to actively participate in making suggestions for the production. Finally (at 5:45), there is a brief glimpse of the end of the actual performance (including when the audience and cast applaud the Playwright), after which Adi Da expresses His appreciation by coming up and embracing Ken.

Here is Ken reciting the Prologue to The Mummery Book:

What To Remember To Be Happy — Ken also narrated the audiobook version of Adi Da's book of wisdom for children, What, Where, When, How, Why, and Who To Remember To Be Happy. In this magical and enchanting CD, Avatar Adi Da answers life's fundamental questions in the simplest and most inviting way possible—speaking eloquently to the open-hearted child in all of us, even as the CD also delivers the full import of Avatar Adi Da's unique spiritual understanding.

Not-Two Is Peace — Ken has also created recitations of excerpts from Adi Da's masterpiece on world peace, Not-Two Is Peace.

The Only True Power:

The Turnabout Moment:

Getting Down To Business:

The Only Right Competition:

Cooperatively Managing All Resources:

The Working Presumption of Prior Unity:

The Transition Beyond Ego-Culture:

* * *

Ken is survived by his wife, Lynne McIlvride, who is an artist, and by his son, Devon Welsh (33), who is a musician and former member of the band, Majical Cloudz. "My dad passed away peacefully at home,” Devon tweeted. "I will always love him beyond words. He lived a wonderful life, he was the best father I could have asked for, and he touched so many lives."

Ken and Lynne. Thanks to Lynne for the photo.

Ken with young Devon after winning two Gemini Awards at the 1998 Gemini Awards ceremony (click image to enlarge)