Figurehead Theatre & Film

Tyler Lionel Parr is a Toronto based actor, director and filmmaker. He has spent the last 30 years performing on stage and 18 years in film and Television.

Tyler began his theatre training working with Dave Conron – professional clown and mime instructor who studied with Marcel Marceau. With Jim Schaefer – founder and artistic director (78-91) of Port Stanley Festival Theatre, and with Art Fidler – educator, director, and mentor.

He has trained under Canadian Film Director and Screenwriter Carl Bessai; with Writer/Producer Vic Perillo and with Actor/Acting coach Michael Caruana. Tyler continues to train and sharpen his skills, having completed both the Core Level II and Advanced-Level acting class at Armstrong Acting Studio in Toronto ON. He has trained and continues to train at the Pro-Actors Lab in Toronto. Tyler attended Lester B. Pearson School of the Arts and took extensive workshops at The Second City & The Grand Theatre.

Tyler is the Artistic Director of Figurehead Films, launched in 2010. In 2012 he wrote, produced, directed & starred in his first professional short film DRAGONFLY, which was an official Selection in the Court Métrage, Festival De Cannes – 2012.

In 2015 Tyler completed writing, producing, directing and performing in his second professional short film IRONIED.  Tyler won the Brian Linehan – Best Actor Award for the National Screen Institute of Canadaand Best Actor Award for the Open World Toronto Film Festival.Ironied has gone on to win 11 awards internationally, officially selected in over 30 festivals worldwide and has over 1.2 million views on Omeleto.

Tyler had the privilege of working with Kiefer Sutherland, who directed Tyler in one of Kiefer’s music videos. He has worked with Bruce McDonald (Hard Core Logo, Pontypool) on the CBBC and Family Channel show Creeped Out and has performed in an episode of Canada’s own Murdoch Mysteries. He has co-starred in shows such as National Geographic’s Breakout and Discovery Channel’s Inventions that Shook the World, as well as multiple commercials throughout the years. Tyler is a member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. He was one of the co-founders and creators of the Forest City Film Festival, which began its inaugural grand opening on Nov 11th, 2016 in London Ontario; opening night hosted by 4 time Academy Award nominee Emma Donoghue (Room, Frog Music).

​In late 2018 he performed as a lead character (Booker) in the mockumentary feature film Open For Submissions shot in Victoria, BC, which has won several awards nationally and was nominated for a Leo. He was flown back out West to perform in another professional film called Bubba Lou, which wrapped in May of 2019.

Tyler discovered his true passion for theatre when he began performing on stage over 30 years ago. His most recent theatre roles have been Hogginfritz in Bruno & Hogginfritz (written by Jade Walker), Scott in Within The Glass (written by two-time Governor General Award finalist, Anna Chatterton), Poseidon in Trojan Woman (PassionFool Theatre Co.), Charles Aiken in August: Osage County (London Community Players), and performed in The Grand Theatre’s Playwrights Cabaret (January 2017). Tyler has toured to Prague, Czech Republic and Istanbul, Turkey with the auspicious group Black Hand Theatre, performing award-winning shows such as Blow This Popsicle Stand and Artstetten. In September of 2018 Tyler performed in his first one-hour solo show (The Roll Call), written and directed by Justin Quesnelle of Passionfool Theatre Company.

For a decade Tyler was one of five comedic performers and co-directors with the alt-sketch comedy troupe Fully Insured. The group picked up Funniest Show (Fringe Festival) two years consecutively and toured throughout Canada.

Tyler has been awarded the Brickenden Best Actor Award for his role as RJ in George F. Walker’s Problem Child; picked up Best Actor for the Victoria BC 2004 Film Slam and a Best Actor Nomination and Brickenden’s Best Production Award for Daniel McIvor’s Never Swim Alone.

Tyler is currently working on several new projects, having recently completed writing his feature screenplay. He has written a treatment & spec pilot episode for a television series currently in the process of being pitched, and is about to begin pre-production for a dramatic post-apocalyptic film (PoC) he finished writing last year. He is currently writing two other pilot’s, one as co-writer. Tyler has confirmed the option to adapt a Canadian book into a screenplay and feature film (The Hunt), written by Jason Dickson.