Chris Gauthier, a prolific British-born Canadian actor known for his roles in the television shows “Once Upon a Time” and “Eureka,” died on Friday. He was 48.
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 has 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 his role as William Smee in Once Upon A Time, a series that mixed real life and fantasy in the fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine, home to storybook characters trapped by an evil queen. Mr. Gauthier appeared in 14 episodes as Smee, who is based on the “Peter Pan” character Mr. Smee, Captain Hook's first officer.
Mr. Gauthier also played Vincent, a cafe owner, in the science fiction TV series “Eureka.” According to IMDb, he appeared in 67 episodes of this series, from the pilot episode to the fifth season.
In an interview in 2021, Mr. Gauthier said that he began acting in school plays and that he participated in both amateur and professional theater during high school.
“I was always an amateur and tried to be a funny guy,” he said.
Chris Gauthier was born on January 27, 1976 in Luton, England. In an interview in 2020, he said that he moved to Canada when he was five and grew up in a small town in British Columbia. In an interview in 2010, he said he saw a local theater production of “Sing of a Song of Sixpence” during elementary school, which inspired him to consider becoming an actor.
“There wasn’t much going on in terms of film or television,” he said. “So for me it was all about the love of acting. It wasn't about money. It was about nothing other than the pure love of acting.”
After moving to Vancouver when he was around 20, his on-screen acting career began in 2000 when he appeared in an episode of the TV series Cold Squad. His first two film appearances were in 2002 for small roles in “40 Days and 40 Nights” and “Insomnia”.
His television roles were largely limited to appearances in one or more episodes of shows such as “The L Word” and “Dead Like Me” until “Eureka” premiered on the Syfy Channel in 2006. The show is set in the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Eureka, where many of the world's brightest minds live in a strange collective that produces technological inventions that the rest of the world knows nothing about.
Mr. Gauthier said in 2010 that during the audition for the character Vincent, described in the casting call as “metrosexual,” he gave a contrasting performance to the other actors, who were “basically a bunch of dudes, the half-tops.” wore and…”skin-tight jeans.”
“As each actor left the audition room, they were like, 'Take it easy,' or don't be too eccentric, let's say,” he said. “When it was my turn, I just did my thing and they said, 'Perfect.' They loved it and I think it was probably the combination of my stocky body with some feminine tones.”
Gauthier's more recent credits include appearing in seven episodes of the western drama Joe Pickett.
Information about his survivors was not immediately available.
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 particularly motivated because I enjoyed making games,” he said of the move. “But I thought, 'Okay,' and it worked.”