Top 10 outstanding facts about Ennis Esmer

Ennis Esmer. Photo by Ennis_Esmer.jpg: Phil Birnbaum derivative work: Turco85 (talk). Wikimedia Commons.

Top 10 outstanding facts about Ennis Esmer

Ennis Esmer is a Canadian citizen initially born on the 29th of December 1978 in Ankara Turkey. He Is a comedian, producer, presenter, Actor, and writer.

He has an instinctive improvisational style and delivery method of acting that has landed him award-winning films like Blindspot.

His performance in this film made him a fan-favorite that show creator Martin Gero said was the character that defined the series. He has also appeared in great works like the film The Listener as Oz’ Bey, Private Eyes as Kurtis ‘Maz’ Mazhar, and Red Oaks as Nash.

He has been nominated for various Awards for his craft like the 2010 ACTRA Award and the 2011 Canadian Comedy Awards.

He is a renowned philanthropist and is in a long-term relationship with a stylist, costume designer, and businesswoman Amy Blaxland.

Here are 10 Outstanding facts about Ennis Esmer:

1. Ennis learned English by watching Canadian television

Canada has two official languages which are French and English. This is because of the two colonizing countries France and Britain.

They controlled land and built colonies alongside Indigenous peoples, who had lived there for millennia, and taught them their distinct languages.

English is still the most common language in the country. As a child, Ennis first learned English by watching Canadian television. These were films like Sesame Street and Today’s Special.

2. He is the originator of the nickname ‘Spice and Dice’ for the Toronto Raptors

Ennis Esmer. Photo by Phil Birnbaum. Wikimedia Commons.

Ennis is a long-time sports aficionado. He is a well-known basketball and baseball fan.

He is a lifelong fan of the Toronto Blue Jays which is a professional Canadian baseball team. He is also a lifelong fan of the Toronto Raptors.

They are a professional Canadian basketball team who compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division.

Esmer is regarded as the originator for the team’s nickname ‘Spice and Dice’. This is fine Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet.

3. He began his journey in the media field in high school

Esmer attended Earl Haig Secondary School which hosted the Claude Watson Arts Program.

This was an audition arts program integrated into the secondary school curriculum. Ennis participated in the program for gifted art students.

Here he took improv and experimental theatre classes. He was elected to the student council and produced school assemblies which became miniature talent showcases.

4. Ennis didn’t finish his university studies

Selfie of actor Ennis Esmer. Photo by Ennis Esmer. Wikimedia Commons.

Esmer attended York University after graduating high school. The University was established in 1959 as a non-denominational institution by the York University Act.

It offers several programs with notable recognition both nationally and internationally.

It houses Canada’s oldest film school which has been ranked one of the best in Canada. Ennis attended York’s drama program for three years and left before completing it.

He had struggled with the limitations it set on his natural comedic abilities and raised an issue of confidence and maturity.

5. Esmer first came to prominence as the host of Toronto 1’s short-lived variety series

The Toronto Show was a Canadian television variety show that was Toronto’s first short-lived variety series. The show aired from 2003 to 2005 on Toronto’s independent station Toronto 1.

It was hosted by Ennis Esmer, except for a series of specials hosted by Alan Park, Sean Cullen, and others.

Here Esmer rose to fame as the writer and host. Afterward, in 2006 he started his first acting role that got him noticed playing a temperamental janitor Zoltan.

This role set a precedent in his career, as what was originally a one-off appearance was expanded to a recurring role because of the popularity of his take on it.

His next major role came in 2009 in The Listener as Osman ‘Oz’ Bey.

6. Ennis has been studying and working with David Rotenberg for a long time

After Esmer left the University he started working with David Rotenberg. David Charles Rotenberg is a Canadian author and professor.

He has been referred to as one of Canada’s “most notable acting teachers and coaches.

He is a full-tenured professor of theatre studies at York University and is regarded as the nation’s best-known master acting teacher. He also founded the Professional Actors Lab in Toronto as the artistic director.

Esmer claimed the professor allowed him to work on his dramatic ability without calling his comedic gifts a crutch. Hand in hand he also did some training at Second City and has worked every comedy stage in Toronto with the training he got.

7. Esmer has also undertaken several hosting duties in Canada

Ennis Esmer and Kristin Booth. Photo by Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada. Wikimedia Commons.

Ennis is a professional television and film host.  He has worked with several hosting duties in Canada.

He hosted the famous Gemini Awards twice which were given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 and are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States.

He hosted the ACTRA Awards which are Organized and presented by the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists. They were first presented to celebrate excellence in Canada’s television and radio industries in 1972.

He has also virtually hosted the feature films section of the Directors Guild of Canada Awards, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

8. His parents were both system analysts

System analysts are IT professionals who work on a high level in an organization to ensure that systems, infrastructures, and computer function accordingly.

They are sometimes called system architects who create diagrams to help programmers and architects build computer systems.

Esmer’s parents Demir and Alev were both system analysts. They soon got divorced when Ennis was a teenager. His father remarried Esmer’s stepmother, Florence.

9. Esmer is a well-known philanthropist

Philanthropy has been broadly defined as love for humankind and refers to charitable acts or other good works that help others or society as a whole.

It may be showcased in various forms like donating money to a worthy cause or volunteering time, effort, or other forms of altruism.

Ennis Esmer has been involved in many charities, both publicly and privately for many years.

He has focused on helping the homeless, sick, and poor, especially those who reside in the Greater Toronto area.

10. He has worked extensively in Canadian indie short and feature-length film

Turkish-Canadian actor Ennis Esmer. Photo by Phil Birnbaum. Wikimedia Commons.

Ennis Esmer’s skills have managed to help him attain numerous jobs.

He started his film career in a small part in the American Film How to Deal in 2003 leading to his breakout film role four years later in the film Young People Fucking.

The film won multiple Genie Awards and caused the furor around funding caused politically by its name and perceived content.

He has worked in Canadian indie short and feature-length films gaining him much fame and acknowledgment.