Des Walsh

Biography

Desmond Walsh is a veritable cultural icon in Newfoundland, with six books of poetry published, including the acclaimed Love and Savagery, which was adapted for a motion picture by Morag Films in 2009. Talonbooks released the second edition of Love and Savagery concurrent with the film’s release. Walsh is also a noted screenwriter, playwright and musician. He was the 2001 and 2003 playwright-in-residence at the Playwright’s Workshop in Montreal and at Memorial University’s Grenfell College in Corner Brook, respectively. He also scripted the mini-series adaptation of Bernice Morgan’s Random Passage and Waiting for Time, which aired on the CBC in 2002, commenting that: “Morgan’s works are sacred material because they are, finally, our story.” Along with John Smith and Sam Grana, he co-wrote the intensely popular and critically acclaimed miniseries The Boys of St. Vincent. Having encountered the public education system in Placentia and St. John’s, he left school in grade ten, famously claiming it did nothing for him. His awards include a Gemini, a New York Festival Award, Italy’s Umbria Fiction Award, and Best Series (Cannes International TV Festival), all for co-writing The Boys of …

Movies & TV Shows

1. Riverhead (2016) — Burt
2. Hold Fast (2013) — Granddad (Jack)
3. Cast No Shadow (2014) — Ricky's Father
4. Down to the Dirt (2008) — Officer Bowden
5. Hunting Pignut (2017) — Larry
6. Finding Mary March (1988)
7. Little Orphans (2020) — Uncle Billy
8. Rain, Drizzle, and Fog (1998) — Himself
9. Spoiled (2008) — Dad
10. Still Rowdy After All These Years (2011)
11. Random Passage (2002) — Captain Brennan
12. Keystone (2016) — Jack
13. Under the Weather (2020) — Phil
14. Snarbuckled (2010) — Father O'Higgins
15. Four Sisters (2010) — Nish Feehan
16. The Tour (2015) — Married Man
17. Clipper Gold (2014) — Man
18. Down to the Wood (2009) — Delph
19. Sadie (2014) — Mr. Snow
20. Close to the Bone: The Film (2023)
21. Mum's the Word (2009) — Carl
22. To Dublin with Love (2007) — Self