Eugene Levy

Contribution: Eugene Levy, a Canadian actor, writer, director, and producer, has appeared in more than sixty motion pictures. He is well known for playing comedic roles in a number of movies, including Best in Show (2000), the American Pie series (1999–2012), and A Mighty Wind (2003), as well as for his role as Johnny Rose in the Emmy Award–winning comedy series Schitt’s Creek (2015–20).

Early Life and Education

Eugene Levy was born on December 17, 1946, in Hamilton, Ontario. He attended Westdale Secondary School and McMaster University, both in Hamilton. He studied sociology and, in 1967, became vice president of the university’s student film board.

Career

Through his involvement in the McMaster University film board, Levy met Ivan Reitman, who would go on to direct the film Ghostbusters, among others. Levy had wanted to be cast in Reitman’s first film, Foxy Lady, in 1971. Instead, he was cast in Reitman’s next movie, Cannibal Girls, in 1973. From 1972 to 1973, Levy toured with the Toronto production of Godspell.

In 1976, Levy became part of the Toronto branch of the Second City comedy troupe, performing with the troupe until 1981. He also joined an offshoot of the troupe that starred in the late-night television show Second City Television (SCTV). He was part of the show from 1976 until 1984 and won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program in 1982 and 1983. During this time, he appeared in the movies Running (1979), Double Negative (1980; released in the United States as Deadly Companion), Nothing Personal (1980), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), Going Berserk (1983), and Splash (1984). He also provided several voices in the animated film Heavy Metal in 1981, and he wrote, produced, and acted in The Last Polka in 1984.

Levy went on to star in more comedies throughout the 1980s and 1990s, such as Armed and Dangerous (1986) and Father of the Bride Part II (1995) with Steve Martin. He paired up with Christopher Guest to co-write and co-star in Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006), composing a number of songs for these films. For his work in A Mighty Wind, he won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song, and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was also nominated for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen by the Writers Guild of America for Best in Show and was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards for A Mighty Wind and Waiting for Guffman.

In 1999, Levy was cast in the blockbuster American Pie as the embarrassing father of Jim, played by Jason Biggs. He was also in the sequels, American Pie 2 (2001), American Wedding (2003), and American Reunion (2012). Levy appeared as Jim’s father in several direct-to-DVD spin-offs released between 2005 and 2009.

In addition to the American Pie series, Levy starred in many other movies in the first two decades of the twenty-first century, such as New York Minute (2004), Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), Taking Woodstock (2009), Goon (2011), and Madea’s Witness Protection (2012). He also lent his voice to Over the Hedge and Curious George in 2006, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Astro Boy in 2009, and Finding Dory in 2016.

In terms of television, Levy’s next major project came when he collaborated with his son, actor, writer, and director Daniel Levy, to create and produce a new comedy series about a wealthy family recovering from the loss of their fortune as they are compelled to live together at a motel in a small, isolated town. Launched in 2015 on the CBC network in Canada and the Pop cable network in the United States, the series, titled Schitt’s Creek, earned critical acclaim but did not immediately draw large audiences. However, as the show aired its third season in 2017, it was picked up by the streaming platform Netflix, which began hosting all of its episodes after their network broadcast. With this accessibility and fan appreciation spreading on social media, the popularity of the show increased. The Emmy Award nominations began in 2019, and in 2020, the year in which the sixth, concluding season of the series aired, it was recognized for securing fifteen Emmy nominations. Levy took home the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as the patriarch Johnny Rose.

In 2008, he received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2011 and promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2022. In 2024, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

After Schitt’s Creek wrapped up, Levy hosted and executive-produced The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy and appeared in season four of Only Murders in the Building in 2024. That same year, Levy and his son, Dan, co-hosted the Emmy Awards.

Personal Life

Levy was born to Rebecca Levy, née Kudlats, and Joseph Levy. His mother was Ashkenazi Jewish, and his father was Sephardic Jewish. Eugene Levy married television writer Deborah Divine in 1977. They have two children, Dan and Sarah Levy.

Bibliography

“Eugene Levy.” Grammy Awards, www.grammy.com/artists/eugene-levy/3910. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

“Eugene Levy.” Hollywood Walk of Fame, www.walkoffame.com/eugene-levy. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

Kennedy, Mark. “Eugene Levy, Very Gingerly, Explores World for Travel Show.” AP News, 23 Feb. 2023, apnews.com/article/a690f8e7a1fe93541a4d9c4a2e3c9778. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

Levy, Eugene. “The Way We Live Now: 4-20-03 Questions for Eugene Levy; Good Humor Man.” The New York Times, interview by Lynn Hirschberg. 20 Apr. 2003, www.nytimes.com/2003/04/20/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-4-20-03-questions-for-eugene-levy-good-humor-man.html. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

Lindsay, Benjamin. “Eugene Levy Reveals the Rules of Comedy That Brought Him, Finally, to ‘Schitt’s Creek.’” Backstage, 23 Sept. 2020, www.backstage.com/magazine/article/eugene-levy-schitts-creek-second-city-interview-71556/. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

Maas, Jennifer. “Emmy Hosts Dan and Eugene Levy Roast ‘The Bear’ for Being a Comedy Nominee With No Jokes and More During Monologue.” Variety, 15 Sept. 2024, variety.com/2024/tv/awards/eugene-dan-levy-emmys-monologue-2024-1236142488/. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

“Mr. Eugene Levy.” The Governor General of Canada, www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-12543. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

“The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy.” Apple TV Press, www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/the-reluctant-traveler/. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

Seringhaus, Claire, and Wyndham Wise. “Eugene Levy.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 1 May 2015, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/eugene-levy. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.