Chris Gauthier, a prolific actor known for his roles on the TV shows “Once Upon a Time” and “Eureka,” died Friday. He was 48 years old.
TriStar Appearance/Event Horizon Talent, which represented Mr. Gauthier, said in a statement that Mr. Gauthier passed away “after a brief illness.” His representative did not say where he died.
Gauthier, who was born in England and raised in Canada, has appeared in more than 20 films, including 2003’s “Freddy vs. Jason” and 2009’s “Watchmen.” He also appeared on dozens of television shows, including “The Stars”. According to IMDb, he has appeared in “Smallville,” “Charmed,” “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” and several short films.
He is best known for playing William Smee on Once Upon a Time, a series that blended real life and fantasy in the fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine. It is home to fairy tale characters imprisoned by an evil queen. Mr. Gauthier appeared in 14 episodes as Smee, based on the “Peter Pan” character Mr. Smee, Captain Hook’s first mate.
Mr. Gauthier also played cafe owner Vincent in the science fiction television series “Eureka.” According to IMDb, he appeared in 67 episodes of the show, from the pilot episode to season 5.
In a 2021 interview, Gauthier said he started acting in school plays and acted in amateur and professional plays during his high school years.
“I’ve always been a hamman, trying to be the funny guy,” he said.
Chris Gauthier was born on January 27, 1976 in Luton, England. He said in a 2020 interview that he immigrated to Canada when he was five years old and grew up in a small town in British Columbia.
“There wasn’t much going on there as far as movies and TV,” he said. “So for me, it was just a love of acting. It wasn’t about the money. It was nothing but a pure love of acting.”
His on-screen acting career began in 2000 when he appeared in an episode of the television series Cold Squad. His first two film roles were in 2002’s “40 Days and 40 Nights” and bit roles in “Insomnia.”
Until “Eureka” premiered in 2006, his television roles were primarily limited to appearing in one or a few episodes. The drama takes place in the fictional town of Eureka in the Pacific Northwest. There, many of the world’s brightest minds live in strange groups that create technology. Inventions that the rest of the world doesn’t know about.
Among his recent appearances, Mr. Gauthier appeared in seven episodes of the western “Joe Pickett.”
Information about his survivors was not immediately available.
In a 2021 interview, he said his partner encouraged him to move to Vancouver to pursue an acting career in television and film.
“I wasn’t super motivated because I enjoyed acting,” he said of the move. “But I thought, ‘Okay,’ and it worked out.”
