Captivating Facts You Didn’t Know About Demore Barnes

Demore Barnes – born February 26, 1976, is 48 years old.

Demore Barnes is one courageous Canadian actor who surfaced on the scene of the American movie world as a rookie and is gradually stealing the show after honing his skills under the tutelage of veteran Larry Moss. Today, Barnes has recorded a total of 19 credits in the movies and television scenes and still going strong. A couple of his best-known roles were accomplished in The Unit and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. However, there are still some lesser-known facts to learn about this Canadian entertainer.

He was convinced by friends to start acting during high school

Those who knew the Unit actor as a teenager in Sir Oliver Mowat High School in Toronto would attest to the fact that he was not fit for the kind of profile expected from a movie star. The youngster was far removed from a natural performer as he had to contend with shyness. His friends then take the credit for cajoling him into hosting the Christmas assembly for their school.

Demore Barnes’ performance in the school was eventually dubbed a hit, giving him the needed confidence to audition for YTV’s sketch comedy show Squawk Box. The juvenile actor was only 18 at the time and it marked his debut audition as a professional.

The Canadian eventually scored the role which marked the official commencement of his career. By the time the show which lasted for a single season came to a conclusion, Barnes was convinced that his future lay in acting. This led the youngster to apply for a theater program at Ryerson University, however, after he emerged successful in his audition for the Street Cents kids show on CBC, his academic endeavors were shelved.

He started as a comedian

While Demore Barnes is best known for depicting the character of Mr. Ibis/Thoth on the set of American Gods, the movie actor’s beginnings were not in roles with that level of significance. Rather, he launched his entertainment career as part of the cast of a sketch comedy show, appearing on a Canadian YTV show known as Squawk Box. Later on, he scored a role in Street Cents – another kiddie comedy show. Since Demore Barnes develop and built his career to feature more serious gigs, fans have almost forgotten that he has that inherent ability to carve a career in the field of comedy as well.

Barnes moved to LA to fast-track his career growth

After he was done with his role in The Associates – the Canadian law series, scoring roles became a bit difficult for the rising star. He later came to understand that all the major parts would already be filled by Los Angeles actors before casting agents came into his country’s capital of Toronto. Thus, he took the courageous decision to relocate to LA in a bid to give his acting career a fighting chance. According to Barnes, relocating from Canada to LA was far from easy but he had to do it as he believed in his ability to excel, given an enabling environment.

Demore Barnes trained under the watch of a celebrated coach

Even with all his natural talent, Barnes was wise enough to understand the importance of investing in training and polishing the rough edges of his prowess. Thus, when he set foot in LA in the first month of 2003, he was fortunate to study under the famous acting coach Larry Moss. Larry who earns a living as a director, acting coach, and formerly taught at Juilliard, is the ilk of a coach whose coaching classes would generally have a 1-year waiting list. However, Barnes’s case was that of being at the right place at the right time; it only took a single phone call.

His time with Moss marked his first chance to study acting in a formal setting. When the aspiring actor was done with training, he had to wait a while, being a Canadian in the US without working papers, Eventually, the right role and project surfaced and with Demore Barnes’ prowess honed under Moss, he was all set to take a shot at success.

Demore Barnes practically demanded his Hector Williams part in The Unit

The CBS TV series, The Unit where Demore portrayed the character of Hector Williams went on to become the Canadian actor’s best-known role. When he presented himself at the audition with David Mamet, he was impressed so much that Mamet dubbed his performance as “demanding the part”.

He has recorded a total of 19 acting credits and still counting

Barnes in American Gods image source

Barnes’s acting career took off in 1998 when he scored a role in White Lies. Barely one year later in 1999, the Canadian national surfaced in If You Believe. He was part of the cast of the television series The Associates which had its run from 2001 through 2002, scoring his best-known role in The Unit which lasted from 2006 to 2009.

After The Unit wrapped up in 2009, Barnes didn’t waste time in joining the cast of the Supernatural series the same year, staying till its conclusion in 2011. The Barrens which was released in 2012 featured him on set and before the end of the year, he was seen in XIII: The Series television series. 2013 was when he acted in the Hannibal TV series, he was part of Open Heart as well as Defiance in 2015. His time on the set of Hemlock Grove started in 2015 and wrapped up the same year.

Between 2015 and 2016, Demore Barnes was kept busy with The Flash television series. While The Flash was still running in 2016, he scored another role in the TV series 12 Monkeys and Incorporated in 2017. In 2019, he acted in the American Gods TV series and started appearing in Titans. His next best-known role was achieved in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit which commenced in 2019 and is still ongoing.

Read Also: Shari Solanas Age, Educational Background, And How It Helped Her Career

Demore Barnes is continuously giving back to society

Acting as we all know is a time-demanding task, especially when you factor in the auditions, scoring the roles, and being on set which might take you from one location to the other. Thus, actors hardly find the time to engage in other activities like philanthropy, however, the story is different for Barnes who manages to find time for volunteer work with his busy schedule as a movie star. He is one of the volunteers at a shelter for battered kids and women called Wing Haven.

Demore Barnes is a highly talented actor who has worked hard and trained to become the best performer possible. His success is largely attributed to his work ethic, and the courage it took to move away from friends and family when his career was stagnating. However, his high school friends who inspired him into acting may take credit for his success as well. In addition, he has diverse skillsets which he has shown by acting in different genres. Given his work ethic, talent, and character, fans can expect to see him in high-profile roles for years to come.

Complete list of Demore Barnes movies and TV shows

Movies

• White Lies as Black Activist – 1998
• If You Believe as Mark – 1999
• Steal This Movie as Student Leader – 2000
• Blackout as Guy in Line – 2001
• Second String as Waiter – 2002
• Untitled Secret Service Project as Chuck Wynant – 2002
• Jasper, Texas as Ricky Horn – 2003
• Awakening as Simon – 2011
• A Day Without Rain as Terrance – 2011
• The Barrens as Deputy Ranger – 2012
• The Cycle of Broken Grace as Paramedic #1 – 2013
• Jean of the Joneses as Michael Harrison – 2016
• The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel as Elbert Clark – 2020

TV shows

• Relic Hunter as Mudo – 2000
• Doc as Edmund – 2001
• The Associates as Benjamin Hardaway – 2001-2002
• The Save-Ums! as Tony – 2005
• The Unit as Hector Williams – 2006 to 2009
• Supernatural as Raphael / Donnie Finnerman – 2009-2011
• Fringe as Agent Hubert – 2010
• Being Erica as Michel Streith – 2011
• Against the Wall as Paul Cosetti – 2011
• Flashpoint as Fred Camp – 2012
• XIII: The Series as Martin Reynolds – 2012
• Transporter: The Series as Leon – 2012
• Hannibal as Tobias Budge – 2013
• The Listener as Ryan Turner – 2013
• Covert Affairs as ER Doctor – 2013
• Cracked as Idaris John – 2013
• Open Heart as Dr. Dominic Karamichaelidis – 2015
• Defiance as Dos – 2015
• Hemlock Grove as Michael Chasseur – 2015
• Saving Hope as Aaron Davis – 2015
• The Flash as Henry Hewitt – 2015-2016
• 12 Monkeys as Whitley – 2015-2018
• Incorporated as Mason – 2017
• Chicago Justice as Marshall Matthews – 2017
• Chicago Med as Marshall Matthews – 2017
• Waco as Wayne Martin – 2018
• Ransom as Todd Kendall – 2018
• Suits as Lucas Hodges – 2019
• Titans as William Wintergreen – 2019
• American Gods as Mr. Ibis – 2017-2021
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Deputy Chief Christian Garland – 2019-2021

Fast facts

• Starred in the Canadian sketch-comedy show Squawk Box and the Canadian children’s show Street Cents
• Studied under acting coach Larry Moss
• Was nominated two years in a row for Canada’s Gemini Award as Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for The Associates