Mr. Carver was born in Cranbrook, a small British Columbian town. As a child, he sang in church choirs and learned about music and the arts. He graduated high school as valedictorian, began performing as an undergraduate at the University of British Colombia, and left college to join a touring children's theatre troupe. By the 1970's, he was starring in plays and musicals such as One Night Stand, Jubalay and Jaques Brel Is Alive And Well and Living in Paris. The eighties showed off his talents in Godspell, Foxfire, Cabaret, Bent, and other roles in movies. His performances always received rave reviews, and he rapidly became a staple of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, where he starred in Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, The Pirates of Penzance, and other Shakespearean and classical plays. In the early 1990's, he helped turn small budgeted independent plays into smash hits, and won many awards and accolades for his performance in Brad Fraser's Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love

America first came to know Mr. Carver when he played Ariel to Anthony Hopkins' Prospero in The Tempest in Los Angeles in 1979. In 1992, while playing the title role of Tartuffe in Toronto, his agent called and offered an audition: a musical adaptation of Manuel Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman that Harold Prince would be directing. He went in with a song and a few scenes, stunned the casting agents with his reading, and was immediatly offered the chance to alternate the leading role of Molina with American star Richard Thomas. When Thomas dropped out of the project for personal reasons, Prince offered Mr. Carver the part full-time. He started the show in Toronto and took it to London, earning universal rave reviews and winning many awards along the way. On May 3, 1993, the musical opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway. His portrayal of the caged bird that is Molina made him the toast of Broadway and earned him almost every major theatre award, including the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He only remained on Broadway until September of that year, turning in 155 performances, as he'd already been playing the part for a year in Toronto and London. Having the Tony Award under his belt, he could easily have gone to Hollywood or at least remained on Broadway. Instead, he went home to Canada and starred in a new production of Shakespeare's Richard III, followed by a stint as Cyrano de Bergerac and a concert of his favourite songs.

While on hiatus from America and Broadway, Mr. Carver played several roles in independent movies. He played Leonardo DaVinci in a made for television family film about the inventor, entitled Leonardo: A Dream of Flight. He played a cat transformed into a man in the family comedy Whiskers, and earned critical lauds starring as a woman in the gender-bending romance Lilies (left). Playing the mother of a young boy on his way out of the closet, Mr. Carver expertly captured the essence of a betrayed woman who only wants to see her son happy. The film went on to win four Genie (Canadian Oscar) awards, including Best Picture, and many American film festival awards. The film had a limited run in America, but has been gathering a cult following from those who love fine cinema and powerful writing and acting.

After playing a drug-addicted thief (twice) in the new play High Life (above right) and playing the title role in Soulpepper Theatre's founding production of Don Carlos, Mr. Carver returned to Broadway in 1998 as the Jewish martyr Leo Frank in the new musical Parade(right). His performance earned him yet more rave reviews, a Drama Desk award, another Tony nominaton, and much critical acclaim.

Recently, Mr Carver starred in a film version of Washington Irving's classic chiller The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Playing the lead role of Ichabod Crane, Mr. Carver displayed a wonderful comedic talent that flowed beautifully, and gave a traditionally stock character a complete rebirth. As of this writing, Mr Carver is playing that other famous persecuted Jew, Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, and a new role written especially for him in Timothy Findley's Elizabeth Rex. In the fall of 2000, his latest movie, Deeply, will be released in Canada and America, and in January of 2001, he will play the eponymous hero in a musicalisation of Carol Sheild's Larry's Party, by Richard Ouzounian and Marek Norman, directed by Robin Phillips.

As we find more information about Brent Carver and his accomplishments, we'll add them to this already impressive list. Meanwhile, enjoy searching the site, and check back often for updates!