- Born
- Height1.75 m
- Serge Houde is a Canadian character actor, playing both good and bad guys. He played Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character's father suffering from Alzheimer's disease in 50/50 (2011) as well as the volatile Mafia boss Sam Giancana opposite Tom Wilkinson in Les Kennedy (2011).
Houde began acting at age 35, after pursuing successful careers as an award-winning Advertising Executive (IKEA) and as an internationally published wildlife photojournalist (National Geographic). Despite a late start and with no formal training, his passion, determination and raw talent quickly established him in the acting business. He has almost 150 credits listed on IMDb and worked on such television series as Hell on Wheels: L'Enfer de l'Ouest (2011), The Killing (2011), Supernatural (2005), and Psych : Enquêteur malgré lui (2006). His appearance in Played (2013) won him a 2014 Leo Award nomination for Best Guest Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Series.- IMDb mini biography by: Roger Colt
- SpouseGwen Gnazdowsky
- Houde received this review for his portrayal as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Alzheimer suffering father in Jonathan Levine's feature 50/50 (2011): Serge Houde's performance is one of the few horribly believable portrayals of Alzheimer's I've seen lately. The look of spaced-out absence and perennial curiosity he knows not to try to satiate because he'll just forget it is all too real for me and my experiences with my grandfather. When Adam tells his father he loves him late in the film, Houde's uncomprehending face and gentle but neutral one-word response was so familiar I burst into tears.
- Received this review from GQ Magazine's Tom Carson for his work in Les Kennedy (2011): "...a terrific Sam Giancana (Serge Houde, and where has this formidable actor been all of Martin Scorsese's life?).".
- Director Jon Cassar had this to say about Houde's portrayal of Sam Giancana in Les Kennedy (2011): "He has that steely stare that all those mafia bosses seem to have. He could scare you without a gun. He was wonderful. He is in pivotal scenes that tell the story of the Mafia connection to the White House. And Serge was wonderful in portraying that scary persona. Of course, in real life he's an absolute sweetheart, but I find that's often the case. Usually the worst, meanest guys on film are the nicest on the set." Jon Cassar interviewed by Gayle Macdonald for The Globe and Mail.
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