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Tommy Sexton

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Tommy Sexton
Born
Thomas Sexton

(1957-07-03)July 3, 1957
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
DiedDecember 13, 1993(1993-12-13) (aged 36)
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Thomas Sexton (July 3, 1957 – December 13, 1993) was a Canadian comedian. Born in St. John's, Newfoundland, he was the youngest member of the CODCO comedy troupe.

Educated in St. John's, he was an honours student before quitting after Grade 10 to pursue an acting career in Toronto. After briefly working on a children's touring theatre show, he landed his first television role in the drama series Police Surgeon. Sexton and colleague Diane Olsen subsequently wrote Cod on a Stick, a comedic play which launched CODCO.[1]

In 1975, Sexton took a brief sabbatical from CODCO to study at the Toronto Dance Theatre. He subsequently returned, working on other shows with CODCO and subsequently touring with colleague Greg Malone in two co-written works, The Wonderful Grand Band and Two Foolish to Talk About. In 1985 and 1986, Sexton and Malone wrote and performed in a series of television specials for the CBC, called The S and M Comic Book,[2] which in turn led to CODCO landing its own series in 1988.[3]

After CODCO's run concluded in 1993, Sexton and Malone wrote and starred in a CBC television special, The National Doubt, satirizing the constitutional debates of the early 1990s. Sexton subsequently wrote a semi-autobiographical film, Adult Children of Alcoholics: The Musical, which was in production in November 1993 when Sexton, who was openly gay,[4] fell ill due to complications from AIDS. He died on December 13 of that year.

Malone subsequently campaigned for HIV and AIDS education in Sexton's memory. His sister, filmmaker Mary Sexton, produced a documentary film about him, Tommy...A Family Portrait, in 2001.[5] Along with Malone and their CODCO co-star Andy Jones, Sexton was a posthumous recipient of the Earle Grey Award, the lifetime achievement award of Canadian television's Gemini Awards, in 2002.[6]

The Tommy Sexton Centre, a new assisted housing complex for people living with HIV and AIDS, was opened in St. John's in 2006.[7][8] In 2009, several drag queens in the city put together "Ravishing in Red", a tribute show to Sexton, as a fundraiser for the Sexton Centre.[9] One performer, Betty "Boo" Kakke, singled him out as Newfoundland's "clown prince".[9]

Sexton's mother, Sara Sexton, became a major figure in HIV/AIDS awareness in Newfoundland and Labrador following her son's death.[10][11] Sara Sexton was announced as an inductee to the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2013,[12] and was inducted in February 2014.[13] Sara Sexton died on February 28, 2020;[14] in 2021, Mary Sexton and her son Nik Sexton released Me, Mom & COVID, a documentary film about her life.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Tommy Sexton, archived from the original on August 8, 2007, retrieved September 6, 2007
  2. ^ "Newfoundlanders go national in a big way". The Globe and Mail, March 29, 1986.
  3. ^ "Inspired lunacy from Codco: Frolicking beyond the boundaries of good taste". The Globe and Mail, October 27, 1988.
  4. ^ "Sexton Tribute", NOW Magazine Online Edition, vol. 21, no. 10, November 8, 2001, retrieved October 27, 2015
  5. ^ "Our Collection: Tommy...A Family Portrait", NFB, retrieved September 6, 2007
  6. ^ "Codco honoured with special award at Geminis". The Western Star, November 5, 2002.
  7. ^ "AIDS centre keeps Sexton's memory alive". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. September 16, 2006. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  8. ^ New Short Term Shelter Opening Soon, September 6, 2006, archived from the original on September 27, 2007, retrieved September 6, 2007
  9. ^ a b "Queens pay tribute to clown prince". The Telegram, December 21, 2009.
  10. ^ "A cause close to her heart; Sara Sexton continues AIDS awareness crusade". The Western Star. September 22, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  11. ^ "92-year-old HIV/AIDS advocate remembers son, Tommy Sexton". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. May 2, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  12. ^ "Rick Hillier among inductees to Order of N.L." Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 24, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  13. ^ "Province honours 7 with Order of Newfoundland and Labrador". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. February 8, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  14. ^ Joan Sullivan, "Bereaved mother Sara Sexton who became an AIDS activist dies at 97: After her son Tommy Sexton died of the disease, she was inspired by a visit to Toronto's Casey House and pushed for the creation of a similar facility in St. John's"]. The Globe and Mail, March 16, 2020.
  15. ^ Conor McCann, "Love, death and COVID-19: How a mother and son honoured their family with a new documentary". CBC News Newfoundland and Labrador, January 3, 2021.
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