Tommy Sexton

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person 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.

Early life and career

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.<ref name="koymasky">Template:Citation</ref>

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,<ref name=gonational>"Newfoundlanders go national in a big way". The Globe and Mail, March 29, 1986.</ref> which in turn led to CODCO landing its own series in 1988.<ref>"Inspired lunacy from Codco: Frolicking beyond the boundaries of good taste". The Globe and Mail, October 27, 1988.</ref>

Later career and death

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,<ref name="now">Template:Citation</ref> fell ill due to complications from AIDS. He died on December 13 of that year.

Legacy

Greg Malone subsequently campaigned for HIV and AIDS education in Sexton's memory. Tommy's sister, filmmaker Mary Sexton, produced a documentary film about him, Tommy…A Family Portrait, in 2001.<ref name="nfb">Template:Citation</ref> 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.<ref>"Codco honoured with special award at Geminis". The Western Star, November 5, 2002.</ref>

The Tommy Sexton Centre, a new assisted housing complex for people living with HIV and AIDS, was opened in St. John's in 2006.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="center">Template:Citation</ref> 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.<ref name=queens>"Queens pay tribute to clown prince". The Telegram, December 21, 2009.</ref> One performer, Betty "Boo" Kakke, singled him out as Newfoundland's "clown prince".<ref name=queens />

Sexton's mother, Sara Sexton, became a major figure in HIV/AIDS awareness in Newfoundland and Labrador following her son's death.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sara Sexton was announced as an inductee to the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2013,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and was inducted in February 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sara Sexton died on February 28, 2020;<ref>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.</ref> in 2021, Mary Sexton and her son Nik Sexton released Me, Mom & COVID, a documentary film about Sara's life and death of COVID-19.<ref name=mccann>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.</ref>

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0786697

 | name/{{#if:{{#invoke:ustring|match|1=0786697|2=^nm}}
   | Template:Trim/
   | nm0786697/
   }}
 | {{#if: {{#property:P345}}
   | name/Template:First word/
   | find?q=%7B%7B%23if%3A+Tommy+Sexton%0A++++++%7C+Tommy+Sexton%0A++++++%7C+%5B%5B%3ATemplate%3APAGENAMEBASE%5D%5D%0A++++++%7D%7D&s=nm
   }}
 }}{{#if:  0786697 {{#property:P345}} | {{#switch: 
 | award | awards = awards Awards for | biography | bio = bio Biography for
 }}}} {{#if: Tommy Sexton
 | Tommy Sexton
 | Template:PAGENAMEBASE
 }}] at IMDb{{#if: 0786697{{#property:P345}}
 | Template:EditAtWikidata
 | Template:Main other

}}{{#switch:{{#invoke:string2|matchAny|^nm.........|^nm.......|nm|.........|source=0786697|plain=false}}

 | 1 | 3 =  Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning
 | 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning

}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb name with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | id | name | section }}