Ron Pederson / Biography

Ron was born in Edmonton Alberta Canada in 1978 and joined the vibrant Edmonton theatre scene at the age of eight. Ron studied acting at the Citadel Theatre School from 1987 until 1991 at which time he was discovered by renowned playwright Stewart Lemoine which forged a famous artistic relationship. Throughout the nineties Ron worked with every major theatre company in Edmonton and extensively on the new works of Stewart Lemoine.Ron's range as an actor/singer and dancer led him to a plethora of different projects. From starring in large scale musicals to small experimental works Ron became widely known as one of Edmonton's most versatile and sought after performers working with such illustrious Canadian directors as Robin Phillips, Duncan Macintosh, Ron Jenkins, David Storch and Bob Baker. He also worked at the Vancouver Playhouse in 1999.Along the way Ron was nominated for 6 Elizabeth Sterling Haynes awards, two for best supporting actor (Duex Durang in 1998, the Beauty Queen of Lenane in 2002), two for best actor (Burt in 1994, Little Shop of Horrors in 2000) a nomination for outstanding performance for young audiences (Dunk! in 1996) and as well a nomination for outstanding musical score for his compositional work on Chris Craddock's play 'The Critic" in 2000. Ron finally won for his acclaimed performance in the Citadel Theater's production of "The Beauty Queen of Leanne. From Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" to playing Romeo is Romeo and Juliet Ron's inventiveness and style gave Edmonton audiences outstanding performances for over a decade. In 1995 at the invitation of Second City legend Dana Andersen Ron joined the cast of the Legendary Live Completely Improvised Soap Opera Die-Nasty" with whom he performed every Monday night for eight years. It was with "Die-Nasty" where Ron honed his improv skills with it's crack team cast that and such guest stars as `Mark McKinney', `Mike Myers', and Joe Flaherty. It was Mr. Flaherty who invited Ron to participate in the Los Angeles improvised soap opera "The Soap Also Rises" in 2002, where he performed with such genius' of comedy as Fred Willard, Katharine O'Hara and Martin Short. It was Mr. Short who alerted "Mad TV" (1995) of Ron's talents. In the fall of 2002 Ron joined the cast of MadTV and became a favorite regular on the program, again showcasing his versatility.Ron has also kept his theatrical roots by returning to Edmonton on his hiatus' to perform with Teatro la Quindicina on the plays of Stewart Lemoine. In 2005 Ron was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award for his work on MadTV'S 10th season. Ron left MadTV in the summer of '05 to pursue other projects. He lives in Los Angeles and Edmonton.