Robb Wells is a Canadian actor, screenwriter, and producer, whose ticket to fame was his role in “Trailer Park Boys”.
Early Life and Family
Robb Wells was born on 28 October 1971 in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada; when he was eight his family moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and was raised there by his parents. Little else is known about his family, except that his father was a forensic expert in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Education
There is no information about his education, except that he finished high school.
Career
First Step
Robb was always fascinated with acting since he was a kid, and would often make videos in high school with friends. In 1995, Robb took on the role of Ricky in the short film entitled, “The Cart Boy” – credited as his debut film – and in 1998 was in the short film, “One Last Shot,” directed by his buddy, Mike Clattenburg.
Further Success
His friend and director Mike Clattenburg, came up with an idea of filming a mockumentary show that would feature a group of filthy mouthed petty criminals and their everyday lives in a trailer park.
Robb along with another high school friend, John Paul Tremblay, were convinced to be part of the short movie, as was another friend, Mike Smith, a professional guitarist of the alternative rock band, “Sandbox,” to join the cast. Originally, his services were just for the audio of the film, but Mike discovered that Smith was a natural comedian, and so “Trailer Park Boys” was born.
In 1999, the low-budgeted feature length film was released at the Atlantic Film Festival. A producer, Barrie Dunn, took notice of the mockumentary stylized film, and joined them to convince a network to pick it up as a TV series.
In 2001, the TV version of the “Trailer Park Boys” began airing over on Showcase, a new cable channel in Nova Scotia.
It was a hard sell as Mike went to several networks, and the project was almost shelved., but the last pitch at Showcase was the start of something big for Robb and his friends.
Robb was part of the 12 seasons of the TV series; the first seven seasons were shown on the Showcase network in Canada and the last five seasons on Netflix. The series is renewed for another season this 2020.
It was not a huge hit when it first came out, but since Showcase was a relatively new cable channel which didn’t have much to show, the channel kept repeating episodes until it had a cult following, and became a top-rating Canadian series on the Showcase network. It was also picked up by European cable channels, as well as in the US.
The TV series became such a huge hit that several movie versions were made. From the original black and white feature length film from which the television adaptation came, an additional seven movies were made, and Robb was part of all them. The second movie was the most memorable – “Trailer Park Boys: The Movie,” also known as “The Big Dirty”, was directed again by Mike Clattenburg, and Robb co-wrote the story. It was technically the second film, but regarded as the first in the movie franchise series. The movie was released in 2006 and was a box office hit in Canada, and had favorable critical reviews.
It was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, and Best Adapted Screenplay in the Genie Awards, which is the Canadian version of the Academy Awards. It had a limited release in the US and it developed a loyal fan base, a cult following.
Aside from the “Trailer Park” movies, Robb has appeared in several other films. In 2011 he accepted the role of Logan in the comedy-action movie, “Hobo with a Shotgun,” along with Rutger Hauer. Robb was also a part of the American psycho-thriller movie, “Would You Rather,” which premiered in 2012 at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival in California.
In 2014, he was in the comedy movie, “Jackhammer,” with Guy Christie and Michael Hanus, and in the romantic comedy, “Relative Happiness.”
Also in 2014, he made the movies “Swearnet” and “Swear Live” in which he played himself, co-wrote and co-produced. These movies led to the launching of the online site Swearnet.Com, which features content for an internet media channel.
On television, in 2011 he appeared as Stabby Brutto in two episodes of the TV series “The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Funtime Hour,”. Robb also made a guest appearance in the popular FX series, “Archer.”
Currently, he is filming a new show, “Sunnyvale Shoars,” which is also based on the “Trailer Park Boys” universe.
Have you watched our SWEARNET LIVE special on Netflix yet?http://t.co/4tWqA3lHu3 pic.twitter.com/07dqPBOsUs
— SWEARNET (@SWEARNET) October 2, 2014
Personal Life
Robb is quite private and does not share information about his personal life. He is single and has not been previously reported to be engaged or married.
Interesting Facts
- He is active on social media apps such as Twitter and Instagram.
- Robb along with Mike Clattenburg and John Paul Tremblay ran a pub together, before deciding to make movies for a living,
- He is the cousin, albeit a distant one, of Stephen Harper, the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada, who was in office from 2006 to 2015.
Appearance
He is 6ft 1in (1.85m) tall and weighs around 149lbs (68 kgs). He is Caucasian, with dark brown hair and blue eyes.
Net worth and salary
It was reported that Robb started with a minimum salary before he hit it big with the “Trailer Park Boys,” (TPB) movie franchise and television series. As of April 2020, sources estimate his net worth to be around $3.5 million, and the TPB projects continue to generate income for him as he is credited as its co-producer and co-writer.