Jerry Wasserman

Professor Jerry Wasserman holds a dual career as a renowned academic and prolific actor. He is a Professor in the Department of English and Theatre at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts. His academic work focuses on 20th-century English literature, Canadian theatre studies, and dramatic performance. Wasserman received his training at Cornell University, where he became immersed in theatre. At UBC, he has been honored with the Killam Teaching Prize (1998) and the Dorothy Somerset Award (2005) for his innovative teaching and contributions to performing arts education.

Outside academia, Wasserman has over 200 acting credits in film and television, appearing in productions like The X-Files and Battlestar Galactica. He credits UBC’s supportive environment for enabling his unique 'parallel career.' His research includes seminal works like Modern Canadian Plays (1985), which established a foundational text in Canadian drama studies.

Wasserman’s teaching philosophy emphasizes student engagement, blending his acting skills with academic rigor. He has shaped curricula around canonical authors like Beckett, Woolf, and Conrad while pioneering Canadian theatre scholarship. His career reflects a commitment to both intellectual and creative expression, earning him recognition as a leading figure in interdisciplinary arts education.