Meet the man behind the Mountie in amazinGross: The Life and Times of Paul Gross, a light-hearted, intimate profile of the multi-talented actor, writer, producer and arts activist. An army brat from Alberta, Paul Gross spent the first 15 years of his life without a permanent home-living in the U.S., Germany and England. He hid his insecurities behind a tough guy exterior, and for a while, got mixed up with the wrong crowd. His Canadian accent made him a target, and Gross responded like any kid from Calgary might, with his fists. Luckily, he discovered humour, and a passion for art, writing and the theatre. Despite his leading-man looks, Gross's first success came not as an actor, but as a playwright. The award-winning The Deer and the Antelope Play was produced while he was still a student at the University of Alberta. He is also a singer-songwriter with two country-influenced albums to his name. By the time Gross wrote, directed and starred in the feature film Men with Brooms, he was a seasoned professional with many credits to his name, both as an actor and a writer. His role as Benton Fraser in Due South made him an international star. It was the first Canadian series to air in prime time on a U.S. network, and it sold all over the world. Gross also wrote Due South episodes and the television movies In This Corner and Gross Misconduct. As he continued to mature as an artist, Gross was prepared to take risks. He smashed box-office records and was critically acclaimed for his performance in Hamlet at the Stratford Festival.
