Keir Gilchrist is an English-born Canadian actor, and vocalist of the death metal band Phalax and grindcore band Whelm. He’s probably best known as Sam Gardner in the TV series “Atypical” (2017-2021), in addition to other roles he’s had during his career.
Keir Gilchrist Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education
Keir David Peters Gilchrist was born on 28 September 1992 in Camden, London, England, the son of Canadian parents, Ian Gilchrist and Catherine (nee Peters). His maternal grandfather was Douglas Peters, a personal consultant to the Prime Minister of Canada, and one of Canada’s most renowned bankers and economists.
He lived in London for the first few years of his life, and then the family moved to the USA, living in Boston, Massachusetts. However, this didn’t last long as they moved to New York City, where he spent the majority of his childhood. The family eventually settled in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he went to Vaughan Road Academy.
He was interested in acting from an early age, and attended Annex Children’s Theatre during high school.
Career Beginnings
Keir made his acting debut in the award-winning TV romantic-drama series “Queer as Folk” in 2003. The following year, he portrayed the younger version of the main character David in the comedy-drama film “The Right Way”, starring Karyn Dwyer, Jefferson Brown, and Gloria Slade, then appeared in Michael McGowan’s award-winning comedy sports-drama film “Saint Ralph”, starring Adam Butcher, Campbell Scott, and Jennifer Tilly, which is a story of Ralph Walker, a teenager on a mission to win the 1954 Boston Marathon.
He was pretty busy in 2005, since he appeared in several projects, including the film “Horsie’s Retreat” and the short film “The Waldo Cumberbund Story”. The following year, Gilchrist’s schedule became even more hectic. He was a 10 Year Old Boy in the TV series “ReGenesis”, while in the TV series “Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends” he was Squidge. Moreover, he portrayed the character named Mike Stanton in the award-winning fantasy-drama film “A Lobster Tale”, starring Colm Meaney, Alberta Watson, and Graham Greene.
He secured his first major role in 2007, as Josh McKellar in the short-lived TV comedy series “The Winner”, co-starring Rob Corddry and Erinn Hayes.
Rise to Prominence
Keir’s breakthrough role was as Marshall Gregson in the Primetime Emmy Award-winning TV romantic comedy-drama film “The United States of Tara”. The series follows a woman who tries to find a balance between her dissociative identity disorder, and raising a dysfunctional family. Keir’s is the son of the lead character, and he starred in all 36 episodes of the popular series, alongside Toni Collette, John Corbett and Rosemarie DeWitt.
He had several other notable appearances in 2009, including as Peck, the lead character in the comedy-drama film “Just Peck”, and starred in the western drama film “Hungry Hills”, co-starring Alexander De Jordy and Alexia Fast.
Keir continued to portray lead characters in various projects. In 2010, he starred in the romantic comedy-drama film “It’s Kind of a Funny Story”, based on the novel by Ned Vizzini, adapted to film by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who are also credited as film directors. The film follows a clinically depressed teen who starts a new life after checking into an adult psychiatric ward, and co-starring Zach Galifianakis and Emma Roberts.
In 2011, he starred in the sci-fi fantasy film “Matty Hanson and the Invisibility Ray”, co-starring Colin Ferguson and Barbara Tyson, while three years later, Keir co-starred in the award-winning David Robert Mitchell’s horror thriller-mystery film “It Follows”, alongside Maika Monroe and Olivia Luccardi. The film follows a young woman, tracked by an unknown supernatural force, after having a sexual encounter.
In the following years, Keir worked primarily on horror films. He was the lead star in the thriller film “Dark Summer” (2015), about a 17-year-old under house arrest who stays alone in the house for the summer, but after a horrifying incident, an ominous presence starts appearing in the house. His co-stars were Stella Maeve and Maestro Harrell.
The same year, he portrayed John Lovett in the biopic “The Stanford Prison Experiment”, about 24 male students who participated in a mock prison experiment, taking on roles of guards and prisoners, all done in the basement of the Stanford psychology building. Rendered as one of the most diabolical experiments, it ended after only six days, though it was planned to last two weeks. The film received mixed reviews, while the main stars of the film were Ezra Miller, who recently pleaded not guilty to his Vermont burglary charges, Tye Sheridan and Billy Crudup.
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The following year, Keir co-starred in the horror crime-drama film “The Good Neighbor”, with James Caan and Logan Miller. He played Matty in the award-winning drama film by Wayne Roberts, “Katie Says Goodbye”, about a 17-year-old girl who turns to prostitution to fulfill her dream of reaching San Francisco and starting a new life there, following a childhood in the American Southwest. The film starred Olivia Cooke, Mary Steenburgen and Christopher Abbott.
In 2017, he starred in Chris Sivertson’s romantic thriller film “Hearthrob”, with Aubrey Peeples, about a shy high school graduate who falls in love with popular girl Samantha, but his obsessive love turns her away.
‘Atypical’
Keir was chosen for the part of Sam Gardner, a teenager on the Autism spectrum who tries to tackle various high school obstacles and college, mixing dating and life events on the whole. The lead star of “Atypical” garnered international acclaim thanks to the popularity of the series; he starred in all 38 episodes until 2021, with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Rapaport and Brigette Lundy-Paine.
Is he Actually Autistic?
Since he portrayed a character on the autism spectrum, many fans of the TV series wondered whether Keir was autistic in real life. According to reports, Keir isn’t autistic, but to better get into the character of Sam, he read about the condition and real-life people similar to Sam, and said that his best help was the book “The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Husband”.
Other Projects
To speak further of his accomplishments, Keir co-starred in Nicholas Holland’s thriller crime-drama film “An Intrusion”, next to Dustin Prince and Billy Boyd.
He’s currently working on several projects, including films “Mort in Sherman Oaks” and “The Featherweight (II)”.
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Net Worth
According to sources, Keir Gilchrist’s wealth is estimated at over $400,000, earned through his acting career.
Personal Life, Dating, Married, Single?
According to reports, Keir Gilchrist has been in a relationship with actress Michelle Farrah Huang since 2017. The couple met on the set of the TV series “Atypical”, and confirmed their romance later that year.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
Keir Gilchrist has dark brown hair and brown eyes. He stands at a height of 5ft 7ins (1.7m), while he weighs approximately 145lbs (65 kg). His vital statistics are unknown, though he has an athletic build.
Hobbies, Interests, and Trivia
Keir is a professional musician, additional to acting, however, he didn’t have much success with his bands, playing only in local clubs and festivals.
He’s an avid animal lover, and has a pet dog. In his free time, he enjoys watching television and films, but also spends a lot of time outdoors hiking and exploring with his girlfriend.
