Canadian actor (1972–2007)

Philip Neil Hope (September 24, 1972 – November 25, 2007), known as Neil Hope, was a Canadian actor best known for playing Derek "Wheels" Wheeler on the teen drama series Degr*i Junior High and Degr*i High from 1987 to 1991. Previously, he had portrayed the character Griff in the series The Kids of Degr*i Street from 1985 to 1986. After reprising his role for two episodes of Degr*i: The Next Generation in 2001 and 2003, Hope died in 2007, with his death not being announced until five years later.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Career
• 3 Health
• 4 Personal life
• 5 Final years and death
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Early life

Hope was born on September 24, 1972 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the fourth son and fifth child of his family. His parents were alcoholics, and had an unstable relationship, which led to their separation. He and his siblings often moved back and forth from their mother to their father. Hope had a good relationship with his father, who he felt was supportive and loved him and his siblings. Hope attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts.

Career

Hope often watched television with his father and siblings for dinner, which led him to develop an interest in the behind-the-scenes aspects of television production. He took a television training course, paid for by his father, and had professional promotional photos taken of himself. Hope made his acting debut in The Kids of Degr*i Street episode "Martin Meets The Pirates". Hope told interviewers that television had been an escape from his problems, and being involved in the medium made that escape a reality.

After portraying the character Griff in The Kids of Degr*i Street from 1985 to 1986, Hope starred as Derek "Wheels" Wheeler on the teen drama series Degr*i Junior High and Degr*i High from 1987 to 1991. He later reprised this role for two episodes of Degr*i: The Next Generation in 2001 and 2003.

Health

Hope was the child of alcoholics and was vocal about his own struggles with drinking. He discussed his parents' alcoholism in an episode of the do*entary series Degr*i Talks. Hope also made a do*entary about children of alcoholic parents, called The Darker Side, which featured contributions from his co-stars Bill Parrott and Rebecca Haines. Hope's father died in 1987 from cirrhosis of the liver.

In 1994, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, the effects of which were aggravated by alcoholism and his failure to keep up with insulin injections to manage the disease. He also experienced bouts of depression as a result of his other issues.

Personal life

Hope met Christina Boulard when the two both worked at the financial service Money Mart in 1998. His family described him as being at his most happy with Boulard, and he proposed to her in 2000. The two split amicably in 2001, at which point Hope had begun to drift again. Hope was a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Warren Zevon.

Final years and death

Hope was described as a drifter in his later years. Cast members had lost touch with him in the years since the end of the series; when a reunion took place on the CBC TV series Jonovision, Hope was absent. When host Jonathan Torrens asked the cast about whether they were still in touch with Hope, all of them admitted they weren't. His family recalled him making sporadic calls and visits until 2005. His final public appearance was in the CTV do*entary The Degr*i Story, hosted by co-star Stefan Brogren, who interviewed him in Windsor. Hope later moved to Hamilton, where he briefly stayed at a Salvation Army shelter in 2006.

His landlord found Hope dead in a Hamilton rooming house on November 25, 2007. According to the Toronto Star, Hope was dead for more than a week prior to his discovery, and multiple unused insulin vials were located around his room. Hope, who neither police nor coroner's office officials recognized, was buried, unclaimed, in an unmarked plot in March 2008. His mother died in 2010. His death remained unpublicized until January 2012 when his family was notified, and his sister-in-law announced his death on a Facebook fan page dedicated to him. Prior to this, co-star Amanda Stepto had alerted Epitome Pictures about rumors of his death circulating online. Stephen Stohn, Epitome's executive producer, tweeted that "the entire team is very emotional about his p*ing". Linda Schuyler, co-creator of the Degr*i franchise, said of Hope in a joint statement with Stohn that he had made an "important contribution" to the lives of the producers, cast members and fans of the show, further adding: "His life was not an easy one but the time he spent with us was a shining example of determination, hard work and hopeful optimism and he is sorely missed". Boulard later announced plans for a memorial service with co-star Amanda Stepto, to take place in May 2012. Hope was later buried with a new gravestone at Woodland Cemetery located in Hamilton, Ontario.

References

External links

• Neil Hope at IMDb