Born on Valentine’s Day in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Mark Lutz grew up the eldest of four children in a very close-knit family.
An athletic youth, participating in hockey, baseball, horseback riding and soccer, it was Lutz’s love of all things aquatic that lead him into competitive swimming. His natural affinity and talent in the water saw him breaking Canadian age group swimming records at an early age. While preparing to enter high school, Lutz’s father was transferred to Hong Kong and the family made the move. Lutz spent the majority of his high school years there, in what he describes as “an irreplaceable life experience.”
Rivaling his love for swimming was his passion for comedy and performing. Lutz explored his creative designs by writing, directing and acting in short films and radio plays. While Lutz knew that acting would ultimately be his career path, he chose to pursue a B.A. Honours degree in political science, specializing in international relations at the University of Guelph. According to Lutz, "Because I was lucky enough to grow up, in part, in such a cosmopolitan city as Hong Kong, I made friends from all over the world. That whole experience really opened my eyes to so many different cultures and points of view that my interest in international politics seemed like a natural progression...well, that and the fact that I was always really good at writing essays.” Lutz continued to pursue a swimming career while at university, being named MVP of the swim team and competing at the Canadian Olympic trials. His swimming career was cut short however, when his shoulder blew out, leading to a number of operations that left him with nothing more than a "dandy scar”. It was a tough break that he still seems wistful about today.
Upon graduation, Lutz began pursuing his acting career. He trained at Toronto’s famed Second City and enjoyed successful stints at some of Toronto’s local improv comedy venues. After making the move into film and television, Lutz was first introduced to Canadian audiences as the Finnish hockey superstar, Jukka “Brainiac” Branny-Acke, in CTV's Power Play. However, he is probably best known for his role as the hugely popular ‘Groosalugg’ or ‘Groo’, on the hit WB series Angel.
Additional credits include appearances in the hit television series and films, Friends, E.R., Twins, What About Brian, Dick, La Femme Nikita, Queer as Folk, The Facts of Life Reunion, as well as the BBC’s The Saturday Show.
Lutz recently began his first professional foray into writing screenplays penning the inspirational and yet tragic, true-life story of the late Canadian Olympic swimming champion, Victor Davis. A childhood swimming hero to Lutz, the result was the aptly titled – VICTOR. (From Victor official site, April 16, 2007.)
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Filmography
Victor (2007)
A Lobster Tale (2006) (TV)
Interstate 60 (2002)
The Facts of Life Reunion (2001) (TV)
Rough Air: Danger on Flight 534 (2001) (TV)
Harry's Case (2000) (TV)
Dick (1999)
A Saintly Switch (1999) (TV)
External Affairs (1999)
Power Play (1998) TV Series
Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy (1998) (TV)
Face Down (1997) (TV)
The Third Twin (1997) (TV)
Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Women (1997) (TV)
Inner Action (1997)
A Brother's Promise: The Dan Jansen Story (1996) (TV)
Specimen (1996)
TV Guest Appearances
Angel (2002) "Tomorrow"
Angel (2002) "Benediction"
Angel (2002) "A New World"
Angel (2002) "The Price"
Angel (2002) "Double or Nothing"
Friends (2002) "The One with the Tea Leaves"
ER (2002) "It's All in Your Head"
Angel (2002) "Couplet"
Doc (2002) "My Boyfriend's Back"
Angel (2002) "Waiting in the Wings"
Mutant X (2001) "Lit Fuse"
Doc (2001) "Easy Money"
Angel (2001) "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb"
Angel (2001) "Through the Looking Glass"
Queer as Folk (2001)
The Zack Files (2000) "Crypt Seeker"
Earth: Final Conflict (1999) "Pad'ar"
Relic Hunter (1999) "Diamond in the Rough"
La Femme Nikita (1999) "Third Party Ripoff"
Once a Thief (1998) "Last Temptation of Vic"
PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (1998) "The Kiss"
Due South (1995) "The Man Who Knew Too Little"
The Hardy Boys (1995?) "The Curse"
Boogies Diner (1994) "The Wrong Man"
Side Effects (1994-96?) "You Can Run"
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