Ross Petty (born August 29, 1946) is a Canadian actor and theatre producer. He is best known for his eponymous production company, which staged what were promoted as "family musical" theatre productions in the British pantomime tradition in Toronto every holiday season from 1996 until 2022.^[1]

Petty was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.^[1]

In Europe, he sang at Le Lido in Paris and appeared with Betty Grable in the London West End musical Belle Starr. In the United States, he made his Broadway debut in Arthur Kopit's Wings, created the role of Eddie Dorrance on All My Children, and co-starred with Ginger Rogers and Sid Caesar in a national tour of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes.

He appeared in the U.S. and Canada in the title role of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, directed by Hal Prince. His film and television credits include Extreme Measures with Gene Hackman and Hugh Grant, Perry Mason, Spenser: For Hire, Monk, Loving Friends and Perfect Couples, Forever Knight, E.N.G., Night Heat, Seeing Things, Hot Shots, All My Children, A Judgement in Stone, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Counterstrike, The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, Traders, F/X2 and Martha Inc: The Martha Stewart Story.

He has also done voices in several cartoon shows including X-Men, The Busy World of Richard Scarry, Bob and Margaret, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, Bad Dog, Redwall, Mischief City, Ned's Newt, Jacob Two-Two, Monster Force, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Freaky Stories, Free Willy, Rupert, The Adventures of Tintin, Little Bear, RoboRoach, Birdz, Pippi Longstocking and Rescue Heroes.

In the early-1980s, pantomimes were staged at the Royal Alexandra Theatre by British producer Paul Elliott, who imported traditional English pantomimes using a primarily British cast complemented by some Canadian actors, which included Petty and his wife, Karen Kain.^[2] Petty also began co-producing the pantos with Elliott in 1986, and continued until Elliott decided to no longer present the shows in Toronto in 1996.^[3]

In 1996, Petty, through his Ross Petty Productions company, began producing what he termed "Fractured Fairy Tale Musicals". These musicals were performed at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto, during the Christmas season (typically between late-November and early-January.)^[4] Petty's productions were based in the old English pantomime tradition, incorporating its broad comedy, winking asides that break the fourth wall, audience participation, and a man wearing a dress.^{[citation needed]} However, Petty dropped the use of the principal boy while retaining the pantomime dame.^{[citation needed]} To modernize his shows, Petty incorporated references to current, local, and/or pop cultural references and often used current popular music.^[5] Petty also adapted it to a Canadian audience, writing original scripts, using an all-Canadian cast.^[6]

Petty ensured his productions were family-friendly and appropriate for children, even while occasionally incorporating some "adult jokes". Referencing this, Petty commented, "The kids in the audience aren't going to understand those references...they are jokes for the adults."^[7] Additionally, Petty instructed his writers to take a feminist approach to the scripts so that characters such as Cinderella and Snow White "aren’t just pining after the prince" but are more assertive and independent.^[8]

In 2006, Petty revived the 2004 production of Aladdin and embarked on a cross-Canada tour in November and December.^[9] The tour starred the same cast, which included former professional wrestler Bret 'The Hitman' Hart, and had tour stops in Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Toronto, and Ottawa.^[10]

Between 1996 and 2015, Petty appeared in his shows portraying the villain, who was usually dressed in drag (the pantomime dame).^[11] In 2015, Petty retired from performing following the production of Peter Pan, but continued as a producer.^[8]

The 2017 production of A Christmas Carol was filmed, and later broadcast on Family Channel and CBC as well as made available for purchase on DVD.^[12]

In 2020, Petty's planned production of Aladdin was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[13] Instead, There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays was performed as an online revue. This allowed audiences to watch the show from home while still incorporating music, dance, comedy, and audience interaction.^[14][15] Petty's 2021 production, Alice in Winterland, was similarly presented online that allowed audiences to watch from home.^[16]

Petty announced that the 2022 show, Peter's Final Flight: The Pan-Tastical Family Musical, would be the company's final production, with Petty reprising his role as a villain for the final production.^[17]

He has been married to former National Ballet of Canada dancer and artistic director, Karen Kain^[1] since 1983.^[63] The couple reside in Toronto.