Canadian actor, alumnus of McGill University in Montreal and the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, began his acting career on the London stage in Robert Bolt's play Gentle Jack at Queen's Theatre from 1963 to 1964. He later transitioned to directing at the West End and co-founded the production company Quipu in 1968, with the mission to create a unique organization where artists owned, controlled, and developed their own work. By the time Quipu ceased operations in 1973, Calderisi had returned to Canada, where he continued to act and direct for the stage.
As a prolific screen presence, Calderisi has made numerous appearances in classic British TV shows, often playing characters of diverse ethnicity. He was the trusty sidekick Jacopo in the BBC adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo in 1964, and the scheming Roberto Ridolfi in The Queen's Traitor in 1967. Calderisi also appeared in the Doctor Who episode The Mind of Evil in 1963, as an inmate of Stangmoor Prison, and as Napoleon Bonaparte in the Canadian docu-drama Titans in 1981. He had a recurring role as TV host Barry Calvert in Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict in 1997. Additionally, he made numerous guest appearances in shows such as The Baron, Due South, War of the Worlds, and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.
In recent years, Calderisi has continued to act on screen and has also worked as a teacher at various institutions, including the Centre for Indigenous Theatre, the National Theatre School of Canada, and York University.
