Neil Hope
| Neil Hope | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Philip Neil Hope September 24, 1972 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | November 25, 2007 (aged 35) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–2003 |
| Partner(s) | Christina Boulard (1998–2001) |
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 Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High in the 1980s and early 1990s. He had earlier played "Griff" in The Kids of Degrassi Street.
Hope's last television appearance was in a 2003 Degrassi: The Next Generation episode in which he reunited and reconciled with fellow members of the fictional band, "Zit Remedy". Hope moved around Ontario, living in Windsor and then moved to Hamilton. Though he died in 2007 in a Hamilton rooming house, his family did not learn of his death until 2012. Hope suffered from 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 died of a heart attack.
Hope was the child of alcoholics and struggled with the problem himself. He discussed his parents' alcoholism in a series called Degrassi Talks, in 1992, and also made a documentary about children of alcoholic parents, called The Darker Side.
Neil Hope died in November 2007, but was not buried till March 2008. Hope is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery located in Burlington, Ontario.
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