An actor from the Foothills is starring alongside a beloved sitcom actor in Stage West's Driving Miss Daisy.

The award-winning play tells the story of a Jewish widow who must rely on the services of an African American chauffeur named Hoke Coleburn. Taking place over a 25-year span starting in 1948, the story deals with racial prejudice and social change in the mid-20th century.

Chris Hunt plays Boolie, the son of the titular Miss Daisy.

Hunt was born in High River and went to school in Okotoks, where he fell in love with acting thanks to a grade 10 outing to see a matinee of The Importance of Being Earnest.

His acting career has spanned about 30 years so far, and though he's appeared on screen a few times, including in Heartland and the Jackie Chan film Shanghai Noon, his passion is for the stage.

He's currently sharing it with one of the people who sparked that passion.

"The woman who played Cecily in that play, The Importance of Being Earnest, I just fell in love with her. Her name was Maureen Thomas. Lo and behold, all these years later she's playing my mum in Driving Miss Daisy. We've had the chance to work together a few times since I became an actor."

The third and final member of the cast is Joseph Marcell, who plays the chauffeur Hoke.

Marcell is best known for his role as Geoffrey in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Hunt says Marcell is one of many well-known screen actors to perform in a Stage West production.

"Stage West has a long history of bringing in featured headline performers who've had success in film and TV, and there's a lot of people who remember seeing that show growing up. A lot of people are so excited to meet him and get a selfie with him, and to see him perform on stage in front of them as opposed to on their little screens at home."

Driving Miss Daisy started out as a 1987 stage play before it was adapted as a film in 1989, with Morgan Freeman playing Hoke in the original stage production and on the big screen. The play and the film won Alfred Uhry a Pulitzer Prize and an Oscar.

Stage West's production of Driving Miss Daisy runs until November 13.