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- Actress
- Soundtrack
Although she was presented in 1969 the first Film Star of Tomorrow by The Motion Picture Exhibitors of Canada, the status of Sharon Acker as a star never materialized. Not that she was inactive, quite the opposite, but she worked almost only for TV and appeared only in a few undistinguished movies. She will, nevertheless, remain remembered for her role as Lee Marvin's ex-wife in John Boorman's classic Point Blank (1967). The victim of Marvin's rough manners, Acker as Lynne left a deep impact on male brains. Born in 1935, the Canadian-born actress started her film career in England when the play she was in, "Lucky Jim", Kingsley Amis' classic, was made into a movie. But she was not seen in many movies, except during the sixties, either in Canada or in the U.S. Meanwhile, she was very active on TV, first in Canada from the age of 19, then in the U.S. in made-for-TV movies or series like Star Trek (1966), Mission: Impossible (1966), Gunsmoke (1955), Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969), Barnaby Jones (1973), etc. She was a regular in the series The Bold Ones: The Senator (1970) for one year and played "Della Street" in the short-lived The New Perry Mason (1973). A talented actress seen too little in movie theaters.- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Beautiful, sunny, and engaging blonde actress Heather Menzies was born on December 3, 1949 in Toronto, Canada. Her family moved to the United States when Heather was eleven. She graduated from Hollywood High School and subsequently attended the Falcon Studio's University of the Arts in Hollywood. Heather made a strong and promising film debut as Louisa von Trapp in the delightful classic musical The Sound of Music (1965). Menzies also appeared with The Sound of Music (1965) star Julie Andrews in the epic drama Hawaii (1966). After initially establishing herself as an innocent ingénue in the 1960s, Heather reinvented herself with a much sexier image in the 1970s. She did a nude pictorial for the August 1973 issue of "Playboy." Heather gave an extremely sweet and appealing performance as mad scientist Strother Martin's lovely and loyal daughter in the enjoyably oddball horror feature Sssssss (1973). Menzies was likewise quite spirited and personable as a feisty skip tracer in the terrific fright film cult favorite Piranha (1978).
On television, Heather achieved her greatest fame as scantily clad fugitive Jessica in the short-lived, but still popular Logan's Run (1977) science fiction TV series. Among the numerous TV shows Menzies did guest spots on are The Farmer's Daughter (1963), Dragnet 1967 (1967), Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969), The Love Boat (1977), T.J. Hooker (1982), Bonanza (1959), S.W.A.T. (1975), and Love, American Style (1969). Heather appeared with her late actor husband Robert Urich on several occasions: She acted in three episodes of Vega$ (1978) and one episode of Spenser: For Hire (1985), plus had a small role in the offbeat science fiction mystery thriller Endangered Species (1982). Moreover, Menzies first met Urich on the set of a TV commercial they acted in together. An ovarian cancer survivor, Heather resided in Los Angeles with her three children and worked for the Urich Fund for Sarcoma Research at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Menzies died from brain cancer at age 68 on December 24, 2017.- Producer
- Writer
- Director
George A. Romero never set out to become a Hollywood figure; by all indications, though, he was very successful. The director of the groundbreaking "Living Dead" films was born February 4, 1940 ,in New York City to Ann (Dvorsky) and Jorge Romero. His father was born in Spain and raised in Cuba, and his mother was Lithuanian. He grew up in New York until attending the renowned Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.
After graduation he began shooting mostly short films and commercials. He and his friends formed Image Ten Productions in the late 1960s and they all chipped in roughly $10,000 apiece to produce what became one of the most celebrated American horror films of all time: Night of the Living Dead (1968). Shot in black-and-white on a budget of just over $100,000, Romero's vision, combined with a solid script written by him and his "Image" co-founder John A. Russo (along with what was then considered an excess of gore), enabled the film to earn back far more than what it cost; it became a cult classic by the early 1970s and was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress of the United States in 1999. Romero's next films were a little more low-key but less successful, including The Affair (1971), The Crazies (1973), Season of the Witch (1972) (where he met future wife Christine Forrest) and Martin (1977). Though not as acclaimed as "Night of the Living Dead" or some of his later work, these films had his signature social commentary while dealing with issues--usually horror-related--at the microscopic level. Like almost all of his films, they were shot in, or around, Romero's favorite city of Pittsburgh.
In 1978 he returned to the zombie genre with the one film of his that would top the success of "Night of the Living Dead"--Dawn of the Dead (1978). He managed to divorce the franchise from Image Ten, which screwed up the copyright on the original and allowed the film to enter into public domain, with the result that Romero and his original investors were not entitled to any profits from the film's video releases. Shot in the Monroeville (PA) Mall during late-night hours, the film told the tale of four people who escape a zombie outbreak and lock themselves up inside what they think is paradise before the solitude makes them victims of their own, and a biker gang's, greed. Made on a budget of just $1.5 million, the film earned over $40 million worldwide and was named one of the top cult films by Entertainment Weekly magazine in 2003. It also marked Romero's first work with brilliant make-up and effects artist Tom Savini. After 1978, Romero and Savini teamed up many times. The success of "Dawn of the Dead" led to bigger budgets and better casts for the filmmaker. First was Knightriders (1981), where he first worked with an up-and-coming Ed Harris. Then came perhaps his most Hollywood-like film, Creepshow (1982), which marked the first--but not the last--time Romero adapted a work by famed horror novelist Stephen King. With many major stars and big-studio distribution, it was a moderate success and spawned a sequel, which was also written by Romero.
The decline of Romero's career came in the late 1980s. His last widely-released film was the next "Dead" film, Day of the Dead (1985). Derided by critics, it did not take in much at the box office, either. His latest two efforts were The Dark Half (1993) (another Stephen King adaptation) and Bruiser (2000). Even the Romero-penned/Tom Savini-directed remake of Romero's first film, Night of the Living Dead (1990), was a box-office failure. Pigeon-holed solely as a horror director and with his latest films no longer achieving the success of his earlier "Dead" films, Romero has not worked much since, much to the chagrin of his following. In 2005, 19 years after "Day of the Dead", with major-studio distribution he returned to his most famous series and horror sub-genre it created with Land of the Dead (2005), a further exploration of the destruction of modern society by the undead, that received generally positive reviews. He directed two more "Dead" films, Diary of the Dead (2007) and Survival of the Dead (2009).
George died on July 16, 2017, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was 77.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Joe Flaherty was born on 21 June 1941 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Happy Gilmore (1996), Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Detroit Rock City (1999). He was married to Judith Ann Dagley. He died on 1 April 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Colicos was born on 10 December 1928 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Changeling (1980), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) and Battlestar Galactica (1978). He was married to Mona McHenry. He died on 6 March 2000 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Actor
- Soundtrack
This latterly white-haired Canadian character actor had a natural predilection for portraying historical figures. Kenneth Welsh was born in Edmonton, Alberta. After college he studied drama at the National Theatre School in Montreal. He then acted on the Shakespearean stage in Ontario for several years before making his screen debut for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1963. His early TV appearances displayed a natural affinity for period drama with appearances in Henry V (1966), The Great Detective (1979), The Three Musketeers (1969) (starring as D'Artagnan) and F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980) (as Thomas E. Dewey). As his accomplishments grew, he became more prolific: by the mid-80s, Welsh found himself in increasing demand as supporting player in mainstream U.S. TV shows like Spenser: For Hire (1985), The Twilight Zone (1985) and The X-Files (1993). Ultimately, the role for which he became best known was that of Windom Earle, the ex-FBI agent and partner of Dale Cooper in David Lynch's iconic series Twin Peaks (1990). Until his untimely passing in May 2022, the ever versatile Welsh continued to amass numerous TV and movie credits, alternating appearances in both the U.S. and Canada, his distinguished looks ideally suited to high ranking authority figures: General Harry Crerar in Dieppe (1993), Lord Beaverbrook in Above and Beyond (2006), Harry S. Truman in Hiroshima (1995) and (latterly) Admiral Senna Tal in Star Trek: Discovery (2017). On the big screen his many roles have included the (fictional) erstwhile Vice-President of the U.S. Raymond Becker in the apocalyptic science fiction drama The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Dr. Jeff Wagner in Marvel's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). Among Welsh's other sci-fi credits have been The Outer Limits (1995) (Dr. Vazquez), Stargate: Atlantis (2004) (Jamus) and The Expanse (2015) (as the sympathetic Earth ambassador to Mars Franklin DeGraaf).
Welsh was awarded Canada's equivalent of the Emmy, the Gemini Award, on four occasions (1988, 1990, 1992 and 1998), among a total of six nominations. In October 2003, he received further honours by becoming a Member of the Order of Canada.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
The award-winning Canadian-American character actor Maury Chaykin was born on July 27, 1949 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Professor Irving J. Chaykin and his wife Clarice. Irving Chaykin, an American citizen, taught accountancy at the City College of New York. The former Clarice Bloomfield, his mother, was born in Winnipeg, raised in Montreal, and educated at the Beth Israel Hospital nursing school in Newark, New Jersey. Because of his parents, Maury held dual Canadian and American citizenship.
He was raised in New York City but moved to Toronto after graduating from the State University of New York, Buffalo, where he studied drama. His uncle, George Bloomfield, made his name in Canada as a movie and television writer, director and producer. Maury would later star in two theatrical movies, one TV movie and 14 TV episodes directed by his uncle.
Maury made his debut in the 1975 Canadian film Me (1975). In his 35-year-long career, he appeared in over 150 parts in films and TV series shot in Canada and the U.S. He was best known for his eccentric role as Kevin Costner's commanding officer in the Oscar-winning Dances with Wolves (1990), three films of Atom Egoyan, including The Sweet Hereafter (1997), and his role as Nero Wolfe on cable TV. (His uncle George Bloomfield directed some of the Nero Wolfe episodes.)
He won a Genie Award, the Canadian equivalent of the Oscar, as Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a has-been rock star in Whale Music (1994) and two Gemini Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Emmy. Recently, he had a semi-recurring role as a movie producer based on Harvey Weinstein in the cable-TV series Entourage (2004) and a regular role on the Canadian TV series Less Than Kind (2008).
Chaykin was suffering from kidney disease in the last years of his life. He died on his 61st birthday, July 27, 2010, at Toronto General Hospital, surrounded by members of his family. He was married to the Canadian actress Susannah Hoffmann, by whom he had a daughter, Rose.- Actor
- Additional Crew
When John Neville was in his early sixties, Terry Gilliam cast him in the title role of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). Although the film was a financial failure, Neville's starring role in this major production, as well as his fine performance, led to an explosion in his career. He afterward received numerous roles in feature films and television. A new generation came to know him from his recurring role in the hit television series The X-Files (1993) and later feature film The X Files (1998), in which he played a mysterious character known only as "The Well-Manicured Man".
He emigrated to Canada in 1972, and took up Canadian citizenship. He was artistic director of the Stratford Festival (Ontario, Canada) from 1984 to 1989.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Alberta Watson, well known to television audiences for her Gemini award-nominated role as Madeline on La Femme Nikita (1997), enjoys a long and diverse career in television and film.
A native of Toronto, Watson began performing with a local theater group as a teenager. She received a Genie nomination for Best Supporting Actress for one of her first movie roles, Mitzi in George Kaczender's In Praise of Older Women (1978). Just a year later, she took home the Best Actress award at the Yorkton Film Festival for the short film "Exposure". Watson then headed to the United States, where she studied with Gene Lasko, made several films (including Michael Mann's stylish horror classic The Keep (1983), with Scott Glenn, Ian McKellen and Gabriel Byrne) and the TV movie Women of Valor (1986), with Susan Sarandon.
After returning to the East Coast, Watson took a chance on a low-budget independent film with then-novice director David O. Russell: the black comedy Spanking the Monkey (1994), which received the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award and multiple Independent Spirit Awards. Watson won rave critical acclaim for her memorable performance as a depressed, deeply-disturbed mother who has an incestuous relationship with her son, played by Jeremy Davies.
The next year Watson went on to play the far more stable mother to a teenage computer genius in the box-office smash Hackers (1995), along with Angelina Jolie, and then the wife of mobster John Gotti in the Emmy-nominated Gotti (1996). She returned to Toronto and continued to seek out interesting roles in independent film, which led her to star in Shoemaker (1996), directed by Colleen Murphy. While the film was not widely released in the United States, Watson's performance did not go unnoticed -she received a second Genie nomination, this time in the Lead Actress category.
The following year she won critical praise for another independent film, Atom Egoyan's haunting The Sweet Hereafter (1997), in which she delivered a nuanced performance of an adulterous wife and mourning mother. For this film, she shared the award for Best Acting by an Ensemble (National Board of Review) with Ian Holm, Sarah Polley and the other members of an exceptional cast. The film received the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to earn both Academy Award and Genie nominations.
Meanwhile, Watson had begun filming the TV series La Femme Nikita (1997), which ran for four years, where she played a character that has become iconic, the tough anti-terrorist strategist Madeline. The cult series earned her a 1998 Gemini nomination and marked the start of an ever-growing fan base, with its main online presence at an unofficial site dedicated to her.
Although she has appeared in numerous major commercial releases and hit television shows, during the last ten years Watson has preferred independent (and especially Canadian) productions.
She added another prize-winning movie to her credits with the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, where she played Hedwig's twisted mom. The film won the Audience Award and Best Director Award at Sundance.
Watson starred later in The Wild Dogs (2002) with director Thom Fitzgerald, which took home top honors at the Atlantic Film Festival. She also appeared as Dr. Fischer in Sarah Polley's feature film directorial debut, the prize-winning Away from Her (2006), with Julie Christie. In addition, she starred opposite Colm Meaney in the feature film A Lobster Tale (2006), a quiet, low-key story which also won several awards.
Meanwhile, in television, Watson scored a second Gemini Award nomination for her performance in After the Harvest (2001), co-starring Sam Shepard. The second installment of Chasing Cain II: Face (2002), garnered her another Gemini nomination as Best Actress in a Leading Role (2003). After that, Watson filmed Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story (2005), the story of controversial Canadian physician Dr. Henry Morgentaler, for which she was nominated for yet another Gemini Award in 2005.
While she had recurring roles in numerous television shows (The Newsroom (1996), Show Me Yours (2004), At the Hotel (2006), Angela's Eyes (2006)), she reached again more international TV audiences when she starred in the fourth season (2004-2005) of the hit Fox series 24 (2001), opposite Kiefer Sutherland and William Devane, playing the role of Erin Driscoll, the head of a counter-terrorist unit. She had the chance to play a different boss-woman (a Minister, and recovering alcoholic) when she joined the cast of other popular prime-time drama, CBC's The Border (2008), as a recurring guest star.
Most recently Watson was cast as the voice of 350-pound Mary Rutherford in the animated film The Spine (2009) (produced and directed by Academy Award-winning animator Chris Landreth), which took home the Best Film Award at the 2009 Melbourne International Animation Festival. In 2008, Alberta Watson received a Career Achievement Award from the Boston-based Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film.
Watson died on March 21, 2015 due to complications from cancer at Kensington Hospice in Toronto; she was 60 years old.- Alice Munro was born on 10 July 1931 in Wingham, Ontario, Canada. She was a writer, known for Julieta (2016), Free Radicals and Away from Her (2006). She was married to Gerald Fremlin and James Munro (I). She died on 13 May 2024 in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada.
- Music Artist
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Norman Jeffrey "Jeff" Healey (March 25, 1966 - March 2, 2008) was a Canadian blues and rock singer and guitarist who obtained large notoriety in America also. He lost his sight as a child due to a rare form of eye cancer. That never seemed to affect his music career as Jeff scored a top 5 hit on the U.S. with "Angel Eyes." He is also remembered for playing Cody, in "Road House". He passed away on March 2nd 2008. He was married to Christie Hall; they had 2 children.- David Hemblen was a British actor. Born in London, England in 1941, Hemblen grew up in Toronto where he studied theatre. He received an M.A. in English and worked in many theatre productions; active in the television, film and theater, he had taken part in several Canadian television series during his career such as Earth: Final Conflict (1997), A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001) and La Femme Nikita (1997), and also in many US films as Maximum Risk (1996), The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Where the Truth Lies (2005) , Speaking Parts (1989), and Family Viewing (1987). Hemblen lived in Toronto with his two dogs and made an annual winter visit to his second home in the south of France. He has one daughter, Kate, who is also an actress, and two grandchildren.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Gordon Edward Pinsent was born on July 12, 1930 in Grand Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, to Florence (Cooper) and Stephen Arthur Pinsent. Gordon was known as "Porky" as a child, and dreamed of performing as early as he can remember. He served with the Royal Canadian Regiment from 1948-51. Gordon received an L.L.D. from the University P.E.I. in 1975, an Honorary doctorate from Queen's University in 1988, as well as from the Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of Prince Edward Island.
Gordon left Newfoundland at the age of 17 and began his career on stage. His first theatrical experiences were in Winnipeg, Manitoba. While there, he was involved in the first live radio drama out of Winnipeg. He eventually moved east, working in Toronto and Stratford, Ontario. He has since won numerous credits and awards, and is one of Canada's most well-respected artists.
In addition to acting, he directs and produces, and has written a number of novels and screenplays, as well as plays for the stage, including 'Corner Green' for the Newfoundland amateur drama festival. The play was staged in St. John's, Newfoundland in April of 1997, and was was based upon life his hometown of Grand Falls, Newfoundland.
He is a member of the Honorary Advisory Board for the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Orchestra, and is very active in various charities. His humorous and poignant autobiography, "By the Way", was published.
His wife until her death was actress Charmion King, whom he met during his early theater days. He has a daughter, actress Leah Pinsent, from that union, as well as a son and daughter from an earlier marriage (Barry and Beverly Kennedy). He has two brothers, Harry and Haig, and three sisters: Nita, Hazel, and Lil, who passed away in 1998.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Robert Cormier was born on June 14, 1989 in Toronto, Ontario to Lisa, lab technician and Rob Cormier, a small business owner. Robert is the first actor/artist to come out of his family. Prior to graduating film school in 2014, Robert graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Fire and Engineering Extension Services, and left a year prior to graduating from York University in Toronto for a World Economics degree to follow his dreams of becoming an actor.
He is known for his portrayal of Kit Jennings in the Netflix Original Series, Slasher Solstice (2019) and for his supporting roles as Shane in Firecracker, which premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, Al in The Intersection (2019) and Otto in Pyrenees (2018)
He also has guest star appearances in Ransom (2019 an Designated Survivor (2016)- The brilliant and versatile London-born stage, radio and TV actress Kate Reid was actually born Daphne Kate Reid in 1930 to Canadian parents, Walter Clarke Reid and Helen Isabel Moore. The family moved back to Ontario before she was a year old. An introverted child of delicate health, Kate sought refuge in books and role-playing and began studying drama in her mid-teens. She apprenticed in summer stock and trained with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof at the HB Studio in New York. Earning critical acclaim as Lizzie in "The Rainmaker"and as Masha in "The Three Sisters", her decade with the Stratford Festival in Canada would establish her as one of North America's most accomplished actresses.
In the Shakespearean canon, she played numerous characters, from Lady Macbeth to the shrewish Katharina, who may or may not have been tamed by the end of the comedy of the same name. She often played women older than she actually was, and battled alcohol and weight problems throughout much of her life. She was to have taken "The Rainmaker" to England's West End at one point but severe anxiety attacks kept her from doing so. She made her Broadway debut in 1962, playing the matinée Martha in Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", which role was played 7 out of eight weekly performances by Reid's legendary mentor, Uta Hagen.
Filming for Reid would be very erratic during her career. She played Natalie Wood's mother in This Property Is Condemned (1966) and may be best-remembered as a scientist in the thriller The Andromeda Strain (1971) or as the brittle, bitter, boozing Claire in A Delicate Balance (1973), opposite such heavyweights as Katharine Hepburn, Paul Scofield, Lee Remick, Joseph Cotten, and Betsy Blair. She earned two Tony nominations in the 1960s for her participation in the plays "Dylan" and "Slapstick Tragedy". Further respect came in the package of Arthur Miller's "The Price" and John Guare's "Bosoms and Neglect". On U.S. television, she played the skeptical mother of a murder witness in the Columbo (1971) episode Dead Weight (1971), as well as a treacherous foreign agent in the Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983) episode The First Time (1983). She also managed a recurring part on Dallas (1978) as well as regular roles on the short-lived TV series Gavilan (1982) and Morningstar/Eveningstar (1986).
Plagued by ill health in later years, Reid nevertheless offered a couple of outstanding contributions. She was the invalid mistress in the film Atlantic City (1980) opposite Burt Lancaster, and portrayed the devoted, long-suffering wife Linda Loman alongside Dustin Hoffman in the critically-acclaimed 1984 remake of Miller's "Death of a Salesman" on Broadway. She and Hoffman (who was seven years her junior) subsequently preserved their roles with a TV adaptation the following year. Likewise, she appeared in the television movie Morning's at Seven (1982), reprising and preserving on celluloid her performance in the same role in the successful Broadway production. Her last role was in the miniseries Murder in the Heartland (1993). Reid succumbed to brain cancer at age 62 in Ontario, Canada. - Actor
- Writer
- Music Department
A man who has many irons in the entertainment fire, hirsutely handsome Canadian actor, vocalist and jazz musician Don Francks (also known as "Iron Buffalo") was born Donald Harvey Francks on February 28, 1932, in Vancouver, British Columbia. One can, with confidence, add drummer, poet, motorcyclist, author and peace activist to his many lists of accomplishments. He grew up quite adept at athletics (soccer, lacrosse and rugby) and performed in vaudeville and in summer stock shows before relocating to Toronto. On stage from age 11, he landed an early job singing on the radio, then moved into television in 1954. While acting in both variety shows and dramas, he was also a writer and penned several documentaries and public affairs specials in both Toronto and Montreal. On the nightclub scene, Don was featured as a jazz vocalist, a DJ, a trombonist in a country western band and a member of a barbershop quartet called "Model-T Four".
In the mid-1960s, he focused on small screen acting and racked up a number of rugged, adventurous guest-star turns on TV episodes of The Wild Wild West (1965), Mannix (1967), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) and Mission: Impossible (1966). A promising lead that could have led to stardom in the NBC series, Jericho (1966), was cut short when the show was bowled over by its ABC competition -- Batman (1966) -- and quickly canceled. He also appeared on- and off-Broadway, which included a stint with the musical, "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever".
Don contributed one strapping co-starring turn in a big-budgeted musical film during his less-than-a-decade stay in Hollywood. As the robust "Woody Mahoney", he dallied with the likes of beguiling Petula Clark, who played his lady love in Finian's Rainbow (1968). Their enchanting and sensuous duet on "That Old Devil Moon" is only one of the film's highlights. The film was not successful, however, in launching Don's movie career.
Afterwards, he moved his family to the Red Pheasant Indian Reserve, near North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and is an honorary Cree and named "Iron Buffalo". Since 1974, he has been living in Toronto with his wife, Lili Francks (Red Eagle), a member of the Plains Cree First Nation and also a dancer. Their children are voice artist and actress Cree Summer, best-known for her regular role on the TV sitcom, A Different World (1987), and actor/songwriter Rainbow Sun Francks.
In later years, Don gained some attention after being cast as "Walter", an arms expert, on the hit TV series, La Femme Nikita (1997). More recently, he traveled to Montreal for a part in the film, I'm Not There (2007), filmmaker Todd Haynes' meditative take on the famous singer-songwriter, Bob Dylan.
Don continued to perform in Canada in both films (He Never Died (2015) and The Second Time Around (2016)) and as a recurring presence of series TV (Hemlock Grove (2013) and Gangland Undercover (2015)) until the end. He passed away at age 84 on April 3, 2016, in Toronto, Ontario.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Wayne Robson was born on 29 April 1946 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor, known for Cube (1997), Wrong Turn (2003) and The Red Green Show (1991). He was married to Lynn Woodman. He died on 4 April 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Art Department
Allan Roy Marceta was born on 12 November 1973 in Croatia, Yugoslavia [now Croatia]. Allan Roy is known for Star Trek: Discovery (2017). Allan Roy died on 22 August 2022 in Trenton, Ontario, Canada.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Jackie Burroughs was born on Thursday 2 February 1939 in Lancashire, England, United Kingdom She acted in live theatre at Ontario's Stratford Festival before she made her film debut appearance in The Ernie Game (1967), then went on to act in several other very popular films which include The Grey Fox (1982) a performance which earned her a Genie Award, and The Dead Zone (1983). Jackie's television credits include the roles of Mrs. Amelia Evans in Anne of Green Gables (1985) and Hetty King in Avonlea (1990), a role which earned her three Gemini Awards. With several film and television performances under her belt, we should acknowledge her work in a A Winter Tan (1987) a film in which Jackie produced, directed, co-wrote, and starred in, for her work in the film she earned her third Genie Award, and we must not forget her spellbinding and emotional gripping performance in Lost and Delirious (2001). Jackie died in Toronto at home, as a result of gastric cancer, with close friends and family beside her on the afternoon of Wednesday 22 September 2010. She was survived by her daughter Zoe Yanovsky ( with her former husband the late Zalman Yanovsky (1944-2002) of " The Lovin' Spoonful " rock band) and her partner Greg Ball; two grandsons Max the Pearl and Henry Zalman; their babba Anna; her brother Gary, his wife Sarah and daughters Josie and Alex along with their children and her goddaughter Maggie.- Jonathan Frid's career in drama began when he first "offered his soul" to the theater as a young boy at a preparatory school in Ontario, Canada. Following his graduation from McMaster University, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in the UK and later earned a Master's Degree in Directing from the Yale School of Drama.
He was a leading actor in English and Canadian repertory and went on to work in many of the most celebrated regional theaters in the United States, including the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, and the American Shakespeare Festival under the direction of John Houseman, performing with Katharine Hepburn in "Much Ado About Nothing".
Frid appeared in major roles on-and-off Broadway, in such productions as "Roar Like A Dove", "Murder in the Cathedral" and "Wait Until Dark". However, it was his portrayal of a complex, conflicted vampire on ABC-TV's daytime drama series Dark Shadows (1966) (he also had a cameo role in the motion picture House of Dark Shadows (1970)) which garnered him his greatest fame in the United States. Other film credits included co-starring roles in The Devil's Daughter (1973) (with Shelley Winters) and Seizure (1974) (Oliver Stone's directorial debut).
In 1986, Frid joined the Broadway production of "Arsenic and Old Lace" (co-starring with Jean Stapleton). He won critical acclaim for his villainous turn as the homicidal nephew and spent ten months with the play's national tour. That same year, Frid founded his own production company, "Clunes Associates", to create and tour a series of one-man readers' theater shows across North America. Frid continued to perform his one-man shows, now under the banner of "Charity Associates", to raise money for a variety of charities. Combining the arts of his voice and his zest for entertaining", as one critic put it. In June 2000, he returned to the traditional professional stage in the play "Mass Appeal" at the Stirling Festival Theatre in Stirling, Ontario. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Cinema lovers and sci-fi fans will always remember the great Douglas Rain not exactly by his face but specially because of his vocal talents that brought him attention and eternity in the cinema world as the soothing voice of computer HAL 9000 in the classic 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and its sequel 2010 (1984).
What most people don't know is that he wasn't the first choice of Stanley Kubrick for voicing the most famous robot voice of all time: Kubrick had in mind using the voice of more famous and established actors such as Martin Balsam, Jason Robards and Walter Pidgeon (just to name a few). But Kubrick wanted something with an extra-quality and his description to an assistant of what he wanted was to find him an actor who could have an intelligent, sincere and disarming voice with some friendly quality. The rest is history: Rain won the role despite being an almost unknown actor with few theatre and TV film/series roles on his resume; but Kubrick's choice turned out to be the perfect one. HAL 9000 with Rain's voice brought calm and humanity to a machine that seemed perfect in all possible ways in contrast to the robotic and lifeless astronauts of whom he shares company outer space.
In front of cameras, the Canadian actor can be found in TV series such as General Motors Presents, Startime, Quest and Playdate; or films like Oedipus Rex (1957), Twelfth Night (1964) and the title role in Henry V (1966). On stage, his career consists of several William Shakespeare play adaptations - in fact, Rain was co-founding member of the Stratford Shakespearean Festival - and other authors in between the 1950's and 1990's. In 1972, he was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) for the play "Vivat! Vivat Regina!".
He passed away from natural causes at the age of 90 in 2018 - the 50th year anniversary of "2001". He left an important mark and legacy to the cinema world, even though with just one memorable character that paved the way to other actors using his voice talents in other feature films.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Shirley Douglas was born on 2 April 1934 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada. She was an actress, known for Dead Ringers (1988), Wind at My Back (1996) and Lolita (1962). She was married to Donald Sutherland and Timothy Emil Sicks. She died on 5 April 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Jan Rubes was born in Volyne, Czechoslovakia, to Ruzena (Kellnerová) and Jan Rubes. After graduating in 1945 from the Conservatory of Music in Prague, he went on to join the Prague Opera House as their youngest basso singer. He also performed at the Pilsen Opera House in leading roles in his early years. By 1948, he was chosen to represent Czechoslovakia at the International Music Festival held in Geneva and won first prize in his category. He emigrated to Canada on New Year's Eve 1948 with hopes of creating a greater musical career. As a member of the Canadian Opera Company, he achieved recognition for his roles, as Boris in "Boris Godunov", Schigolch in "Lulu" and as Mephisto in "Faust". He also served as the company's director of touring and program development. Branching out into radio and, eventually, TV, he wrote and hosted from 1975-83 TVOntario's "Guess What?" and acted in many TV dramas, later receiving the Earle Grey Award for lifetime work in Canadian television. Most moviegoers would recognize Jan Rubes in Witness (1985) (a Harrison Ford film), where he portrayed an Amish patriarch. He lived in Toronto with his wife, actor/director Susan Douglas Rubes. They had three children.- Actor
- Producer
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, George Frederick Cooper attended Prince of Wales School and Central Collegiate. He became a police cadet but eventually headed to Toronto for acting jobs on the CBC. He went to Hollywood and landed contracts with Warner Bros and Universal Studios in the early 1960s. Warner initially gave him the stage name of Kyle Thomson in 1961, but he soon changed it to Jeff Cooper in order to use his own last name at least, there already being an actor named George Cooper. He played a cavalry soldier in 1966's "Duel at Diablo" with Garner and Poitier and a hippy in 1968's "The Impossible Years" with Niven, and was a biker in the first Billy Jack film, 1967's "The Born Losers." His biggest role was in 1972 when he starred as Kaliman the Incredible, one of South America's most popular comic book heroes. The film was made by a Mexican film studio and was an enormous hit in Mexico. Cooper also made films in Europe and Egypt, and in 1978, he starred in a martial arts feature called "Circle of Iron" with David Carradine and Christopher Lee. It was originally written by Bruce Lee, who had intended to star in it but abandoned the project shortly before his untimely death. To hedge his bets, Cooper got a real estate license but that same day, he landed the role of Dr. Simon Ellby on the TV show "Dallas." He never did sell a home. In 1995, he returned to Hamilton to care for his ailing mother. Wife Colette said he had become "a private person" since he returned to Hamilton and had mostly spent his final years in Hamilton learning how to play guitar, taking nature walks, working out at the downtown YMCA, and reading profusely. He was 82 at the time of his death.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Kader Khan was an Indian actor, comedian, and screenwriter who worked in Hindi cinema. Khan's family migrated from Afghanistan to Mumbai, India, in 1942, and was raised in the neighbourhood of Kamathipura, Mumbai.
He completed his education at Ismail Yusuf College in Mumbai, earning a Master's degree in Civil Engineering (M.Tech). However, his passion for writing and acting led him to pursue a career in the film industry.
Kader Khan debuted in the film industry as a writer with the film Jawani Diwani (1972) in 1972. However, his first film as an actor was Daag: A Poem of Love (1973), starring Rajesh Khanna in the lead role.
He went on to write dialogues for numerous successful films in the 1970s and 1980s, including Sholay (1975), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Naseeb (1981), and Coolie (1983).
Khan has acted in over 300 films and appeared in supporting roles in some of Bollywood's biggest hits, such as Sharaabi (1984), Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri (1990), Agneepath (1990), Hum (1991), and Khuda Gawah (1992).
Some of his notable performances as an actor include Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995), Taqdeerwala (1995), and Judwaa (1997). He also worked in television serials such as Hasna Mat (2001) and Khuda Gawah (1992).
Kader Khan was also a prolific screenwriter and wrote scripts for films like Dharam Veer (1977), Mr. Natwarlal (1979), Laawaris (1981), and Geraftaar (1985). He also wrote and produced the film Shama (1981), which was released in 1981.
Some of Kader Khan's most memorable performances were in comedies, where he was known for his impeccable comic timing. He worked with some of the biggest stars in the industry, including Amitabh Bachchan, Govinda, Salman Khan, and Akshay Kumar.
Kader Khan's last appearance was in the 2019 Rangeela Raja film Rangeela Raja (2019). He passed away on December 31, 2018, at 81.
Kader Khan was awarded numerous awards for his contributions to the Indian film industry. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue twice for Meri Aawaz Suno (1981) and Angaar (1992). He also received the Filmfare Award for Best Comedian for Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri (1990).
In addition, he was honoured with the Padma Shri award, one of India's highest civilian honours, in 2019, which was posthumously awarded to him.- Actress
- Producer
- Stunts
Maria Rohm was one of the rare gems in the movie business - acting, and in particular theatre and movies was truly her life's work. She started acting on-stage at the famous Vienna Burgtheatre as a child actor from ages 4 through 13. Having performed in such classics as William Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream", Lev Tolstoy's autobiography "Und das Licht scheint in der Finsternis", Ferdinand Raimund's "Der Bauer als Millionär" etc. She worked with many of the great German stage actors such as Attila Hörbiger, Paula Wessely, Curd Jürgens, Annemarie Düringer, Heinrich Schweiger, Judith Holzmeister to name a few.
The young Ms. Rohm continued her theatrical work until she auditioned for Harry Alan Towers at age 18, it was then that her movie career took off. Towers, smitten with the blonde beauty cast her as a lead in a number of his feature films - Maria's extraordinary acting abilities took over from there. Both stunning and immensely talented she soon became highly sought after as a leading lady all across Europe. Her movie roles took her to more than a dozen countries where she shared the screen with such greats as Frankie Avalon, Klaus Kinski, Christopher Lee, Vincent Price and Jack Palance .
Extensive traveling eventually took it's toll, and having 30 on-camera movie credits to her name combined with 4 decades experience as an actress, Rohm made the decision to join Towers, her now husband as a producer. Her considerable experience in the industry revealed an astute business woman, and Mr. & Mrs. Towers became power a couple in the independent feature market. The duo worked happily together until Harry Tower's death July 31st, 2009.
The last 10 years or her life, Ms. Rohm although largely retired from the business, continued to consult periodically in the industry and share her expertise of the business that she fondly remembers as bringing her together with the love of her life.- Actor
- Producer
Keith Knight was born on 20 January 1956 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and producer, known for My Bloody Valentine (1981), Meatballs (1979) and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987). He was married to Jennifer McCullough. He died on 22 August 2007 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Actor
- Composer
Danny Wells was born on 7 April 1941 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was an actor and composer, known for Magnolia (1999), The Last Kiss (2006) and Private Benjamin (1980). He died on 28 November 2013 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Harvey Atkin was born on 18 December 1942 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for Meatballs (1979), Barney's Version (2010) and Speed Zone (1989). He was married to Celia Tessler. He died on 17 July 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Karyn is best known for her starring role as Maggie in the hit independent film, Better Than Chocolate (1999). She was also in Superstar (1999), Sailor Moon (1995) , The Life Before This (1999) , and many other film, TV, and theatrical productions. She created, produced, and starred in her one woman feminist show Bad Girls and was honored to be included in The Newfoundland Herald's selection of Newfoundland icons. She finds joy in creating, writing, singing, and answering questions with interpretive dance. Now she is fearlessly venturing into stand up comedy.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Samantha Gail Weinstein was born on March 20, 1995 in Toronto, Canada. An actor since the age of six, she was best known for her roles as Heather in MGM's remake of Carrie (2013), Audrey in Jesus Henry Christ (2011), and Josephine in the TIFF award winning short film, Big Girl (2005). Big Girl also won Samantha the 2006 ACTRA award for Best Performance-Female. Having won the award at age ten, she was the youngest recipient to date.
Other notable film roles include Brooke in the independent feature, Reign (2015), Violet in The Rocker (2008), and young Hagar in Margaret Atwood's The Stone Angel (2007). Some of Samantha's television credits include guest roles on Being Erica, Less Than Kind, Copper, and Darknet. Darknet marked Samantha's second project with Canadian director Vincenzo Natali, the first being the independent feature, Haunter (2013). She was also an avid voice performer and had voiced numerous animated characters during her career.
As lead singer/songwriter and lead guitarist, Samantha founded the Toronto based, garage rock band, Killer Virgins, in April of 2016. On May 14th, 2023 Samantha died from ovarian cancer after bravely fighting for two and a half years. She died at Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital surrounded by her loved ones.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Lawrence Dane was an exceptionally fine, versatile, and shamefully underrated Canadian character actor who was equally adept at both comedy and drama alike. Tall and lean, with silver gray hair, a gaunt face, and a distinguished air about him, Dane was often cast as smooth business executives, physicians, police officers, and stern authority figures. Born on April 3, 1937 in Masson, Quebec, Lawrence grew up in Ottawa and initially took acting lessons in order to overcome shyness. Dane first started acting on stage in the late 1950's. He soon amassed a substantial volume of film and TV show credits. Lawrence gave an especially terrific performance as one of five doctors who find themselves being terrorized by vicious vengeful hillbillies when they go camping in the remote Canadian wilderness in the harrowing Deliverance (1972) variant Rituals (1977); the multi-talented Dane also produced this gritty and suspenseful cult favorite thriller. Other notable roles Dane has played are Michael Ironside's evil business partner in David Cronenberg's Scanners (1981), Melissa Sue Anderson's father in the superior slasher item Happy Birthday to Me (1981), and Peter Weller's tough, but fair boss in the excellent killer rat knockout Of Unknown Origin (1983). Moreover, Dane displayed a delightful flair for comedy in the amusing features It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (1975) and Find the Lady (1976), in which he was nicely paired with a then-unknown John Candy. Lawrence continued to act in both TV shows and movies with pleasing regularity well into his 70's. He died at age 84 at his home in Ontario, Canada from pancreatic cancer on March 21, 2022.- Ron White was born on 9 June 1953 in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor, known for Screamers (1995), Unforgiven (1992) and Defendor (2009). He was married to Lisa Robertson. He died on 4 April 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Sydney Newman was born on 1 April 1917 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was a writer and producer, known for The Avengers (1998), The Avengers (1961) and Space Command (1953). He was married to Elizabeth McRae. He died on 30 October 1997 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Actor
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alf Humphreys was born on 3 April 1953 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for X2 (2003), First Blood (1982) and The Uninvited (2009). He was married to Elizabeth Moss. He died on 31 January 2018 in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.- Denis Akiyama was born on 28 May 1952 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for Pixels (2015), Repo Men (2010) and Johnny Mnemonic (1995). He was married to Danielle O'Connor Akiyama. He died on 28 June 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Aron Tager was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1934, where he went to school and became an artist and sculptor. He moved to Canada, where he appeared in various Canadian theatre productions. For a quarter century he took a hiatus from acting in favor of art, sculpting and poetry. In 1991, he and his wife, Ann Page, began film and theatre work. He was later known as Aron Tager. He first appeared in Requiem for a Handsome Bastard (1992), and in several episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990) which lasted until 1994, when he moved on to such Canadian feature films as Canvas (1992), Blind Faith (1998), Warriors (1994), Fancy Dancing (2002), You Kill Me (2007), Sweet Killing (1993), Serendipity (2001), and as the villainous Lars Lujak in Protection (2001). He also appeared in Canadian television series The Busy World of Richard Scarry (1993), Silver Surfer (1998), Blazing Dragons (1996), The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police (1997), Stickin' Around (1996), Blaster's Universe (1999), Donkey Kong Country (1997), A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001), Billable Hours (2006), My 90-Year-Old Roommate (2016), You Got Trumped: The First 100 Days (2016), and Jane and the Dragon (2005), and feature films Murder at 1600 (1997) and Trilogy of Terror II (1996).- A future in movies for this fair-haired, fresh-faced young adult of the 1930s was by no means certain at the time of his untimely death in a mid-air plane collision. Hints of the All-American leading man promise Phillips Holmes managed to convey during the early to mid decade, particularly in the film adaptation of Theodore Dreiser 's novel An American Tragedy (1931), had faded significantly. In the meantime he was maintaining with stage work and had just graduated from Air Ground School as an aircraftsman when he suddenly died at age 35 on August 12, 1942.
Phillips, his sister Madeline and their youngest brother, Ralph Holmes (pronounced "Rafe," who later became an actor as well) came from ripe acting stock. Character actor Taylor Holmes was a well-established character player in vaudeville and on the stage and screen. He and actress wife Edna Phillips met during a production of "Hamlet" and first-born Phillips' odd first name was bestowed upon him courtesy of his Canadian-born mother. The children were often shunted about to live with various relatives while their parents were on the road. Phillips attended many different schools growing up and graduated from Newman Prep School in New Jersey. He traveled to Europe for his college education, attending Cambridge University in England and (later) Grenoble University in France. His natural ability at athletics led to solid respect as a member of the rowing team during his college years. He eventually returned to the US and decided upon Princeton.
An inherent interest in acting (Princeton's The Triangle Club) led to his stage debut in the Princeton Triangle Show "Napoleon Passes" at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1927. While at college he, by luck and via certain connections, also managed to make his film debut with Varsity (1928) and was offered a Paramount contract as a result. After a number of false starts, bit parts, bad pictures and a major bout with nervous exhaustion, Phillips began to score some early first impressions with juvenile leads in the films The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929), Pointed Heels (1929), the Gary Cooper starrer Only the Brave (1930) and, more notably, The Devil's Holiday (1930) and Stolen Heaven (1931), both opposite established star Nancy Carroll.
It all led to the role of his career in Dreiser's An American Tragedy (1931) the ill-fated story of a wanderlust young man who falls hard for a beautiful socialite (Frances Dee) while trying to find a way to extricate himself from the clutches of a drab, maudlin girl from the wrong side of the tracks he had met earlier and impregnated (Sylvia Sidney). In the same part that would later establish Montgomery Clift as a archetypal tortured romantic in A Place in the Sun (1951), Holmes equipped himself admirably in a difficult role and was seemingly on his way to Hollywood stardom.
Firmly on the Paramount roster list, the handsome blue-eyed blond co-starred as both vulnerable, weak-willed gents and feistier men in comedy and melodrama, including Broken Lullaby (1932) and Two Kinds of Women (1932). He then signed with MGM and appeared in more of the same standard filming -- Night Court (1932), The Secret of Madame Blanche (1933) and Men Must Fight (1933). A huge chance for major attention turned bleak after being heavily promoted in the film Nana (1934) opposite beauteous Russian import Anna Sten. Touted as the "next Garbo", the movie tanked badly with his performance cited as bland and wooden, and the equally stiff Ms. Sten lost all hope for stardom. Phillips provided a bit more dash and élan in Caravan (1934) opposite Loretta Young but it was not enough to turn his career around. From then on he freelanced both here and abroad in mostly "B" fodder that included the "Our Gang" feature-length misfire General Spanky (1936) and the British programmers The Dominant Sex (1937) and (his swan song) Housemaster (1938), both with "tea rose" beauty Diana Churchill.
Phillps had to make do on stage at this point with his participation in such plays as "The Petrified Forest", "Golden Boy", "The Male Animal" and "The Philadelphia Story". Along with his career decline, he suffered upsets in his personal life. A fractured romance with scandalous millionaire chanteuse Libby Holman led to her marrying brother Ralph on the rebound. That 1939 marriage fell apart within a few years and Ralph would subsequently commit suicide in his NY apartment from a barbiturate overdose in 1945, three years after Phillips' death.
With WWII now a harsh reality, both brothers enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force toward the end of 1941. While Ralph became a pilot officer, Phillips attended the Air Ground School at Winnipeg. Following graduation, he and six of his aircraftsmen classmates were transferred but the plane carrying the men en route to their new destination (Ottawa) collided with another in Ontario killing all aboard. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Lila Kedrova was a Russian actress, who spend most of her career as an expatriate. For her role as widowed courtesan Madame Hortense in Zorba the Greek (1964), Kedrova won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was the first Russian actress to win the award, and this was her only Academy Award nomination.
Kedrova was born in Petrogad, Russia (modern Saint Petersburg). She claimed to have been born in 1918, but she may have older by several years. She wanted to appear younger than she was. Her father was opera singer and liturgical music composer Nikolay Kedrov Sr. (1871-1940). Her mother was opera singer Sofia Gladkaya (1875-1975) was a singer at the Mariinsky Theatre and a teacher at the Conservatoire de Paris. Kedrova's older brother was composer Nikolay Kedrov Jr. (c. 1904-1981). Her sister, Irene Kedroff (real name: Irina Nikolayevna Kedrova) was a soprano.
The Kedrov family left the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic c. 1922, before the formation of the Soviet Union. They settled in Berlin , in the Weimar Republic. In 1928, the family moved to France (during the Third French Republic), where her parents were able to find better jobs.
Kedrova made her theatrical debut in 1932, appearing with the Moscow Art Theatre touring company, the foremost state-supported theatre of the Soviet Union. She made her film debut in the World War I-themed historical drama Ultimatum (1938). She appeared exclusively in French theatre and film until 1964. "Zorba the Greek" was her first appearance in an English-language film.
Kedrova's next notable role was that of Polish noblewoman Countess Kuchinska in the political thriller Torn Curtain (1966). She found some success in American theatre, playing Fraulein Schneider in the West End stage production of "Cabaret" (1968). She shared the stage with Judi Dench.
Kedrova appeared in Hollywood films for several years, mostly typecast in the role of an either eccentric or outright insane woman. Her last film appearance was a maternal role in the international co-production La prossima volta il fuoco (1993). She retired from acting as she was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
In February 2000, Kedrova died in her residence in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, The cause of death was pneumonia. She was cremated, and her ashes were buried in the Kedrov family grave at the Russian cemetery in Paris.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Les Lye was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on November 18, 1924. Following a stint in the armed forces after high school, he attended the University of Toronto, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, and then enrolled in Lorne Greene's Academy of Radio Arts. In 1948, he moved to Ottawa to join Frank Ryan's CFRA team.
As a radio announcer, Les worked with the station's popular groups and was also in demand as an MC at their many live appearances. After heading back to Toronto to work for a short time at CKEY, he returned to Ottawa and CFRA with his alter ego, Abercrombie. Les became one of radio's top personalities before turning to the new medium of television in 1958. His first job, as a co-host on the talk show "Contact", lasted three years.
In 1961, CJOH-TV went on the air with Les as a freelance writer and performer. Meanwhile, local entertainer Bill Luxton was busy with several shows, including a morning magazine. Forming what would become a long-lasting partnership, Les soon began creating comic characters for Bill to interview on his morning show.
When puppeteer John Conway decided to give up hosting the CJOH kids show "Cartoonerville" in 1966, the station's programmers asked Les and Bill to team up and take over. "Uncle Willy & Floyd" was born. Over the years, such personalities as Alanis Morissette, Klea Scott, Bruno Gerussi and Margaret Trudeau, would drop by for surprise guest appearances.
In addition to Luxton, Les has worked with Don Harron, Ruth Buzzi and Orson Bean, and has worked for the CBC, CTV and Global networks. "Uncle Willy & Floyd" ran for 22 years in syndication across Canada, and "You Can't Do That on Television" enjoyed a 10-season run and international acclaim. Among his many accomplishments, Les has appeared in a number of stage shows and was a major contributor to Rich Little's career.
In 2003, Les and Bill were honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), for their work on "Willy & Floyd." Now retired, Les continues to work as an active member of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and is also writing a book of his memoirs.- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Dean Copkov was born on 1 April 1966 in Canada. He was an actor, known for The Incredible Hulk (2008), Pacific Rim (2013) and RoboCop (2014). He died on 22 January 2019 in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada.- George R. Robertson was a Canadian actor best known as Chief Hurst in the first 6 Police Academy films. He was also featured in JFK, Murder At 1600 (Mack Falls), as Dick Cheney in The Path To 9/11 and, most recently as Chester Jones in Still Mine. He appeared as Barry Goldwater in The Reagans, as Sen. Fulbright in The Pentagon Papers and as Adm. William Leahy in Hiroshima.
- Sean McCann appeared in more than 150 feature films, cable television movies, television series and miniseries. McCann always had a craving for diversity. He began his adult life with a singular devoutness uncommon to actors of his peer group, studying at St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ontario to prepare himself for the priesthood. A student of history, politics and poetry, he had a library of well over 800 volumes of literature and letters devoted to both the high arts and popular culture. McCann indulged his not-so-secret love of baseball as an Associate Scout for the Toronto Blue Jays, spoke often about baseball to professional organizations, and was named to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
McCann was seen with Sarah Polley and Diane Ladd (The Law of Enclosures (2000)), Nick Nolte (Affliction (1997)), and Chris Farley (Tommy Boy (1995)). He shared screen time with Miranda Richardson and Brenda Fricker (Swann (1996), for which McCann received Genie nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role), Nicolas Cage (Trapped in Paradise (1994)), Kevin Bacon (The Air Up There (1994)), and Peter Weller and Judy Davis (Naked Lunch (1991), which garnered the actor a National Film Critics Society Award). In 1999, he won a Gemini Award for Best Guest Actor in a Series for Power Play. In a testament to his chameleon acting talents, McCann was twice nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Pre-School Series, for his role as "Noah" in Noddy (1998).
McCann was singled out at the 1987 Gemini Awards with a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his recurring role in Night Heat (1985). He starred in Robert Lepage's Genie Award-winning Possible Worlds (2000), and appeared in the Golden Globe-nominated Small Sacrifices (1989) (starring Farrah Fawcett). In 1988, he took on the role of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in The King Chronicle (1988); the miniseries was a 6-hour CBC and NFB co-production which aired to popular and critical acclaim. One year later, he won the Earl Grey Award for his performance.
McCann had a unique civic-mindedness as well. He ran against one of the most recognizable figures on the Canadian political landscape, Progressive Conservative Roy McMurtry, in Ontario's 1979 provincial election. His showing in that race, which he lost, confirmed that acting was his primary métier, but did nothing to dampen his conviction that politicians and political institutions are accountable to the masses. - Chris Wiggins was born on 13 January 1931 in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar (1969), Rock & Rule (1983) and Friday the 13th: The Series (1987). He was married to Sandra Crysler-Wiggins. He died on 19 February 2017 in Elora, Ontario, Canada.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Denny Doherty was born and reared in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and began his musical career there in a local rock band, The Hepsters, while working in a pawn shop. He had started singing in public at age 15, on a dare by performing "Love Letters In The Sand" in a skating rink-turned-dance-hall. In 1959 he formed his first folk trio, The Colonials, and after changing their name to The Halifax Three, signed a recording contract in New York. After recording two albums, the trio broke up, and Denny linked with Cass Elliot as a member of her group, The Big Three, which later became The Mugwumps, the first folk-rock group. Cass and Denny later joined John and Michelle Phillips of The New Journeymen to become The Mamas and The Papas. In 1965 the group relocated to Los Angeles where, over the next four years, they turned out a score of top-selling albums and singles featuring Doherty and Elliot's lead vocals, including "California Dreamin'," "Monday Monday" and "I Saw Her Again." Upon the collapse of the group, Denny recorded two solo albums, and material for an unreleased third. (One of these albums reunited him with former Mamas Michelle and Cass as they sang background vocals for 1974's Waiting For A Song.).
Doherty played the lead in Andy Warhol and John Phillips' Man on the Moon on Broadway in 1975 and Doherty was cast in The Irish Art Centre's Juno and the Paycock. In 1978 he returned to Canada and hosted "Denny's Sho" on Canadian television. During the 1980s he reunited with fellow Papa, John Phillips in The New Mamas and Papas and toured the United States as well as Europe and Asia. Having returned to home in Canada, Doherty's many stage credits there include North Mountain Breakdown, Needfire and Paul Ledoux's Fire as well as The Secret Garden. Film/TV credits include "Pit Pony" and The Harbourmaster in "Theodore Tugboat." Denny was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1996; The Mamas and The Papas were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001. In recent years, Doherty told the tale of his life with The Mamas and The Papas, in Dream A Little Dream which ran in Halifax, Toronto, and finally Off-Broadway in 2003. Doherty was married briefly to Linda Woodward in the early seventies with whom he had a daughter, Jessica. He lived outside Toronto with his other two children, Emberly and John, to whose mother Jeannette, Doherty was married for twenty years until her death in 1998. He died on January 19, 2007, following kidney problems. (www.dennydoherty.com)- Actor
- Stunts
- Soundtrack
Neil Hope was born on 24 September 1972 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for Degrassi High (1987), Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001) and The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979). He died on 25 November 2007 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Music Department
Gordon Lightfoot may have been one of the most accomplished and well-known singer-songwriters to come out of Canada.
He is internationally known for such monumental folk/pop/rock hits as "Sundown", "If You Could Read My Mind", "Early Mornin' Rain", "Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald", and many more. His songs have been covered by such music giants as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Glen Campbell and Don Williams. Lightfoot began his music career fronting a variety of rock & roll bands around Toronto while still in his teens.
In 1958, aged 19, he relocated to Los Angeles where he found work writing jingles for TV commercials but returned to Toronto in 1962 where he rapidly became a fixture in the city's burgeoning folk music scene. He made his first records for a local Toronto label in 1963 but it wasn't until he signed a major record deal and released his first album in 1966 that he became widely known. In 1970, he scored his first top ten hit with "If You Could Read My Mind", beginning a decade of chart-topping albums and hit songs highlighted by his #1 hit in 1974 with "Sundown".
After nearly 20 years of success, Lightfoot went into self-imposed semi-retirement in the late 1980s but reemerged in 1993 with the highly acclaimed album, "Waiting For You". His 1998 album, "Painter Passing Through", drew high praise from critics and fans.- Actress
- Location Management
- Writer
A graduate of the National Theatre School Jamaican born Suzanne Coy also known as ZAN is a brilliant, versatile actor-master of over 30 dialects who always brings something interesting to every part. In addition to her stage work including a couple of comedic one-person shows Suzanne has numerous TV and film credits. You may have seen her as series regular in KING, the trend-setting police drama. Nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award she was a regular on CTV's new hit sitcom DAN FOR MAYOR. She had recurring roles both in CBC 's 'HEARTLAND' and Global's 'DA KINK IN MY HAIR'. You can also catch her on NETFLICKS in Rene Zellwegger's 'NEW IN TOWN', 'NOAHS ARCH: JUMPING THE BROOM, or 'MR and MRS LOVING' starring Timothy Hutton among others.
She continues to create characters for ZANTASTICK (a show in development) as well as finally publishing her poetry. As a new producer, she has joined her partners in Australia and America to bring a number of films to completion.
An entrepreneur at heart she is currently part of a team that is bringing a number of ALTERNATIVE GREEN ENERGY products to the global market. She has always been a master networking and instrumental in closing deals where everyone wins. It's all part of a vision for film makers, corporations and change agents, to work together to improve the environment elevate our consciousness. Founder of 'ACT From the HEART Productions' Suzanne sees the artist as a community catalyst. Her 2 shorts on the great community leader Dr.Omowale Satterwhite from the East Palo Alto ghetto have played locally in California. Suzanne graduated from NCDI's Professional Development for Community Consultants in 2002 and has since applied her studies in her capacity as Program Manager for at-risk youth, literacy and numeracy camps. For the past 20 years Suzanne has participated in other community arts programs and that use creativity to teach life skills. ZAN feels it is her mission to increase our individual capacity for ridiculousness and if it isn't through her comic parodies; she also certifies people to laugh for no reason! ZAN is a sought after Acting Coach and teacher on and off film sets. She believes it is time reclaim the role of the artists to be a part of a new Star System not based on psychotic egoism but based on the idea that the storyteller is the inspiration for personal and community transformation.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Al Waxman was born on 2 March 1935 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and director, known for Cagney & Lacey (1981), Heavy Metal (1981) and The Hurricane (1999). He was married to Sara. He died on 18 January 2001 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Gerard Parkes was born on 16 October 1924 in Dublin, Ireland. He was an actor, known for The Boondock Saints (1999), The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009) and A Muppet Family Christmas (1987). He was married to Sheelagh Norman. He died on 19 October 2014 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.