Don Harron

Who they were

Don Harron, Canadian actor and screenwriter (born 1924)

Early life

Educated at: University of Toronto and Vaughan Road Academy.

Early life Harron's parents, Lionel William Harron and Delsia Adah Maud Hunter Harron, owned and operated Harron's Cleaners and Dryers in Toronto. [ 1 ] Beginning at the age of ten, he earned extra money for the family during the Great Depression , doing "chalk talks" telling humorous stories while drawing caricatures in coloured chalk at company or club banquets, making $10 or $15 a talk. [ 1 ] As a result of his performances, he was invited to audition for, and won,

Path and career

Awards / honours: Officer of the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, and Earle Grey Award.

Career After university, Harron appeared in a number of plays and revues in Toronto, including the annual Spring Thaw revue, giving him national exposure when the 1952 edition was broadcast on the newly launched CBC Television network. [ 1 ] He spent two years in London, England, travelling there variously performing in a West End production of A Streetcar Named Desire and also working for the BBC as a comedy writer, acting in a radio series, playing the part of a clown in the film The Red Shoes (1948),

Honours In 2000, Harron's contribution to the Canadian entertainment industry was recognized with his being named a member of the Order of Ontario . He was invested as member of the Order of Canada in 1980 and in 2007, he was given the Gemini Award for Lifetime Achievement in Radio and Television. [ 1 ] Harron was also appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador . In his later years, he was a high-profile advocate for the interests of older people. He also continued to write books,

Why this date

Don Harron appears on our January 17 calendar for 2015 as a death entry.