Don
Harron is one of Canada's most extraordinary talents. He is a modern 'Renaissance
Man' whose entertainment career has included achievements as an actor, writer,
broadcaster, comic and producer.
A native of Toronto,
Don Harron began his awesome career at the age of ten --speaking at
banquets. By the age of 11, he had already made his radio debut, and except
for an interruption during World War II, Don has never looked back in his
entertainment career. It is a career by which
one can almost follow the development of Canada's cultural scene--for Don
was present and actively involved in the launching of almost every major
venture. Don's voice was first heard on CBC radio in 1936 --the same year it
commenced public broadcasting. He first acted at Stratford the same year it
began operation in a lead role opposite Alec Guinness.
Don has
worked in television since its very inception. In television's first
season alone, Don was actively involved in almost every facet of the
medium--from starring in serious dramas to writing a comedy series.
Since then, Don has appeared in most major television dramatic series
including: "Twelve O'Clock High", "The Outer
Limits", "Dr. Kildare", "Walt Disney Presents", "Burke's Law", "Mr.
Novak", "The F.B.I.", "Profiles in Courage", "Mission Impossible", "The
Fugitive" and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."
Don Harron is also recognized as an
accomplished actor on stage. His distinguished theatre
career, which began in Toronto, has taken him to all the world's major
stages including Stratford, London's West End and Broadway.
He has worked with many of the great names in theatre including:
Paddy Chayefsky, Joseph Papp, Christopher Plummer, Tyrone Power,
Katherine Hepburn and Maggie Smith.
In his capacity as
a writer, Don has to his credit books, plays and radio and television
scripts. One of his proudest achievements is a musical he wrote from the
novel "Anne of Green Gables". Originally intended for television, the stage version
has been a resounding success. It is in its 27th season at the P.E.I.
Festival and has won rave reviews in London, New York, Japan and Sweden
as well as every major centre in Canada.
Don is also the
author of ten best-selling books. He is now working on his eleventh:
"Charlie Farquharson's Family Albums".
As a broadcaster,
Don is probably best known to Canadians for the five years he spent as
the popular host of the CBC radio series Morningside for which he won an
ACTRA award as best host.
Don has usually
been cast in dramatic roles. However, Don has made many people laugh
with his alter ego characters --especially Charlie Farquharson. Charlie
was first introduced to Canadians in 1952 at the Spring Thaw Revue --a
show that Don has been involved in since its creation.
Since then,
Charlie's career has been almost as impressive as Don's. He has worked
in revues and television, presides at conventions, has made a number of
albums, is the author of several best-selling books and
had 18 seasons as a star of the long-running TV series Hee Haw.
Don is the
recipient of numerous honours and awards for the many contributions he
has made to this country and its culture. Among them are: The Order of
Canada (1980), Honourary LL.D. from Mount Allison University for being a
long-standing contributor to public broadcasting, and a North American
Volunteer of the Year Award (1982). In 1991, he was awarded a Doctor of
Sacred Letters degree from his alma mater, Victoria College, University
of Toronto.
