B: September 19, 1924 in Toronto, Ontario
D: January 17, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario
Don Harron introduced the character of Charlie Farquharson at the Spring Thaw in 1952. He once told Global Television that Charlie was based on a character and accent he played in The Inheritance for the New Play Society. A tremendously talented actor and writer Don Harron made his debut at the age of ten. His voice was first heard on CBC radio in 1936. He has also worked in television since it`s inception and was part of the Stratford Festival in its very early days. He is also an extremely talented writer. When CBC launched the Sunshine Sketches in 1952, based on the Stephen Leacock book, Don Harron was one of the writers brought in to take the original book, and its limited material, and turn it into an ongoing series. He also wrote the book and lyrics for the long-running and highly successful play, Anne of Green Gables – The Musical, which had its initial season at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown in 1965. In 2000, his contribution to the Canadian entertaiment industry was recognized when he was named a member of the Order of Ontario. In addition to his work in radio and television, he has made a number of albums, and is the author of several best-selling books. He (and Charlie) lasted a remarkable 18 seasons on Hee Haw. Harron officially announced in May of 2011 that he was retiring. We have been reliably informed he is busy working on his autobiography. It was announced in September of 2013 that The Film Farm will produce a film version of Anne of Green Gables – The Musical. It is being adapted for the screen by actress/playwright Kristen Thomson. Stephen Traynor, Jennifer Weiss and Simone Urdl will produce for The Film Farm, a company established in 2008 that has successfully brought works by Sarah Polley and Atom Egoyan to the screen. They will be joined by Brian Robertson and by Don Harron’s daughter, Kelley Harron of Side Road Media. As of early 2015 that project had yet to come to fruition. Don Harron died at his Toronto home after choosing not to seek treatment for cancer. He was 90. Also see Mary Harron |
Features & TV Movies: The Sound Barrier (1952) The Spy with My Face (1965) The Hospital (1971) Peep (TV-1984) TV Series – Cast: |
