Gino Emperatore (1925 - 2006), commonly known as Gino Empry, was a Canadian entertainment

impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

and promoter, who was a longtime president of his own

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

firm to publicize and promote Canadian entertainment. A native of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Empry began his career as an actor in amateur theatre, but worked as an auditor and systems analyst while trying to get his break as an actor; after several years of struggle, he met with a career consultant who suggested that he would likely have more success in the business side of entertainment than as a performer.Ron Psillag, "Gino Empry, agent and publicist, 1925-2006". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', October 23, 2006. In 1964, he was hired by

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as booking agent for the

Royal Alexandra Theatre The Royal Alexandra Theatre, commonly known as the Royal Alex, is an historic performing arts theatre in Toronto, Ontario. The theatre is located at 260 King Street West, in the downtown Toronto Entertainment District. Owned and operated by Mir ...

, and served in that role until becoming entertainment director of the Imperial Room in 1970. He held the role with the Imperial Room until its closure in 1989. He continued to have occasional stage acting roles, most notably making brief appearances in the inaugural season of

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise. It is the oldest improvisational theater troupe to be continuously based in Chicago, with training programs and live theaters in Toronto and New York. Since its debut in 1959, it has b ...

's Toronto company. Empry was also a promoter, agent or manager for Canadian and international celebrities, including

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

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, William Hutt,

Karen Kain Karen Alexandria Kain (born March 28, 1951) is a Canadian former ballet dancer and was the Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada from 2005 to 2021. Early training and childhood Kain's mother enrolled her daughter in ballet trainin ...

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, Craig Russell and

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, and a promoter for charitable organizations including the Actors Fund of Canada, the

Canadian Cancer Society The Canadian Cancer Society () is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. History The Saskatchewan Medical Association formed Canada's first cancer committee in 1929, whi ...

, DareArts, Easter Seals, the Ontario Musical Arts Centre and the Variety Club of Ontario. In 2002 he published a memoir, ''I Belong to the Stars''. In his later career he also returned to occasional acting roles, including a guest appearance as himself in an episode of '' Made in Canada'' and a starring role as a washed-up children's entertainer who has taken up burglary in the short comedy film ''Klepto the Clown''. Empry never married, but he was in a longtime relationship with psychic reader Nikki Pezaro. He was also father to two children from a prior relationship with a woman named Gloria, although both were placed for

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fro ...

as he and Gloria were not married to each other at the time.Sharon Dunn, "'I've never told anyone this...'". ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

'', December 9, 2002. He died on October 14, 2006, a few months after suffering a stroke.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Empry, Gino 1925 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Canadian businesspeople 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian businesspeople 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian memoirists Canadian male film actors Canadian male stage actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian talent agents Canadian public relations people Canadian people of Italian descent Canadian impresarios Male actors from Toronto Writers from Toronto