Jonathan Welsh (April 3, 1947 – January 27, 2005) was a
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
actor of stage, television and film, best known for his principal roles in Canadian television series, notably the 1986–1989 adventure comedy ''
Adderly'' and the 1989–1994 journalism drama ''
E.N.G.''.
Career
On ''
E.N.G.'', Welsh portrayed Eric "Mac" MacFarlane, one of the first
openly gay characters in North American series television, a source of considerable pride for the actor.
He also appeared in the 1979 movie ''
City on Fire'' which was Canada's attempt to enter the disaster movie era. The movie was a critical and box office failure. His other film credits included roles in ''
Agency'' (1980), ''
Nothing Personal'' (1980), ''
All in Good Taste'' (1983) and ''
The Surrogate'' (1984).
His acting career began in
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
in the 1960s, with roles at the
Shaw and
Stratford festivals and in the 1969 Canadian debut of ''
Hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...
'' at the
Royal Alexandra Theatre.
In 1990, Welsh founded
Performers for Literacy, an acclaimed national charity that encourages children to read with interactive shows and readings, and with Second Story Reading Centres in Toronto and
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
.
Personal life
Toward the end of his life, he moved from Toronto to
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city in Ontario, Canada, situated on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, located at the mouth of the Moira River and on the Bay of Quinte. Its population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 55,071 (Census Metropolitan Area population 1 ...
, where he died in his sleep after a short illness. He was survived by his wife Heather and three children, Hilary, Owen and Julia.
[
]
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
Performers for Literacy
1947 births
2005 deaths
Canadian male stage actors
Canadian male television actors
Canadian male film actors
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners
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