Alexander (Sandy) Webster (January 30, 1923 - March 22, 2017) 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, best known for his regular supporting role as forensic investigator Dr. Chisholm in the drama television series '' The Great Detective''.

Background

Born and raised in Fort William,

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 ...

,"Webster Used to Coping with Adversity". ''

The Daily Gleaner ''The Daily Gleaner'' is a morning daily newspaper serving the city of Fredericton, New Brunswick, and the upper Saint John River Valley. The paper was printed Monday through Saturday, until dropping to Tuesday through Saturday in 2022 and anno ...

'', May 23, 1990. he served in the

Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Cana ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and subsequently studied at Queen's University.Andy Pedersen, "Elder Statesman: Sandy Webster has acted on Canadian stages for nearly half a century. He is happy to say there is no end in sight". '' Halifax Daily News'', February 17, 1995. While at Queen's he was involved with campus radio station CFRC-FM, including acting in radio dramas and serving a stint as the station's program director.

Career

He began his career as an actor in

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

dramas in the 1950s. On one occasion he had to fill in for more established actor Frank Peddie on short notice, but had not had time to prepare or create his own unique characterization in advance — so he simply performed the role as a straight imitation of Peddie's voice and style, and was so convincing that at least one newspaper singled out Peddie's performance for praise. He also had film and television roles, with frequent performances in

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

anthology series such as '' First Performance'', '' Encounter'', ''

Festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

'', ''

Performance A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...

'' and '' For the Record''. He portrayed Dr. Baird in the original 1956 teleplay '' Flight into Danger'', as well as playing a doctor in the 1968 film '' The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar''. He was associated most prominently with stage roles, including regular roles at the

Shaw Festival The Shaw Festival is a Charitable organization, Charitable theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is the second largest repertory theatre company in North America, second only to Canada's Strat ...

since its inception. He notably also originated the role of Wiff Roach in the original Tarragon Theatre production of David French's play '' Of the Fields, Lately'' in 1973. He portrayed Canadian cabinet minister James Ralston in the 1988 television miniseries '' The King Chronicle'', for which he received a

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Program or Series at the 3rd Gemini Awards in 1988. He was also active in the Canadian Actors' Equity Association, serving a stint as president of the organization in the 1980s."Fusco to serve as Equity president". ''

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 ...

'', December 11, 1985.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Sandy 1923 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Canadian male actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male radio actors Canadian male stage actors Canadian male television actors Male actors from Thunder Bay Queen's University at Kingston alumni