William Davidson (1928–2009) was a Canadian director, producer and writer whose career included work with the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

, the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

and independent features. He is noted for directing the early English-Canadian movie '' Now That April's Here'' (1958) and producing the TV series '' The Forest Rangers'' (1963–65) and ''

Adventures in Rainbow Country ''Adventures in Rainbow Country'' is a Canadian television series that aired on CBC Television in the 1970–71 television season. Reruns were later shown on the American children's cable channel Nickelodeon during the early 1980s. A half hour f ...

'' (1970–71).

Career

Davidson was born in

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 ...

, Canada. A graduate of the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

and the

Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor, singer, and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander Adama in ...

, Davidson had some early experience in Toronto in theatre, radio and journalism. He joined the

National Film Board The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

in 1948. He directed and edited a number of films for the Board, including the series ''On the Spot'', ''Faces of Canada'' and ''

Canada Carries On ''Canada Carries On'' () was a series of short films by the National Film Board of Canada which ran from 1940 to 1959. The series was created as morale-boosting propaganda films during the Second World War. With the end of the war, the series los ...

''. In 1955 he returned to Toronto, where he worked for the CBC as a producer-director, during which time he amassed credits on more than 1,000 live, taped and filmed TV programs. In 1957, he formed his own production company with Norman Knelman. The pair produced and directed two early English-Canadian features – '' Now That April's Here'', which was based on four short stories by

Morley Callaghan Edward Morley Callaghan (February 22, 1903 – August 25, 1990) was a Canadian novelist, short story writer, playwright, and Television, TV and radio personality. Biography Of Canadian/English-immigrant parentage,Clara Thomas, ''Canadian No ...

, and ''The Ivy League Killers'', a melodrama about juvenile delinquency. Neither film received wide distribution so Davidson re-joined the CBC as an executive producer for children and youth programs. In 1967, he began to work extensively with

TVOntario TVO (stylized in all lowercase as tvo), formerly known as TVOntario, is a Canadian Public broadcasting, publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It operates ...

(Ontario Educational Television), for whom he wrote more than 100 scripts on a wide variety of subjects and a stint as audiovisual consultant and producer at

Expo '67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

. He developed, wrote and directed a number of notable Canadian television series, including ''

Razzle Dazzle ''Razzle Dazzle'' is a Canadian children's television program produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation between October 2, 1961, and July 1, 1966. The series was initially co-hosted by Alan Hamel and Michele Finney, later replaced by ...

'', ''The Forest Rangers'', ''Adventures in Rainbow Country'' and ''

The Starlost ''The Starlost'' is a Canadian-produced science fiction television series created by writer Harlan Ellison and broadcast in 1973 on CTV in Canada and syndicated to local stations in the United States. The show's setting is a huge generational ...

''. Davidson died in Toronto in 2009.

Films and television credits

*''Country Auctioneer'' 1953 (director and writer) *''Station Master'' 1954 (directed, wrote and editor) *''The Hoax'' 1955 (director) *''Prepare for Advancement'' 1955 (directed and wrote) *'' Now That April's Here'' 1958 (co-producer, director, editor) *''Ivy League Killers'' 1958 (co-producer and director) *''

'' 1961 (producer) *'' The Forest Rangers'' 1963–65 (producer and writer) *''

'' 1970–71 (producer, director and writer) *''

'' 1973 (producer) *''

Lions for Breakfast ''Lions for Breakfast'' is a Canadian family drama film, directed by William Davidson and released in 1975.Bryan Johnson, "Heartwarming drama comes up cold". ''The Globe and Mail'', November 25, 1975. The film centres on two brothers, 22-year old ...

'' 1975 (director) *''

H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come ''H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come'' is a 1979 Canadian science fiction film directed by George McCowan, and starring Jack Palance, Barry Morse, Nicholas Campbell, Eddie Benton, Carol Lynley and John Ireland. Although credited as an ada ...

'' 1979 (producer) *''

Matt and Jenny ''Matt and Jenny'' (or ''Matt and Jenny on the Wilderness Trail'') is a Canadian television series of 26 episodes of 25 minutes each, broadcast on Global starting October 21, 1979."Matt and Jenny". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 20, 1979. A Fr ...

'' 1979–80 (producer and writer) *''

Littlest Hobo ''The Littlest Hobo'' () is the Canadian television series based upon a 1958 American film of the same name directed by Charles R. Rondeau. The series first aired from 1963 to 1965 in syndication, and was revived for a popular second run on CT ...

'' 1980 (writer) *''

Night Heat ''Night Heat'' is a Canadian police crime drama series that aired on both CTV in Canada and CBS in the United States. Original episodes were broadcast from 1985 to 1989. ''Night Heat'' was the first Canadian original drama series that was sim ...

'' 1986 (writer)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, William 1928 births 2009 deaths Film producers from Ontario Canadian male screenwriters Canadian television producers Film directors from Toronto University of Western Ontario alumni Screenwriters from Toronto 20th-century Canadian screenwriters