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Al Waxman

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Al Waxman
CM OOnt
Statue of Al Waxman in Kensington Market
Born
Albert Samuel Waxman

(1935-03-02)March 2, 1935
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DiedJanuary 18, 2001(2001-01-18) (aged 65)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Resting placePardes Shalom Cemetery, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
Years active1959–2001

Albert Samuel Waxman, CM OOnt (March 2, 1935 – January 18, 2001) was a Canadian actor and director of over 1,000 productions on radio, television, film, and stage. He is best known for his starring roles in the television series King of Kensington (CBC), Cagney & Lacey (CBS) and Twice in a Lifetime (CTV).

Early life

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Waxman was born in Toronto, Ontario to Jewish immigrants from Poland. His parents operated and owned Melinda Lunch, a small restaurant. His father, Aaron Waxman, died when Al was nine.[1]

Career

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Waxman's career began at the age of twelve on CBC Radio, but it was not until 1975, when he began playing the role of Larry King on CBC's King of Kensington, that he became a Canadian icon.

In the 1980 award-winning film Atlantic City starring Burt Lancaster, Waxman appeared as a rich cocaine buyer with a seemingly endless amount of cash.

During the 1980s, Waxman starred as the gruff but endearing Lt. Bert Samuels in the highly successful CBS television drama Cagney & Lacey.

During the 1990s, Waxman appeared in a variety of films and television shows, but began spending more time acting and directing in the theatre. In 1991, Al hosted Missing Treasures: The Search for Our Lost Children, a TV show which profiled missing children in Canada.[2] He was also a founding member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

In 1997, he was awarded the best actor Gemini Award for his performance in the television film Net Worth.

Waxman also appeared at the Stratford Festival, beginning with his critically acclaimed performance as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman in 1997. He also directed The Diary of Anne Frank at the Stratford Festival in 2000. He was to return to Stratford for his highly anticipated portrayal of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice in 2001. In the wake of Waxman's death, one month before rehearsals were to begin, Paul Soles accepted the part of Shylock and the play was performed in honour of Waxman.[3]

In 1999, he published a memoir That's What I Am[4] which received a Canadian Jewish Book Award.[5]

Community activism

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Waxman was a spokesperson for organizations such as United Appeal, United Jewish Appeal, Israel Bonds, Variety Club, Children's Miracle Network, and Big Brothers (also becoming an honorary member).[6][7][8][9] From June 1979 to August 1981, he was the National Campaign Chairman for the Canadian Cancer Society,[10][citation needed] and from 1988 to 1989, he was an official spokesperson for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario.[citation needed] Together with his wife, Sara, he created the Sara and Al Waxman Center for Maternal and Fetal Medicine at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.[11]

Al Waxman was accorded many tributes for his volunteer and philanthropic work. In 1978, he was honoured with the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal.[12][citation needed] In 1989, he was the recipient of the B'nai B'rith of Canada Humanitarian Award.[13] In 1996, Waxman was inducted into the Order of Ontario and, in 1997, into the Order of Canada.[12] In 1998, he was given the Earle Grey Award for lifetime achievement in Canadian television.[14]

Death and legacy

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Waxman died in Toronto during heart surgery on January 18, 2001, at the age of 65.[15] He was buried at Pardes Shalom Cemetery in Maple, Ontario.

In 2016, Al Waxman was posthumously inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame as a Cineplex Legends Inductee for his enormous contribution to Canadian arts and culture as an actor, director, producer, and consummate and integral supporter of the Canadian film industry and young aspiring artists emerging within it.

Following his death, a statue of him, created by Ruth Abernethy, was erected in Kensington Market,[16] the Toronto neighbourhood where King of Kensington takes place. The inscription in front of the statue reads "There's lots to do down the road, there's always more. Trust your gut instincts. In small matters trust your mind, but in the important decisions of life – trust your heart."

Musician Jaymz Bee started the Al Waxman Fan Club while in high school,[17] and started a punk band with his pals Bazl Salazar, Clay Tyson and Graham Leethat performed only songs about Waxman and his life: "'We ended up with an hour-long show, just about Al Waxman.'"[18] What began as a publicity stunt became a long association between Bee and Waxman. Waxman attended some of the fan club events as organized by Bee, most of which raised money for charities such as the Canadian Cancer Foundation[citation needed] and Big Brother.[17] Bee attended Waxman's funeral and, with his fan club, held a wake in Toronto on January 25, 2001.[17]

Filmography

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Movies

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Television series

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Television appearances

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References

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  1. ^ "AL WAXMAN". Northern Stars. 2006. Archived from the original on December 11, 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
  2. ^ 'Missing Treasures (TV Series 1991–1992)'
  3. ^ 'The importance of being Shylock', Canadian Jewish News, 2 August 2001 Archived April 29, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Davidson, Hillary (February 5, 2004). "That's What I Am". Quill & Quire.
  5. ^ "Past Award Winners" (PDF). Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards. Koffler Centre of the Arts. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  6. ^ "Daytime". The Journal-Register. May 30, 1985. p. 6. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  7. ^ "BB CANADA TO HONOR AL WAXMAN". Canadian Jewish News. February 16, 1989. p. 26. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  8. ^ Bialystok, Franklin (June 29, 2022). Faces in the Crowd: The Jews of Canada. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-1-4426-0444-5.
  9. ^ Bee, Jaymz (January 25, 2001). "AL WAXMAN, 1935-2001 - NOW Magazine". NOW Toronto. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  10. ^ "Canadian News Briefs - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  11. ^ "Shaare Zedek draws praise from Toronto doctor". Canadian Jewish News. April 12, 1984. p. 25. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Al "made us feel terrific about being Canadian"". CBC News. January 20, 2001. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  13. ^ "Television actor Al Waxman; left; is congratulated by Moishe Smith;..." Getty Images. July 18, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  14. ^ "Waxman a big artist, class act, friends say". The Globe and Mail. January 19, 2001. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  15. ^ Jones, Kenneth (January 18, 2001). "Al Waxman, U.S. and Canadian Actor, Dead at 65". Playbill.
  16. ^ Ruth Abernathy. Commissions https://www.ruthabernethy.com/al-waxman.html
  17. ^ a b c Bee, Jaymz (January 25, 2001). "Al Waxman, 1935-2001". Now Magazine.
  18. ^ Barclay, Michael; Schneider, Jason; Jack, Ian A.D. (2011). Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance, 1985-1995. ECW Press. p. 218.
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