William Whitehead (Canadian writer)

William (Bill) Whitehead
Born William Frederick Whitehead
1931
Occupation radio and television documentary writer, memoirist
Language English
Nationality Canadian
Period 1960s-2010s
Notable works Dieppe 1942, The National Dream: Building the Impossible Railway, Words to Live By
Partner Timothy Findley

William Frederick (Bill) Whitehead (born 1931) is a Canadian writer, actor and filmmaker, best known as a writer of radio and television documentaries[1] and as the former partner of the late Canadian writer Timothy Findley.[2]

He studied biology and theatre arts at the University of Saskatchewan, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953 and a Master of Arts degree in 1955. He moved to Ontario in 1957 to become an actor and producer. He is an award-winning writer of radio and television documentaries, including many episodes of the CBC Television series The Nature of Things and the CBC Radio series Ideas.[1] He also co-wrote several works with Findley, including the television documentaries Dieppe 1942 and The National Dream: Building the Impossible Railway.

Whitehead currently lives in Stratford, Ontario. In March 2004, approximately two years after Findley's death, Whitehead donated a collection of Findley's theatre memorabilia to the University of Guelph.[2]

In September 2012, his memoir Words to Live By was published by Cormorant Books.[3] The book was a shortlisted nominee for the Stephen Leacock Award in 2013.[4]

In 2014 he served on the jury of the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT writers, selecting Tamai Kobayashi as that year's winner.[5]

References