Bill Luxton (1927 – 13 July 2019) was a Canadian actor who appeared in television and on stage. He was best known for the role of Uncle Willy on the "Willy and Floyd" comedy team and as voice actor for cartoons.

Life and career

Born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Canada in May 1927 of English parents, Luxton and his family returned to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, where they endured

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

during the early 1940s. He joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

at 18 and spent time in the signal corps, beginning in 1945. His experiences as a teenage actor led him to the forces broadcasting system, where he trained as an operator and announcer. He spent six months in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and two years in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

, re-settling in Canada after his discharge in 1948. Post-war, the only job he could find was as a junior announcer in Port Arthur, now part of

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population i ...

, in 1948. By chance, he met Toots there and the couple remained married for 69 years. Luxton graduated from the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto in 1950, and was hired in 1950 by CKWS-AM in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...

as an announcer. When

CKWS-TV CKWS-DT (channel 11) is a television station in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, part of the Global Television Network. Owned and operated by network parent Corus Entertainment, the station maintains studios on Queen Street in downtown Kingston, and ...

went on the air in 1954, Luxton was the station's first programme director and news anchor. He created the character Uncle Willy for a children’s cartoon show at CKWS. In 1961, moved to Ottawa as one of the first employees at

CJOH CJOH-DT (channel 13) is a television station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside Pembroke-licensed CTV 2 outlet CHRO-TV (channel 5). Both stations share ...

when that station was launched. Luxton worked at the station as an announcer on shows such as '' The Amazing World of Kreskin'', when it was produced at CJOH, and as co-host of the long-running ''Morning Magazine'' in the 1970s and 1980s. Luxton teamed up with Les Lye in 1966 to create the ''Uncle Willy & Floyd'' show, with Lye playing Floyd. The daily children's comedy ran for twenty-two years and was syndicated across Canada.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Luxton, Bill 1927 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Canadian male actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male stage actors Canadian people of English descent Comedians from London Comedians from Toronto Royal Corps of Signals soldiers Canadian emigrants to the United Kingdom Male actors from Toronto Male actors from London Canadian children's television personalities Canadian radio personalities Canadian sketch comedians 20th-century British Army personnel