Brian Michael Vallée (1940–2011) was a Canadian author, journalist, documentary film producer, screenwriter, and public speaker. He is best known for his work reflecting on domestic violence and his role with CBC's award-winning documentary program '' The Fifth Estate''. His first non-fiction book, ''Life With Billy'' focused on the life of

Jane Hurshman Jane Hurshman Corkum (January 25, 1949 – February 22, 1992) was a Canadian woman best known for having killed her abusive husband Lamont William "Billy" Stafford in 1982, and for being acquitted of his murder. The Crown appealed, concerned ...

, an abused wife whose legal case resulted in

battered wife syndrome Battered woman syndrome (BWS) is a pattern of signs and symptoms displayed by a woman who has suffered persistent intimate partner violence: whether psychological, physical, or sexual, from her male partner. It is classified in the ICD-9 (code ) a ...

becoming a legal defense in Canadian courts.

Life and career

Brian Michael Vallée was born in

Sault Ste. Marie Sault Ste. Marie is a cross-border region of Canada and the United States located on St. Marys River, which drains Lake Superior into Lake Huron. Founded as a single settlement in 1668, Sault Ste. Marie was divided in 1817 by the establishment of ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, in 1940. In 1967 he graduated from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

with a B.A. in journalism. In 1970 he began work as a reporter for the Windsor Star. In 1974 he moved to Toronto and began working at the

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

where he was employed for 14 months. As a journalist he worked on newspapers in England, the United States, and Canada. In 1978 he went on to work for ten years with the CBC's documentary program the

fifth estate The Fifth Estate is a socio-cultural reference to groupings of outlier viewpoints in contemporary society, and is most associated with bloggers, journalists publishing in non-mainstream media outlets, and the social media or "social license". The ...

. He died on July 22, 2011, in

St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto St. Michael's Hospital is a teaching hospital and medical centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was established by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1892 with the founding goal of taking care of the sick and the poor of Toronto's inner city. The hospi ...

Awards and honours

Vallée's work has received considerable critical acclaim. A television movie based on his Life With Billy book won three

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States a ...

in 1995. Two of his CBC documentaries won ACTRA Awards for the

and he was an associate producer for the one-hour documentary Cruel Camera, which won an Audubon Society award. In 2012 he was inducted into the Sault Ste Marie, Ontario Walk of Fame.

Advocacy

Brian Vallée was a long time advocate for awareness around domestic violence. Some of his most notable works including ''Life with Billy'', ''Life After Billy'', and ''The War on Women'' all focus on bringing the issue of domestic abuse and battered women to the forefront of Canadian consciousness. Many of Vallée's speaking engagements, conference talks, and documentary projects focused on battered women and the need for increased public awareness about the lives of women living with abuse.

Works

Literary

* ''Life With Billy'' (1986) * ''Un Femme en Enfer'' (1986) * ''Pariah'' (1991) * '' Life After Billy'' (1995) * '' Edwin Alonzo Boyd: The Story of the Notorious Boyd Gang'' (1997) * '' The Torso Murder: The Untold Story of Evelyn Dick'' (2001) * '' The War on Women (book)'' (2007)

Television and Film

* ''

Just Another Missing Kid ''Just Another Missing Kid'' is a 1981 Canadian documentary film, directed by John Zaritsky, about the search for a missing Ottawa teenager. Summary Eric Wilson had left his native Ottawa in July 1978 in a Volkswagen camper on a trip to Boulder, C ...

'' Associate producer (1982, went on to win an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

) * '' Life with Billy'' Writer (1994 Canadian television film, winner of three

) * ''

Behind the Mask Behind the Mask may refer to: Film and television * ''Behind the Mask'' (1932 film), a film featuring Boris Karloff * ''Behind the Mask'' (1936 film) or ''The Man Behind the Mask'', a British mystery film by Michael Powell * ''Behind the Mas ...

'' series (1998 Life and Times (TV series) documentary on artist

Ken Danby Ken Danby, D.F.A. (6 March 1940 – 23 September 2007) was a Canadian painter. Danby is best known for creating highly realistic paintings that study everyday life. His 1972 painting '' At the Crease'', portraying a masked hockey goalie defe ...

) * '' Unmaking the Myth: The Life and Times of Edwin Alonzo Boyd'' (2002) * '' The Notorious Mrs. Dick'' Writer and researcher (2002 TV documentary) * '' Prince of Pot: The U.S. vs. Marc Emery'' Researcher (2007)

References

External links

Official Website

Brian Vallée archival fonds
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vallee, Brian 1940 births 2011 deaths Canadian male non-fiction writers Michigan State University alumni Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian male journalists Canadian newspaper journalists CBC Television people People from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Writers from Ontario