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John Kent Harrison is a Canadian film and television director and writer.


Early Life

Harrison was born in
London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximat ...
in 1947 and attended the private school
Appleby College Appleby College, a leading Canadian day and boarding school, is an international independent school (grades 7–12) located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1911 by John Guest, a former Headmaster of the Preparatory School at Upper Cana ...
in
Oakville, Ontario Oakville is a town in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton. At its Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census population of 213,759, it is List of tow ...
. After graduating in 1964, he attended
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in New York, then briefly worked as a stock broker before returning to school. He earned a
Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
at Montreal’s
Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...
, and stayed, becoming Assistant Professor of Film Studies at Concordia University. While there, he wrote and directed several films. He moved to Los Angeles in 1984.


Career

Harrison has directed 32 projects, and written 21, most of which won, or were nominated for, numerous awards in acting and craft categories. Harrison has received several nominations for writing and directing. His 1992 film '' The Sound and the Silence'', which he wrote and directed, won the 1994
CableACE Award The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Amer ...
for best International Movie or Miniseries/Comedy or Dramatic Special or Series. His 1997 adaptation of
William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most of ...
’s ''Old Man'' won the 1997
Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organization ...
for Best Film. '' You Know My Name'' won the
Bronze Wrangler The Bronze Wrangler is an award presented annually by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to honor the top works in Western music, film, television and literature. The awards were first presented in 1961. The Wrangler is a bronze sculpt ...
for Television Feature Film at the at the
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 American West, Western and Native Americans in the United States, American Indian art works and Artifact (archaeology), ar ...
’s 2000 Western Heritage Awards. At the 2003 Toronto Sprockets International Film Festival for Children, ''
A Wrinkle in Time ''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a Young adult fiction, young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and ...
'' won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film. '' L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables'' won the award for Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie at the 2017 Kidscreen Awards. Harrison won the 2018
Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...
for Best Direction, Children’s or Youth, for ''Anne of Green Gables: Fire and Dew''.


Personal life

In 1969, following graduation from university, Harrison and a friend paddled an 18-foot canoe from their home town of
London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximat ...
, through the Canadian river systems to Lake Erie, then down the Mississippi to
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
, where Mayor Victor H. Schiro awarded them Honorary Citizenship and the Key to the City. Harrison is the father of Canadian author
Sabrina Ward Harrison Sabrina Ward Harrison (born 1975, Canada) is a Canadian artist and author. She is the creator of five published books of her journals, the first one being published when she was 23, ''Spilling Open; The Art of Becoming Yourself'' (Villard 1999). ...
. He holds dual Canadian-American citizenship. In 2013, he married his second wife, American producer Gretchen Miller and has since lived in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
.


Filmography

Director *''The Way of the Willow'' - short film, Catalyst Films 1981 *''Thanks for the Ride'' - short film,
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
1983 *'' The Hitchhiker - Best Shot'' – series episode, Chester/Perlmutter/Markowitz Productions 1987 *''
Beautiful Dreamers ''Beautiful Dreamers'' is a 1990 Canadian film directed by John Kent Harrison. It stars Colm Feore and Rip Torn. It was nominated for four Genie Awards in 1991. Synopsis Rip Torn is the American poet Walt Whitman. The setting is a 19th-centur ...
'' - feature,
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
1990 *'' The Sound and the Silence'' - TV Movie,
Atlantis Films Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (commonly known as Alliance Atlantis and commonly shortened to simply Alliance or Atlantis and formerly traded as TSX:AAC) was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a specialty service opera ...
/
South Pacific Pictures South Pacific Pictures is a New Zealand television production company. The company produces drama series, mini-series, telemovies and feature films for the domestic market and international market. SPP's largest property is ''Shortland Street'' ...
1992 *''City Boy'' - TV Movie,
Western International Communications WIC Western International Communications Ltd. (or WIC) was a Canadian media company that operated from 1982 to 2000, with operations including broadcast and specialty television, radio, and satellite distribution via a majority interest in Can ...
et al 1992 *''Whose Child Is This? The War for Baby Jessica'' - TV Movie,
Western International Communications WIC Western International Communications Ltd. (or WIC) was a Canadian media company that operated from 1982 to 2000, with operations including broadcast and specialty television, radio, and satellite distribution via a majority interest in Can ...
et al 1993 *''
For the Love of Aaron ''For the Love of Aaron'' is a Canadian television film, directed by John Kent Harrison and released in 1994."A daring, honest look at mental illness". ''Toronto Star'', February 25, 1994. Based on the true story of Margaret Gibson, a noted Canad ...
'' - TV Movie, Patterdale Productions/The Storytellers Group 1994 *''Johnny’s Girl'' - TV Movie, Signboard Hill Productions 1995 *''The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky'' - TV Movie, Signboard Hill Productions 1995 *''Old Man'' - TV Movie,
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
1997 *''
What the Deaf Man Heard ''What the Deaf Man Heard'' is a 1997 '' Hallmark Hall of Fame'' television movie that aired on CBS television on November 23, 1997. It concerns Sammy, a man who pretends to be deaf and mute, when in reality he can hear and speak perfectly wel ...
'' - TV Movie,
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
1997 *'' You Know My Name'' - TV Movie, Ancient Mariner Films 1999 *''A House Divided'' – TV Movie,
Paramount Television The original incarnation of Paramount Television was the name of the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, that was responsible for the production of Viacom television programs, until it changed its name ...
et al 2000 *'' In Love and War'' - TV Movie,
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
2001 *''
Helen of Troy Helen of Troy, Helen, Helena, (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη ''Helénē'', ) also known as beautiful Helen, Helen of Argos, or Helen of Sparta, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believe ...
'' - Mini-series,
Fireworks Entertainment Fireworks Entertainment (originally Skyvision Entertainment) was an independent studio originally founded in 1991 by Brian K. Ross and later bought out by Jay Firestone in 1996 to produce, distribute and finance television shows and feature film ...
et al 2003 *''
A Wrinkle in Time ''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a Young adult fiction, young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and ...
'' - TV Movie,
Fireworks Entertainment Fireworks Entertainment (originally Skyvision Entertainment) was an independent studio originally founded in 1991 by Brian K. Ross and later bought out by Jay Firestone in 1996 to produce, distribute and finance television shows and feature film ...
et al 2003 *''The Winning Season'' – TV Movie,
Viacom Productions Viacom Productions (formerly Viacom Enterprises) was a television production company, production arm of Paramount Global Distribution Group#Paramount International, Viacom International. The division was active from 1974 until 2004, when the comp ...
/TNT et al 2004 *''
A Bear Named Winnie ''A Bear Named Winnie'' is a 2004 made-for-television drama film directed by John Kent Harrison. It stars Michael Fassbender and David Suchet. It concerns one of the real-life inspirations behind A. A. Milne's ''Winnie-the-Pooh''. Plot At the ou ...
'' – TV Movie, Original Pictures/PowerCorp 2004 *''
Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves in a ...
– Revolutions Per Minute'' – TV episode,
20th Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Compa ...
et al 2005 *''Faith: Pope John Paul II'' – Mini-series,
Rai Fiction Rai Fiction is an Italian production company founded in 1997. It is owned and operated by ''Radiotelevisione Italiana'' ( RAI), the national broadcasting company of Italy. The company produces content for RAI's channels. The company produces anim ...
et al 2005 *''The Water Is Wide'' - TV Movie,
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
2006 *''Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness'' - TV Movie,
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
2007 *''
The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler ''The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler'' is a 2009 television film directed by John Kent Harrison. The teleplay by Harrison and Lawrence John Spagnola, based on the 2007 biography ''Die Mutter der Holocaust-Kinder: Irena Sendler und die geretteten ...
'' - TV Movie,
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
2009 *'' When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story'' - TV Movie,
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
2010 *''A Walk in My Shoes'' – TV Movie, Procter & Gamble Productions 2010 *''Change of Plans'' – TV Movie,
Muse Entertainment Muse Entertainment is a Canadian producer of films and television programs founded by Michael Prupas in 1998. The company gained press attention in 2011 for their production of the multi-Emmy winning and nominated miniseries '' The Kennedys'' in as ...
2011 *''Game of Your Life'' – TV Movie, Procter & Gamble Productions/Rosemont Productions 2011 *'' Christmas in Conway'' - TV Movie,
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
2013 *''Hattie’s Heist'' – short film, Ferns Productions 2014 *'' L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables'' - TV Movie,
Breakthrough Entertainment Breakthrough Entertainment is a Canadian production company founded in 1986 by Peter Williamson and Ira Levy. It produces famous Canadian TV shows such as ''Jimmy Two-Shoes'' and ''Atomic Betty''. History On July 10, 2018, 9 Story Media Group a ...
2016 *''Anne of Green Gables: Fire and Dew'' - TV Movie,
Breakthrough Entertainment Breakthrough Entertainment is a Canadian production company founded in 1986 by Peter Williamson and Ira Levy. It produces famous Canadian TV shows such as ''Jimmy Two-Shoes'' and ''Atomic Betty''. History On July 10, 2018, 9 Story Media Group a ...
2017 *''Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars'' - TV Movie,
Breakthrough Entertainment Breakthrough Entertainment is a Canadian production company founded in 1986 by Peter Williamson and Ira Levy. It produces famous Canadian TV shows such as ''Jimmy Two-Shoes'' and ''Atomic Betty''. History On July 10, 2018, 9 Story Media Group a ...
2017 Writer *''
Shock Waves In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a med ...
'' - feature, Zopix Company 1977 *''Voice of the Fugitive'' – drama short,
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
1978 *''
Bravery in the Field ''Bravery in the Field'' is a 1979 Canadian short drama film, produced by the National Film Board of Canada and directed by Giles Walker. The film stars Les Rubie as Tommy, an aging World War II veteran, and Matt Craven as Lennie, a young street t ...
'' – drama short,
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
1979 *''
Coming Out Alive ''Coming Out Alive'' is a 1980 Canadian television thriller film starring Helen Shaver, Scott Hylands, and Michael Ironside while being directed by Don McBrearty. Plot After mother Isobel's disabled son Nicky is kidnapped by her estranged husband, ...
'' - feature,
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
1980 *''The Way of the Willow'' - short film, Catalyst Films 1981 *''
Murder by Phone ''Murder by Phone'' (also known as ''Bells'' and ''The Calling'') is a 1982 science fiction slasher film directed by Michael Anderson. Its plot follows a series of murders committed by a disgruntled phone company employee who designs a device that ...
'' - feature,
Telefilm Canada Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation reporting to Canada's federal government through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in V ...
1982 *'' The Hitchhiker - Best Shot'' – series episode, Chester/Perlmutter/Markowitz Productions 1987 *''
Beautiful Dreamers ''Beautiful Dreamers'' is a 1990 Canadian film directed by John Kent Harrison. It stars Colm Feore and Rip Torn. It was nominated for four Genie Awards in 1991. Synopsis Rip Torn is the American poet Walt Whitman. The setting is a 19th-centur ...
'' - feature,
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
1990 *''
Tropical Heat ''Tropical Heat'' (known as ''Sweating Bullets'' in the United States) is a Canadian action series produced in co-operation with Mexico and Israel that aired between April 8, 1991 to October 18, 1993. The series ran for three seasons totaling ...
- She''– TV series episode,
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
1991 *'' The Sound and the Silence'' - TV Movie,
Atlantis Films Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (commonly known as Alliance Atlantis and commonly shortened to simply Alliance or Atlantis and formerly traded as TSX:AAC) was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a specialty service opera ...
/
South Pacific Pictures South Pacific Pictures is a New Zealand television production company. The company produces drama series, mini-series, telemovies and feature films for the domestic market and international market. SPP's largest property is ''Shortland Street'' ...
1992 *''City Boy'' - TV Movie,
Western International Communications WIC Western International Communications Ltd. (or WIC) was a Canadian media company that operated from 1982 to 2000, with operations including broadcast and specialty television, radio, and satellite distribution via a majority interest in Can ...
et al 1992 *''Johnny’s Girl'' - TV Movie, Signboard Hill Productions 1995 *''Calm at Sunset'' - TV Movie,
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
1996 *'' You Know My Name'' - TV Movie, Ancient Mariner Films 1999 *''
A Bear Named Winnie ''A Bear Named Winnie'' is a 2004 made-for-television drama film directed by John Kent Harrison. It stars Michael Fassbender and David Suchet. It concerns one of the real-life inspirations behind A. A. Milne's ''Winnie-the-Pooh''. Plot At the ou ...
'' – TV Movie, Original Pictures/PowerCorp 2004 *''Faith: Pope John Paul II'' – Mini-series,
Rai Fiction Rai Fiction is an Italian production company founded in 1997. It is owned and operated by ''Radiotelevisione Italiana'' ( RAI), the national broadcasting company of Italy. The company produces content for RAI's channels. The company produces anim ...
et al 2005 *''
The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler ''The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler'' is a 2009 television film directed by John Kent Harrison. The teleplay by Harrison and Lawrence John Spagnola, based on the 2007 biography ''Die Mutter der Holocaust-Kinder: Irena Sendler und die geretteten ...
'' - TV Movie,
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
2009 *''Change of Plans'' – TV Movie,
Muse Entertainment Muse Entertainment is a Canadian producer of films and television programs founded by Michael Prupas in 1998. The company gained press attention in 2011 for their production of the multi-Emmy winning and nominated miniseries '' The Kennedys'' in as ...
2011 *''Game of Your Life'' – TV Movie, Procter & Gamble Productions/Rosemont Productions 2011 *''Hattie’s Heist'' – short film, Ferns Productions 2014 *''Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars'' - TV Movie,
Breakthrough Entertainment Breakthrough Entertainment is a Canadian production company founded in 1986 by Peter Williamson and Ira Levy. It produces famous Canadian TV shows such as ''Jimmy Two-Shoes'' and ''Atomic Betty''. History On July 10, 2018, 9 Story Media Group a ...
2017


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, John Kent Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Appleby College alumni Columbia University alumni American film directors American male screenwriters American television directors Canadian film directors Canadian male screenwriters Canadian television directors