Jonathan Welsh (April 3, 1947 – January 27, 2005) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

actor of stage, television and film, best known for his principal roles in Canadian television series, notably the 1986–1989 adventure comedy ''

Adderly ''Adderly'' is a Canadian television adventure-drama series which aired from 1986 to 1988. It was broadcast on both Canadian TV and on CBS in the United States. It starred Vancouver-born Winston Rekert as "charming and witty V.H. Adderly," an ope ...

'' and the 1989–1994 journalism drama ''

E.N.G. ''E.N.G.'' is a Canadian television drama, following the staff of a fictional Toronto television news station. The show aired on CTV from 1989 to 1994. The series ran for 96 episodes, produced by the Alliance Entertainment Corporation. Plot ...

''.

Career

On ''

'', Welsh portrayed Eric "Mac" MacFarlane, one of the first

openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

characters in North American series television, a source of considerable pride for the actor. He also appeared in the 1979 movie '' City on Fire'' which was Canada's attempt to enter the disaster movie era. The movie was a critical and box office failure. His other film credits included roles in '' Agency'' (1980), '' Nothing Personal'' (1980), '' All in Good Taste'' (1983) and '' The Surrogate'' (1984). His acting career began in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

in the 1960s, with roles at the Shaw and Stratford festivals and in the 1969 Canadian debut of '' Hair'' at the

Royal Alexandra Theatre The Royal Alexandra Theatre, commonly known as the Royal Alex, is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located near King and Simcoe Street. Built in 1907, the 1,244-seat Royal Alex is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in Nort ...

. In 1990, Welsh founded Performers for Literacy, an acclaimed national charity that encourages children to read with interactive shows and readings, and with Second Story Reading Centres in Toronto and

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Personal life

Toward the end of his life, he moved from Toronto to

Belleville, Ontario Belleville is a city in Ontario, Canada situated on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, located at the mouth of the Moira River and on the Bay of Quinte. Belleville is between Ottawa and Toronto, along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Its populat ...

, where he died in his sleep after a short illness. He was survived by his wife Heather and three children, Hilary, Owen and Julia.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

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Performers for Literacy
1947 births 2005 deaths Canadian male stage actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male film actors Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners {{Canada-screen-actor-stub