Kate Macdonald Butler is 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 ...

television producer, and President of the Heirs of L.M. Montgomery. She is a granddaughter of celebrated author Lucy Maud Montgomery, and one of the heirs to her

intellectual property rights Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

, and has been a principal in multiple lawsuits to secure those rights. On September 17, 2008, marking the 100th anniversary of the publication of ''Anne of Green Gables'', Butler published an op-ed in ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' in which she revealed that Lucy Maud Montgomery had struggled with depression for most of her adult life. She disclosed that Montgomery's family was aware of how her battles with melancholy and the responsibility of caring for a husband who was suffering from serious mental illness had driven her to drug addiction and despair. Butler revealed that the family believed Montgomery had intentionally given herself a fatal overdose. According to '' CBC Books'', Butler wrote the op-ed to try and strip the shame from living individuals struggling with mental health issues. Kevin Sullivan and Montgomery's heirs reached an agreement in 1984 that allowed him to produce the highly popular 1985 miniseries that starred

Megan Follows Megan Elizabeth Laura Diana Follows (born March 14, 1968) is a Canadian-American actress and director. She is known for her role as Anne Shirley in the 1985 Canadian television miniseries ''Anne of Green Gables'' and its two sequels. From 2013 t ...

. The agreement gave the family an upfront lump sum, and promised them a share of the profits ''"in perpetuity"'' on the original productions and on derivative works. Butler and her fellow heirs took Sullivan and his production company, Sullivan Entertainment, to court in 1999. The prospectus written for potential investors when Sullivan planned to turn Sullivan Entertainment into a publicly-traded company described the original series and derivative works as highly profitable, yet he had told Montgomery's heirs there were no profits to share. Sullivan counter-sued, for defamation. In 2012 Butler took a lead role in producing three new adaptations of the Green Gables story, starring Martin Sheen. She was involved ''"from script to screen"''. In 2017 when another team of filmmakers was adapting the Green Gables story that would air head-to-head with her version Butler was nevertheless gracious, stating ''"it's an evergreen property and a classic."''. In 2017 Butler published an updated version of the 112-page cookbook she first published in 1985, ''"The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook: Charming Recipes from Anne and Her Friends in Avonlea"''. It consists of recipes Butler adapted from her grandmother's books, with advice on cooking, and kitchen etiquette addressed to younger readers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Kate Macdonald Canadian television producers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Canadian women television producers