Leonard Byron Peterson (March 15, 1917 – February 28, 2008) was a Canadian

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

.Colin Boyd
"Leonard Byron Peterson"
''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

'', November 1, 2011. He has written more than a thousand different dramatic works for stage, screen, television, and radio. A native of Regina,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, he attended Luther College and

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, and served in the

Canadian Infantry Corps The Royal Canadian Infantry Corps (french: Corps d'infanterie royal canadien) is the infantry corps of the Canadian Army and includes regular and reserve force regiments. Originally formed as the Canadian Infantry Corps on 2 September 1942 to en ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. His career started in 1939 when he sold a script to the

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. ...

; one of his earliest successes was the radio play ''They're All Afraid'' (1944), which was written for the

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

program ''Stage '44''. The play received much criticism for depicting life in Canada negatively at a time when it was thought that boosting wartime morale was more appropriate. ''They're All Afraid'' went on to win the award for best drama in a broadcasting festival in Ohio. It was later adapted by Peterson for the stage. In addition to his writing, he was a key figure in the establishment of both

ACTRA The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is a Canadian trade union representing performers in English-language media. It has 25,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media. The org ...

and the

Playwrights Guild of Canada Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC) is a Canadian charity that works to advance the creative rights and interests of professional Canadian playwrights; promote Canadian plays, and foster community of writers. It was founded in 1972. History PGC has ...

. He was the winner of ACTRA's

John Drainie Award The John Drainie Award was an award given to an individual who has made a significant contribution to broadcasting in Canada. Although meant to be presented annually there have been years where it was not presented. Originally created by ACTRA in 1 ...

for distinguished lifetime contributions to Canadian broadcasting at the 3rd ACTRA Awards in 1974.James Nelson
"The women walk off with ACTRA awards"
''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'', March 4, 1974.

Plays

* ''Burlap Bags'' (1960) * ''The Great Hunger'' (1960) * ''Look Ahead!'' (1962) * ''All About Us'' (1963) * ''Almighty Voice'' (1970) * ''Women in the Attic'' (1971) * ''The Workingman'' (1972) * ''Let's Make a World'' (1973) * ''Billy Bishop and the Red Baron'' (1975) * ''Your World on a Plastic Platter'' (1976) * ''Etienne Brule'' (1977) * ''They're All Afraid'' (1980) * ''Eye of the Storm'' (1985)

Novels

* ''Chipmunk'' (1949)

Screenplays

* ''It's Fun to Sing'' (1948) * ''Passport to Canada'' (1949) * ''Iron from the North'' (1955)

TV shows

* '' The Executioners'' * ''Folio'' * '' General Motors Presents'' * ''Camera Canada''

Radio Shows

* ''Stage '44'' (1943) * '' Nightfall'' (1981)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Len 1917 births 2008 deaths 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian male dramatists and playwrights Canadian male novelists Canadian male screenwriters Canadian radio writers Writers from Regina, Saskatchewan