Patrick Watson (producer)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Patrick Watson (December 23, 1929July 4, 2022) was a Canadian broadcaster, television and radio interviewer and host, author, commentator, actor, television writer, producer, and director for five decades.


Early life

Born on December 23, 1929, in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Watson attended the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
and graduated with an MA. He began working on his doctorate at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, but withdrew in 1955 to focus on working for
CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...
.


Career

Watson's first broadcast, in 1943, was as a radio actor in the CBC's children's dramatic series ''The Kootenay Kid''. He first achieved national fame (and in some quarters, notoriety) as the co-producer and, with
Laurier LaPierre Laurier L. LaPierre (November 21, 1929 – December 16, 2012) was a Canadian Senator, professor, broadcaster, journalist and author. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. Fluently bilingual, LaPierre was best known for having bee ...
, on-camera co-host of the
CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...
current affairs program ''
This Hour Has Seven Days ''This Hour Has Seven Days'' was a CBC Television news magazine that ran from 1964 to 1966, offering viewers in-depth analysis of the major social and political stories of the previous week. The show, inspired by the BBC and NBC-TV satire seri ...
'' in the mid-1960s. Watson went on to write, edit, and/or produce ''
The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau ''The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau'' is an American documentary television series about underwater marine life, directed by Alan Landsburg and hosted by French filmmaker, researcher, and marine explorer Jacques Cousteau. The first episod ...
'', ''
Witness to Yesterday ''Witness to Yesterday'' is a Canadian docudrama television series which featured staged interviews with historical personalities. It was first broadcast by Global Television Network in 1974 then produced by TVOntario to 1976. A 12-episode revi ...
'', and ''
Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Ga ...
''. He travelled to the United States for a short stint as anchor and principal interviewer of ''The 51st State'', a local news program televised in 1972–1973 on
WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as "Thirteen" (stylized as "THIRTEEN"), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Watson also hosted the CBC's business program ''
Venture Venture may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *The Ventures, an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 *"A Venture", 1971 song by the band Yes *''Venture'', a 2010 EP by AJR Games * ''Venture'' (video game), a 1981 arcade gam ...
'' when it was first launched in 1985. In 1983 he created and performed, solo, a stage version of the
Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
's ''The
Book of Job The Book of Job (; hbo, אִיּוֹב, ʾIyyōḇ), or simply Job, is a book found in the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), and is the first of the Poetic Books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Scholars ar ...
'', at first at the Nathan Cohen Studio in Toronto, directed by
John McGreevey John McGreevey (December 21, 1922 – November 24, 2010) was an American writer and screenwriter. He is the father of former Disney star and Emmy-nominated television writer Michael McGreevey. Filmography ;Films *1969: '' Hello Down There'' *1 ...
, and then at the
National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a Arts centre, performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre build ...
Theatre in Ottawa. For CBC he hosted and/or produced ''
The Watson Report ''The Watson Report'' was a Canadian current affairs television series, seen nationally on CBC from 1975 to 1981. The titular host was Patrick Watson, previously of ''This Hour Has Seven Days ''This Hour Has Seven Days'' was a CBC Television ...
'' and ''
The Canadian Establishment ''The Canadian Establishment'' is a series of books published in Canada by economic journalist Peter C. Newman Peter Charles Newman (born May 10, 1929) is a Canadian journalist and writer. Life and career Born in Vienna, Austria, Newman emigr ...
''. He also created the ''
Heritage Minutes ''The Heritage Minutes'' is a series of sixty-second short films, each illustrating an important moment in Canadian history. The ''Minutes'' integrate Canadian history, folklore and myths into dramatic storylines. Like the Canada Vignettes of t ...
'', ''The Canadians: Biographies of a Nation,'' and ''The Struggle for Democracy'' series; the last has since aired in over 40 countries around the world. It took five years to make, was filmed in 30 countries and was, at the time, the most expensive original documentary series ever made for Canadian television. The ''Heritage Minutes'' were an initiative of Watson's begun in 1988 at
Charles Bronfman Charles Bronfman, (born June 27, 1931) is a Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist and is a member of the Canadian Jewish Bronfman family. With an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion (as of 2021), Bronfman was ranked by ''Forbes'' ...
's CRB Foundation (now
The Historica Dominion Institute Historica Canada is a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to promoting the country's history and citizenship. All of its programs are offered bilingually and reach more than 28 million Canadians annually. A registered national charitabl ...
). Watson was chairman of the CBC from 1989 until 1994. He was the recipient of honorary
Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...
degrees from
Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not parti ...
in 2002 and the University of Toronto in 2004. He was invested as an
Officer of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...
in 1981, then promoted to Companion in 2002. Watson continued to write, lecture, advise, and work in many capacities in broadcasting. He was married to Caroline Furey Bamford. Watson has acted in more than 50 dramatic productions, including the movie ''
The Terry Fox Story ''The Terry Fox Story'' is a 1983 Canadian-American biographical film of Canadian amputee and runner Terry Fox. It was written by Howard Hume, John Kastner and Rose Kastner, and directed by Ralph L. Thomas. The film stars Eric Fryer as Fox, C ...
'', and the HBO movie ''
Countdown to Looking Glass ''Countdown to Looking Glass'' is a Canadian made-for-television movie that premiered in the United States on HBO on October 14, 1984 and was also broadcast on CTV in Canada. The movie presents a fictional confrontation between the United States ...
''.


Personal life

His left leg was amputated above the knee in 1960 due to injuries sustained when he fell from a ladder. He often assisted the Canadian disabled community, including serving as honorary chair of the Canadian Amputee Sports Association and chairman emeritus of the Canadian Abilities Foundation. He died at his home in Ontario on July 4, 2022.


Selected bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * *


References


External links

*
Patrick Watson archives
at the University of Toronto Media Commons * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Patrick 1929 births 2022 deaths Canadian amputees Canadian autobiographers Canadian Broadcasting Corporation people Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian Screen Award winning journalists Canadian television hosts Canadian television journalists Canadian television executives CBC Television people Companions of the Order of Canada Journalists from Toronto University of Michigan alumni University of Toronto alumni Writers from Toronto