Don Harron

DON HARRON

Don Harron

Don Harron is one of Canada's most extraordinary talents. He is a modern 'Renaissance Man' whose entertainment career has included achievements as an actor, writer, broadcaster, comic and performer.

A native of Toronto, Don began his awesome career at the age of ten - speaking at banquets. By the age of 11, he had already made his radio debut, and except for an interruption during WW2, Don has never looked back in his entertainment career.

Don's voice was first heard on CBC Radio in 1936 - the same year it commenced public broadcasting. He first acted at Stratford the same year it began operation in a lead role opposite Alec Guinness.

Don's distinguished theatre career has taken him to all the world's stages including Stratford, London's West End and Broadway, working with Paddy Chayefsky, Joseph Papp, Christopher Plummer, Tyrone Power, Katherine Hepburn and Maggie Smith along the way.

One of his proudest achievements is a musical he wrote from the novel "Anne of Green Gables". Originally intended for TV, the stage version has been a resounding success, winning rave reviews in London, New York, Japan, Sweden and every major centre in Canada.

Don is also the author of 10 best-selling books. His latest, first printed in July of 1994, is "Charlie's A Broad". A travel book, not a medical text.

As a broadcaster, Don is probably best known to Canadians for the five years he spent as the popular host of the CBC Radio series "Morningside" for which he won an ACTRA award as best host.

Don Harron, Charlie Farquharson and Valerie Rosedale are one and the same person. Charlie is a Canadian institution (his wife thinks he belongs in one), and Valerie is Charlie's big city rich-bitch cousin who thinks a woman's place is in the Country Club. All three are available as speakers with material custom-tailored to the particular group they are addressing. Don has made many people laugh with his alter-ego characters - especially Charlie Farquharson. Charlie was first introduced to Canadians in 1952 at the Spring Thaw Revue - a show that Don has been involved in since its creation. Since then, Charlie's career has been almost as impressive as Don's. He has worked in revues and television, presides at conventions, has made a number of albums, is the author of several best-selling books and had 18 seasons as a star of the long-running TV series "Hee Haw". In spite of his busy schedule, Charlie finds time to do over a hundred charitable functions each year.

Don is the recipient of numerous honors and wards for the many contributions he has made to this country and its culture. Among them are The Order of Canada (1980), Honourary LL.D. from Mount Allison University for being a long-standing contributor to public broadcasting, a North American Volunteer of the Year Award (1982).
In 1991, he was awarded a Doctor of Sacred Letters degree from his alma mater, Victoria College, University of Toronto.