Michael Kane (March 21, 1922 - December 14, 2007) was a Canadian film and television actor, who worked in both Canadian and American film and television.[1] He was most noted as a two-time ACTRA Award nominee for Best Television Performance, receiving nods at the 2nd ACTRA Awards in 1973 for the television film The Disposable Man,[2] and at the 4th ACTRA Awards in 1975 for the drama series The Collaborators.[3]

Background and family

A native of Montreal, Quebec, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, and decided to pursue acting after participating in variety shows.[4]

He was the uncle of actor Art Hindle.[5]

Career

He began his acting career in New York City, appearing in dramatic anthology television series such as Lights Out, The Web, Omnibus and Camera Three. He also played Angus in the 1954 television production of Macbeth, and had a role for several months in the soap opera Guiding Light.

In 1957 he won an award for his performance in an Off-Broadway production of James Joyce's play Exiles.[4] In the same year he was cast as Laertes in the Stratford Festival production of Hamlet,[6] but was dropped from the production and subsequently sued for wrongful dismissal.[7] The following year he staged his own one-man show in Stratford, without festival participation, receiving acclaim for his selection of monologues by various playwrights.[8]

In 1959 he starred as Jamie in a production of Long Day's Journey into Night for Montreal's Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, alongside Ian Keith as James, Mildred Dunnock as Mary, Eileen Clifford as Cathleen and Roland Hewgill as Edmund.[9]

In the early 1960s he moved to England,[10] where he had some success in stage roles until his career was disrupted by the rise to fame of the similarly-named Michael Caine.[1]

In 1965 he appeared in the film The Bedford Incident.[11]

In 1967, he returned to Montreal to perform the one-man show Michael Kane on Stage.[12] He returned to living in Canada permanently soon afterward, and was again regularly featured in Canadian television and stage productions, including a 1968 guest appearance in Quentin Durgens, M.P.,[13] the theatrical film Love in a Four Letter World,[14] and the television films Fringe Benefits,[15] The Day They Killed the Snowman,[16] The Disposable Man,[17] and The Sloane Affair.[18]

Beginning in 1973 he starred as Jim Brewer in the first season of the police drama series The Collaborators.[19] After shooting three episodes of the show's second season he left the series, with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation stating that he left for health reasons,[20] but Kane disputed that, claiming that he had been fired for demanding a pay increase due to excessive overtime work.[1]

Throughout his career, he was also a frequent narrator of documentary films for the National Film Board of Canada and other documentary producers.[11]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1962 Lonely Are the Brave Paul Bondi
1965 The Bedford Incident Cmdr. Allison
1965 Promise Her Anything Staff doctor
1970 Love in a Four Letter World Harry Haven
1975 Three Days of the Condor
1980 Middle Age Crazy Abe Titus
1980 The Kidnapping of the President Herb Morris
1981 Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid Steinhart
1983 Cross Country Harry Burns

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1950 Lights Out One episode
1950 The Web One episode
1954 Macbeth Angus
1955 Omnibus Homer
1955-58 Camera Three Various roles
1956 Guiding Light Paul Fletcher
1957 The Seven Lively Arts Narrator One episode
1959-60 R.C.M.P. Various characters Three episodes
1960 The Romance of Science Charles Darwin
1968 Quentin Durgens, M.P. Damon Kingsley Branch One episode
1969 Fringe Benefits
1970 The Day They Killed the Snowman Eli Sommer Television film
1972 The Disposable Man George Harris Television film
1973 The Sloane Affair Alan Sloane
1973-74 The Collaborators Det. Sgt. Jim Brewer
1987 The Gunfighters Governor Hornbeck

Documentary narration

Year Title Notes
1958 The Face of the High Arctic
1965 Buster Keaton Rides Again
1966 Never a Backward Step
1973 Grierson
1978 Harness the Wind
1979 Going the Distance

References

  1. 1 2 3 Paul King, "Actor Michael Kane always steers his own course". Montreal Gazette, July 10, 1974.
  2. ↑ Ron Base, "Words of love". Windsor Star, April 28, 1973.
  3. ↑ Blaik Kirby, "Can ACTRA awards end Canada's inferiority complex?". The Globe and Mail, April 22, 1975.
  4. 1 2 "Michael Kane Stars With MRT". Montreal Gazette, September 12, 1959.
  5. ↑ "Art Hindle is up to his ears in deadly intrigue". The Globe and Mail, March 21, 1987.
  6. ↑ "Michael Kane signs with Stratford". Toronto Star, May 11, 1957.
  7. ↑ "Being Sued by Actor". Calgary Albertan, June 5, 1958.
  8. ↑ Bill Boss, "Michael Kane opens show at Stratford". Montreal Star, June 25, 1958.
  9. ↑ "Broadway Stars in Local Production of O'Neill Play". Montreal Star, February 7, 1959.
  10. ↑ "Michael Kane Takes Family To England". Hamilton Spectator, April 16, 1963.
  11. 1 2 "Montreal Actor Kane Stars In Richard Widmark Movie". Red Deer Advocate, March 5, 1965.
  12. ↑ Francean Campbell, "His Readings Really Actor's Showcase". Montreal Star, April 8, 1967.
  13. ↑ "CBOT Highlights". Ottawa Journal, November 9, 1968.
  14. ↑ Marilyn Beker, "Montreal-made film a little too Hollywoodish". Montreal Gazette, August 15, 1970.
  15. ↑ Les Wedman, "Tax Changes Plus Football". Vancouver Sun, November 8, 1969.
  16. ↑ "Weekend's Top Shows". Victoria Times-Colonist, February 21, 1970.
  17. ↑ "Spy comes home — to forget". Calgary Albertan, October 6, 1972.
  18. ↑ Sheila McCook, "Sloane Affair: Trials of a taxman". Ottawa Citizen, February 14, 1973.
  19. ↑ Frank Penn, "Just another slick series — this time from CBC". Ottawa Citizen, September 6, 1973.
  20. ↑ "CBC police series loses second star". Waterloo Region Record, May 16, 1974.
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