News
2010 Inductees for The Canada Honours Announced
Seven deserving recipients to be recognized by Canada’s Walk of Fame
(Toronto, Ontario) June 8, 2010 – Canada’s Walk of Fame, together with Canwest unveiled the names of the 2010 inductees for The Canada Honours. The seven inductees will each receive their tribute on Saturday, October 16 at Toronto’s Canon Theatre. The Canada Honours will be broadcast on Global and Slice™ following the gala ceremony (date and time TBA).
The 13th annual Canada’s Walk of Fame will add the following Canadian icons to its current list of 124 inductees:
• David Clayton-Thomas
• Nelly Furtado
• Doug Henning
• Clara Hughes
• Eric McCormack
• Farley Mowat
• Sarah Polley
“Canadians are now at the point where we are comfortable recognizing our achievements and honouring our own without the need of external validation. We have the confidence to stand up and take a bow,” said Peter Soumalias, CEO and President of Canada’s Walk of Fame. “The Canada Honours allow us to join together in this nationwide celebration.”
Joining the 124 existing inductees, the 2010 honourees will be added to Canada’s Walk of Fame, which annually recognizes individuals for their achievements in various fields, including music, sport, film and television, science and innovation, in addition to the arts: literary, visual and performing. Commemorating the 2010 inductees, Canada’s Walk of Fame’s broadcast will feature special guest performances and celebrity presenters.
“Talented Canadians are making their mark on a global scale every day, and Canada's Walk of Fame offers a wonderful tradition paying tribute to these remarkable individuals. Canwest is proud to continue its part in this celebration and showcase these well-deserving inductees to our audiences on Global and Slice™,” said Barb Williams, EVP, Content, Canwest Broadcasting.
Once again, one of this year’s inductees will be honoured with the Canadian Legends Award, sponsored by Cineplex Entertainment and Universal Studios Canada. This year’s recipient is the late Doug Henning. The Legends Award is given posthumously to Canadian pioneers in film and television, music, sport, arts and innovation. Cineplex Entertainment and Universal Studios Canada are proud to sponsor the Legends Award as well as Canada’s Walk of Fame. This sponsorship is part of Cineplex Entertainment and Universal Studios Canada continuing recognition of Canadian film.
Potential candidates of Canada’s Walk of Fame must have been born in or spent the totality of their creative or formative years in Canada. A minimum of 10 successful years is required to qualify, as well as a recognized body of work that has had a significant influence on our cultural heritage.
The 2010 Inductees
David Clayton-Thomas Hometown: Surrey, England
Born David Henry Thomsett in Surrey, England, David Clayton-Thomas grew up in Toronto where his hair trigger temper got him in trouble with the law. While doing jailhouse gigs, where David taught himself to play the guitar, legendary Ronnie Hawkins took him under his wing. Soon enough, David was fronting his own bands, first with David Clayton-Thomas and The Fabulous Shays, which appeared on NBC-TV’s Hullabaloo and then The Bossmen, where he wrote the chart-topping anti-war song, Brainwashed. Returning to New York a few years later, he met folk singer Judy Collins who introduced him to Blood Sweat & Tears (BST), a band he fronted until 2004, resulting in numerous chart toppers and Grammy awards. BST’s Greatest Hits album has sold over seven million copies to date. Today, David resides in Toronto and recently formed a 10-piece band under his own name.
Nelly Furtado Hometown: Victoria, BC
Born in Victoria, Canada, Nelly Furtado started a prosperous musical career when she moved to Toronto after finishing high school. Nelly quickly impressed a lot of people including The Philosopher Kings, who recorded a demo of her songs. That led to her first album, Whoa, Nelly! in 2000, which reached platinum status several times, garnered four Grammy nominations and won Nelly the 2002 Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for I’m Like a Bird. Her second album, Folklore, was released in 2003, two months after Nelly gave birth to her daughter Nevis. That was followed by the release of Loose in 2006, producing the instant hit, Promiscuous, earning her the number one spot at the Billboard Hot 100. Nelly’s fourth release, Mi Plan, was sung completely in Spanish. As with all her albums, Nelly wrote and co-produced Mi Plan with the collaboration of great writers and producers that she personally chose, including Alex Cuba and Josh Groban.
Doug Henning Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Doug Henning single-handedly resurrected the “magic” of the performing arts, entertaining more people than any other magician in history. His career began in Toronto when he and former classmate, Ivan Reitman staged the box office sensation Spellbound in 1973. The production became The Magic Show, which ran for nearly five years on Broadway, and featured Henning performing classic illusions in a contemporary style that would transform the magic world forever. Henning had eight NBC specials and three shows on Broadway including Merlin, which was nominated for five Tony Awards. Henning was also the first magician to headline his own show in Las Vegas and he performed regularly at Caesar’s Palace and the MGM Grand. Sadly, Doug Henning died on February 17, 2000, at the premature age 52.
Clara Hughes Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Clara began speed skating when she was 16. At 17, she switched gears and took up cycling, earning 18 National Titles before she returned to skating at 28. Her Bronze medal in speed skating at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, after her two bronze medals in cycling at the 1996 Olympic Summer Games, made her only the second woman ever to have won a medal at both the Summer and Winter Olympics. In 2004, she won Gold at the World Single Distance Championships, and was awarded the title of Canada’s Speedskater of the Year (Long Track) and in 2006 she earned a spot on CAAWS’ List of Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity. Her most recent achievements include a pair of medals at the 2006 Turin Olympic Winter Games, Silver medals at both the 2008 and 2009 World Single Distance Championships as well as a Bronze medal in the 5000m at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games – making Clara the most decorated Olympian in Canada with six medals, tied with Cindy Klassen.
Eric McCormack Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
If you count his first paying job at Toronto’s O’Neill’s Dinner Theatre (and he does) this is Eric McCormack’s 28th year as a professional actor. In the years following graduation from Ryerson he appeared in theatres across this country, including five seasons with the Stratford Festival, and worked extensively in Canadian television, most notably as Mosby in Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years. But it was Eric’s performance as Will Truman on the Emmy®-winning Will & Grace that changed everything, earning him a Screen Actors’ Guild Award, five Golden Globe nominations, and the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. In the four years since that series’ final bow, Eric’s maintained a busy schedule both on stage and screen, and as a producer. He will be spending this summer in Vancouver with his wife, Janet, and their eight-year-old son, Finnigan, starring in the Arts Club Theatre production of Glengarry Glen Ross.
Farley Mowat Hometown: Belleville, Ontario
Farley Mowat is one of Canada’s most beloved and successful authors and activists. He was born in Ontario between the two world wars and spent his childhood largely in the company of wildlife, an experience he chronicled beautifully in Owls in the Family, The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be and Born Naked. Later, his experiences in the Second World War inspired the memoir, And No Birds Sang – one of the most searing anti-war books ever written. His lifelong commitment to the natural world and traditional ways of life spawned a stunning body of work that includes Never Cry Wolf, People of the Deer, The Desperate People, Sea of Slaughter, A Whale for the Killing, Grey Seas Under, Lost in the Barrens, Bay of Spirits and this year’s forthcoming Eastern Passage. In all, Mowat has a body of work of over 40 books, encompassing fiction, non-fiction and young adult. These have been translated into over 50 languages and have sold literally millions upon millions of copies worldwide.
Sarah Polley Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Sarah Polley began acting at age four, but it was Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter in 1997 that marked her breakthrough into adult roles. Her performance in that movie earned Sarah her first Best Actress Genie Award nomination, as well as Best Supporting Actress awards from the Boston and Chicago Societies of Film Critics. After appearing in numerous film productions, Sarah made her feature film directorial debut with the 2006 drama Away From Her, for which she also wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay. Away From Her was a gala selection at the Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals and numerous awards throughout North America. Most recently, Polley starred along side Adrien Brody in the extremely well-received sci-fi film SPLICE, directed by Vincenco Natali. As a filmmaker, Sarah is in pre-production to direct her original screenplay Take This Waltz starring Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen, which begin shooting this July in Canada.
About Canada’s Walk of Fame:
Established in 1998, Canada’s Walk of Fame aims to educate, inform, and inspire through the permanent celebration of the achievements in Canadian music, sport, film and television as well as the literary, visual and performing arts, and science and innovation. The annual celebration culminates in a televised tribute special that honours Canada’s finest stars from the worlds of arts, entertainment, and sports. Each inductee is immortalized, their names forever cemented into the sidewalks of Toronto’s entertainment district. To date, 124 Canadians have been honoured including Margaret Atwood, Jim Carrey, Steve Nash, Michael J. Fox and Celine Dion. A complete list of inductees along with more information on Canada’s Walk of Fame can be found at www.canadaswalkoffame.com
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