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Jonathan Welsh was born in St. Catharines and studied at Niagara College. In 1967 he persuaded his parents to foot the bills as he set out to see if he could make it as an actor. He got his start on stage at the Shaw and Stratford festivals in Ontario but his break came when he won a role in the Canadian debut of the stage musical Hair, which opened in Toronto in 1969. In the 1970s he moved into television, first with small guest roles on programs like Peep Show and The King of Kensington, but these led to a lead role as star of the police drama Sidestreet. He went on to appear in such popular programs as E.N.G. and Adderly. It was on E.N.G that he portrayed what is generally believed to be the first openly gay character (Eric “Mac” MacFarlane) on an ongoing TV series in North America. He was honoured with a Gemini Award in 1993 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his work on E.N.G. Welsh had founded a non-profit organization, Performers for Literacy, which hoped to encourage children to read. He was also a writer and a playwright. His play, Letter to the West Wind was about Canadian artist and Group of Seven member, Tom Thompson. Jonathan Welsh died in his sleep at his home in Belleville, Ontario following a brief illness.
Features & TV Movies:
VR indicates Direct-to-Video Release
Second Wind (1976)
Starship Invasions (1977)
City on Fire (1979)
Nothing Personal (1980)
Agency (1980)
Escape From Iran: The Canadian Caper (TV-1981)
All In Good Taste (1983)
The Surrogate (1984)
Canada`s Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal Banks (1985)
Mafia Princess (TV-1986)
Young Again (TV-1986)
Unnatural Causes (TV-1986)
Switching Channels (1988)
Hitler`s Daughter (TV-1990)
In Defense of a Married Man (TV-1990)
Thick as Thieves (1991)
The Diamond Fleece (TV-1992)
Spenser: The Judas Goat (TV-1994)
Janek: The Silent betrayal (TV-1994)
Young Again (1995)
A Father for Brittany (TV-1998)
Total Recall 2070 (TV-1999)
Milgaard (TV-1999)
If You Believe (TV-1999)
Santa Who (TV-2000)
TV Series – Cast:
The National Dream: Building the Impossible Railway (mini-series, 1974)
Sidestreet (1976-1978)
Adderly (1986-1987)
E.N.G. (1990-1994)
TV Series – Guest appearances:
Peep Show (1975)
King of Kensington (1975)
The Great Detective (1980)
The Littlest Hobo (1980, 1982)
Night Heat (1986)
Hangin’ In (1986)
Danger Bay (1986)
Street Legal (1987)
Diamonds (1988)
T and T (1988)
War of the Worlds (1989)
Starting from Scratch (1989)
Dracula: The Series (1990)
Maniac Mansion (1990)
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993)
The Hidden Room (1993)
F/X: The Series (1996)
Goosebumps (1998)
Total Recall 2070 (1999)
PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (1999)
Earth: Final Cnflict (2002)
Northernstars.ca is published by the Canadian Independent Visual
and Digital Media Association – A nonprofit corporation.
Toronto, Ontario, M4X 1X7
First published as Northernstars.net February 1, 1998
ISSN 2563 4895
