Leonard Byron Peterson (March 15, 1917 – February 28, 2008) was a Canadian playwright, screenwriter and novelist.[1] He has written more than a thousand different dramatic works for stage, screen, television, and radio.[1]

A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, he attended Luther College and Northwestern University, and served in the Canadian Infantry Corps during World War II.[1] His career started in 1939 when he sold a script to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; one of his earliest successes was the radio play They're All Afraid (1944), which was written for the CBC Radio program Stage '44.[2] The play received much criticism for depicting life in Canada negatively at a time when it was thought that boosting wartime morale was more appropriate. They're All Afraid went on to win the award for best drama in a broadcasting festival in Ohio. It was later adapted by Peterson for the stage.

In addition to his writing, he was a key figure in the establishment of both ACTRA and the Playwrights Guild of Canada.[1] He was the winner of ACTRA's John Drainie Award for distinguished lifetime contributions to Canadian broadcasting at the 3rd ACTRA Awards in 1974.[3]

Plays

  • Burlap Bags (1960)
  • The Great Hunger (1960)
  • Look Ahead! (1962)
  • All About Us (1963)
  • Almighty Voice (1970)
  • Women in the Attic (1971)
  • The Workingman (1972)
  • Let's Make a World (1973)
  • Billy Bishop and the Red Baron (1975)
  • Your World on a Plastic Platter (1976)
  • Etienne Brule (1977)
  • They're All Afraid (1980)
  • Eye of the Storm (1985)

Novels

  • Chipmunk (1949)

Screenplays

  • It's Fun to Sing (1948)
  • Passport to Canada (1949)
  • Iron from the North (1955)

TV shows

Radio Shows

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Colin Boyd, "Leonard Byron Peterson". The Canadian Encyclopedia, November 1, 2011.
  2. ↑ Anne Nothof, "Peterson, Len". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia, October 24, 2014.
  3. ↑ James Nelson, "The women walk off with ACTRA awards". Vancouver Sun, March 4, 1974.
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