Donald Shebib, 85, on Nov. 5. After studying sociology and history at the University of Toronto, Shebib enrolled at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 1961. He gained experience working on several productions by cult filmmaker Roger Corman and famously as a cinematographer and editor on classmate Francis Ford Coppola’s first film, “Dementia 13.” Rather than pursue a career in Hollywood, Shebib returned to Canada and started producing documentaries for the National Film Board (NFB), CTV and CBC. He went on to a six-decade career, receiving critical acclaim for his 1970 feature film “Goin’ Down The Road,” one of the first depictions of Toronto on screen, which earned several Canadian Film Awards and was named the sixth-best Canadian film of all time by the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015. Among Shebib’s television credits, he directed episodes of Night Heat (1986-88), The Edison Twins (1985-86), The Campbells (1988-90), E.N.G. (1990-92), and Lonesome Dove: The Series (1994-95). Shebib’s final feature film “Nightalk” premiered at TIFF in 2022, executive produced by his record executive son, Noah “40” Shebib.
