Joyce Davidson Susskind, 89, on May 7, at Meighen Manor in Toronto, as a result of complications from COVID-19. Originally from Saskatoon, Davidson grew up in Hamilton with her first foray into television in 1954 when she was hired by CHCH-TV as an assistant on a cooking show. She was soon appearing on television commercials and by 1956 was a fill-in host on CBC current affairs program, Tabloid. She resigned from the show amid controversy in 1959 after expressing her indifference to an upcoming visit by Queen Elizabeth II during an NBC interview. Davidson then headed stateside where she became a contributor to The Today Show and was later hired in the early 1960s on PM East/PM West, a five-night-a-week show, co-hosted by Mike Wallace. Davidson returned to Canadian television in 1977 as host of weekday afternoon talk show, The Joyce Davidson Show, produced by CFTO-TV. In 1980, she went on to host Authors, a CBC interview series featuring Canadian writers.
Nevin Grant, 80, on May 6, after a battle with Parkinson’s. Grant established Hamilton’s CKOC as “a hitmaker” over his 37 years at the station. He started working at CKOC in 1966 following his graduation from Ryerson’s Radio and Television Arts program after leaving law school to pursue broadcasting. Starting out as a copywriter, he worked his way up to creative director, music director, assistant program director and eventually program director. During most of Grant’s tenure, the station played Top 40 with CKOC earning a reputation as a leader in breaking new hits and artists. Over the years, he helped launch the careers of many broadcasters including Roger Ashby, Ronald J. Morey, Gord James, Dave Charles, Brent Sleightholm, Bob Steele, Mike Jaycock, Peter Jaycock, Franklyn Cooper, “Rock ‘N’” Ray Michaels and Bob Bratina. Grant also chaired the Program Advisory Committee for Radio Broadcasting at Mohawk College. He retired in 2003 and went on to pen memoir, Growing up with the Hits!: Reliving The Best Time of Your Life – 1955-1989. Grant was set to be inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame during Canadian Music Week as the 2020 recipient of the Allan Waters Lifetime Achievement Award. Read more here.
Shaun Clarke, 62, on May 5 of cancer. A longtime Nova Scotia film locations manager, Clarke’s career spanned 35 years, including involvement with N.S.-shot productions The Lighthouse, Titanic, The Healer, Trailer Park Boys, Mr. D, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Two If By Sea, The Shipping News, and Black Cop, among others. Clarke was also a background actor. In addition to helping scout the location for Oscar-nominated The Lighthouse, which filmed at Cape Forchu in Yarmouth, NS, Clarke had a brief on-screen role as one of the lighthouse keepers relieved by the film’s stars, Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. He also had small parts on Trailer Park Boys and Mr. D.
Richard (Dick) Glunz, 90, on Apr. 30 at University of Alberta Hospital. Glunz, originally from Buffalo, New York, was part of the Photographic Arts class of 1954 at Ryerson. He went on to a 31-year career as a television technician at CBC, working in both Toronto and Edmonton.
