Famous Hamiltonian Contest
Vote for the Famous Hamitonian
Stage and Screen Edition!
Cast your vote from Heritage Day, Saturday February 24, until Sunday March 31.
From Heritage Day, Saturday February 24, until Sunday March 31, we are running our fun annual `Famous Hamiltonian’ contest. This year’s theme is Hamilton Stage and Screen. We have six nominees representing more than 150 years of Hamilton entertainers. All of the nominees are famous in their own right and have made significant contributions to the story of our City. The Famous Hamiltonian initiative is all about getting Hamiltonians to think about the stories and people who have made this a great place to live.
Nominees
JEAN ADAIR (1873-1953)
Born Violet McNaughton in Hamilton, June 13, 1873, her stage name was first Jennet Adair, then later changed to Jean. She received a scholarship for drama at school, after which she acted for two years with stock theater companies and Vaudeville where she performed as a "singing comedienne." Her New York debut came in September 1922 when she acted in It's a Boy at the Sam H. Harris Theatre. Between 1922 and 1953 she worked primarily on stage in Broadway productions, with her final stage performance as the beloved matriarch Rebecca Nurse in the original production of The Crucible. Late in her career she made several film appearances, most famously as Aunt Martha, one of Cary Grant's eccentric aunts in the classic comedy film Arsenic and Old Lace, a role she originated on Broadway. She died in New York City, May 11, 1953, aged 79.
JULIA ARTHUR (1869-1950)
Julia Arthur was born Ida Lewis in Hamilton, May 3, 1869. She began acting at 11. Her first professional stage appearance was in 1880 when she played the Prince of Wales in Richard III. She made a name for herself playing leading female roles. Success led to a position with Sir Henry Irving's Company at London's world-famous Lyceum Theatre, where she played Rosamond in Tennyson's Becket. In 1892 she performed in the Union Square Theatre in New York City, playing the Queen in The Black Masque. In 1897 she formed her own theatre company. Success on stage allowed her to try film acting in the emerging motion picture industry. She appeared in the silent film The Story of a Patriotic American Woman in 1908 and would perform in 10 films before returning to the stage. Her last performance on Broadway was as Lady Macbeth in 1921.
GRAHAM GREENE (1952 - )
Graham Greene is an Oneida of the Six Nations of the Grand. Born in Ohsweken, he lived in Hamilton as a young man, working as a draftsman, steelworker and welder. He helped run Toronto’s Centre for Indigenous Theatre's School program and performed on stage in Toronto and England. His TV debut was in The Great Detective (1979), and in film in Running Brave (1983). He was awarded the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Leading Actor (1989) for his role in Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, and in 1990 appeared as Kicking Bird in Dances with Wolves. Greene played Shylock in the Merchant of Venice and Lenny in Of Mice and Men at Stratford Festival. He has received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s Earle Grey Award. Asked by George Stroumboulopoulos if he ever felt typecast, he said, “I played an old Jewish man in a furniture store…, I've played British soldiers, I've played French soldiers, I've played New York cops, I've played lawyers, so...no.”
FLORENCE LAWRENCE (1886-1938)
Florence Bridgewood was born in Hamilton in 1886. Hamilton’s theatres fostered her talent, and by 6 she earned the nickname “Baby Flo – Child Wonder”. Florence played baseball, rode horses, and enjoyed school yard fights. In 1894 the family moved to New York. Florence transitioned to film just as the stage began facing competition from the new film industry. Her athletic nature was an asset. She was hired in 1908 by the Biograph Company to work with D.W. Griffith, who wanted a leading lady who could do her own stunts. Her first assignment saw her on horseback with pistol blazing. Her famous stunts earned her fame as The Biograph Girl, not Florence Lawrence, because films did not yet list actor credits for fear the salaries of stage actors would be sought by film stars. After changing to the Independent Motion Picture Co., an add was placed in Motion Picture World magazine referring to `Miss Lawrence’, perhaps the first time an actor’s name was used to promote a film. After more than 250 films and suffering chronic pain from the many injuries she sustained doing her own stunt work, Lawrence `died a suicide’ at 52.
EUGENE LEVY (1946 - )
Born in Hamilton, Eugene Levy is a graduate of Westdale Secondary School and McMaster University. After early stage work, his career took off on the Canadian television sketch series SCTV, earning him two Emmy Awards. In 2006, he received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2008 Levy received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts. Levy’s accolades include four Emmy Awards, a Grammy and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2011 and made Companion of the Order in 2022. Levy co-wrote and starred in films Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind. He appeared in the American Pie film series, starred as Johnny Rose in the Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek, and was creator of the sitcom Maniac Mansion. Levy is an advocate for autism awareness and a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.
MARTIN SHORT (1950 - )
Born in Hamilton (?) Martin Short attended Westdale Secondary School and McMaster University. In 1972 he was hired for the Toronto show of Godspell, where he worked with Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, and Paul Shaffer. Short gained prominence through sketch comedy work on SCTV and Saturday Night Live, before jumping to the screen in films such as Three Amigos, Father of the Bride, Mars Attacks, among many others. He has appeared in numerous Broadway roles including Neil Simon musicals The Goodbye Girl and Little Me. Since 2015 he has toured with longtime friend and comedian Steve Martin, their 2018 Netflix special earning four Emmy nominations. The two continue performing on the hit comedy Only Murders in the Building. He has won Canadian Screen Awards, a Tony Award, Emmy Award and been nominated for the Golden Globes three times as well as the Screen Actors Guild and Critics' Choice Television awards. In 2029 he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. Martin Short remains a die-hard Hamilton Tiger Cats fan.
Cast your vote
Select your choice from the drop-down menu below: