WILLIS, Alexander "Austin" CM. DFA.
WILLIS, Alexander "Austin" CM. DFA. - 86, Dartmouth, passed away April 3, 2004 in Dartmouth General Hospital. Born in Halifax, he was a son of the late Alexander and Emma (Pushie) Willis - a member of the "Willis Piano Family". Austin was a graduate of Kings-Edgehill, Windsor. Austin had a long and successful 60 year career as a producer and an actor on stage, radio, television and film. He followed his brother, J. Frank Willis onto the stage of the Halifax Theatre Arts Guild in the late 1930s and never looked back. He started at CHNS in Halifax and left in 1939 to join the staff of CRBC Radio in Toronto, just in time to announce the outbreak of the Second World War. He was the announcer on many of the "Victory Loan Broadcasts" and acted in dozens of radio dramas for the CBC. From his base in Toronto in the 1940s and 50s he performed with the key theatre repertoire companies of the day. In London, England, he starred in "Detective Story" at the Princess Theatre in 1950. While enjoying a lengthy West End run in "Roar Like a Dove", at the Phoenix Theatre in 1958, he appeared in six films. His forays onto the broadway stage included Eric Nichols "A Minor Adjustment" and "Man and Boy" with Charles Boyer. Austin's greatest stage success may have been "Once More with Feeling", breaking all previous records at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in 1962 and 1963. Austin helped kick start the Canadian film industry in the 1940s investing and starring in "Bush Pilot" and "Sins of the Fathers". He was seen in many Canadian films over the next three decades. He last appeared in "A Boy in Blue" in 1986. Outside Canada, his most memorable film roles were in "Goldfinger", in "The Mouse that Roared" with Peter Sellers and as the protagonists' psychiatrist opposite Tony Curtis in "The Boston Strangler". Austin was in great demand when television began in Canada in 1952. His early shows include "Cross-Canada Hit Parade", the 1953-54 CBC-TV series "Space Command", QED in 1960, as Admiral Fox in "Seaway", at the time CBC's most ambitious continuing drama series in 1966 and 1967. Austin might be best remembered for hosting "This is the Law", the zany game show on the CBC network from 1972 to 1976. He moved to Hollywood in 1966 and for the next 20 years worked with a who's who of American film and television including Clint Eastwood, Bob Hope, Roy Rogers, Beatrice Lily, Buster Keaton, Orson Welles, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others. All of Austin's professional and personnel experiences were the basis of his greatest gift which was telling stories. He began his storytelling on CBC radio with "Glimpses of Britain" and "Of all Things" in the 1950s. He hosted "So the Story Goes", a Canadian syndicated television series in the late 1970s telling stories around the world. Austin continued his storytelling into his retirement, crisscrossing the country talking to war veterans on video tape to keep their stories alive. Austin was the most gracious and generous performer. In 2002, Austin received the Order of Canada. Surviving are his wife, the former Gwen LaForty; daughter, Robin, Halifax; son, Reid, Toronto; (his children from a previous marriage to Kate Reid), stepson, Chris, Richard and John Menzies, all of Ontario; grandchildren, Jessica and MacKenzie Willis; step grandchildren, Melissa, Sarah, Adam, Vincent, Dylan and Melody. He was predeceased by his brother, J. Frank Willis. Cremation has taken place. A celebration of Austin's life will take place at 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, in Cathedral Church of All Saints, Tower Road, The Very Rev. Glenn Burgomaster, Rev. Dr. Davena Davis and Rev. Glenn MacLean officiating. Reception to follow in the church hall. Interment in Fairview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gorsebrook Research Institute at St. Mary's University or Cathedral Church of All Saints Restoration Fund. Arrangements entrusted to A.L. Mattatall Funeral Home, Dartmouth. On-line condolences to: 1065@alderwoods.com