Esse Willem Ljungh (August 3, 1904 - February 9, 1991) was a Canadian radio producer, most noted as the longtime head of radio drama for CBC Radio.[1]
Born in Malmö, Sweden, he emigrated to Canada in 1927.[2] He initially settled in Radville, Saskatchewan as a farmer, but after losing his farm during the Great Depression, he moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he worked as editor of a Swedish-language newspaper.[1] He subsequently joined the Winnipeg Little Theatre, acting on stage for the first time in a production of Peer Gynt and having his first directorial experience on a production of Charles Gounod's opera Roméo et Juliette.[2] In this era, he also served as an adjudicator for the Dominion Drama Festival.[2]
After doing freelance production work for the CBC since 1938, he joined the network as a staff producer in 1942. In 1946 he began working in the drama department under Andrew Allan, and became head of the department in 1957.[1] He was briefly also the supervisor of CBC television drama in 1959, but remained in that role for only about a year.[3]
He left the CBC in 1969, and subsequently taught theatre at Mount Royal College and the University of Victoria.[3] After retiring from teaching he moved to Kingston, Ontario, where he died in 1991.[4]
He was one of the winners of ACTRA's John Drainie Award in 1968.[5] He was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame,[3] and was named a member of the Order of Canada in 1981.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c "'Giant' of Canadian drama dies". Ottawa Citizen, February 13, 1991.
- ^ a b c d Gaetan Charlebois, "Ljungh, Esse". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.
- ^ a b c Jerry Fairbridge, "Esse Willem Ljungh (1904-1991)". Canadian Association of Broadcasters, April 2003.
- ^ "Esse Ljungh: Friends mourn death of ex-CBC head". Kingston Whig-Standard, February 16, 1991.
- ^ "Broadcasters Honor W.O. Mitchell". Calgary Herald, October 5, 1968.