Billy Van
Encyclopedia
William Allan Van Evera, (1934 – 8 January 2003), known by the stage name Billy Van, was a Canadian comedian, actor and singer.
, Ontario
and dropped out of Bloor Collegiate Institute
in Grade 11 to pursue a career as an entertainer. Starting as a youth, he and his four brothers toured North America
as a singing act called the Van Evera Brothers. After leaving his brothers and dropping "Evera" from his name, Van was initially known as a singer, leading The Billy Van Four and later The Billy Van Singers and making frequent appearances on Canadian variety television shows such as Fancy Free. The single "I Miss You" / "The Last Sunrise" by the Billy Van Four, released on the Rodeo International label, peaked at number 29 on the CHUM Chart
in Toronto in March 1961.
As a comedian, Van first gained national attention in 1963 as a performer on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
's late-night satire programme Nightcap. He threatened to quit the show after three seasons when the CBC wouldn't give him a requested raise from $400 to $500 an episode. At that time, a columnist in The Globe and Mail
called Van "perhaps the most talented variety performer ever developed by the CBC." After the dispute became public, the CBC capitulated and Van continued on the show for one final season. Van appeared in a six-part spinoff series, Flemingdon Park, based on a recurring Nightcap skit, that aired at the beginning of 1967. Nightcap was cancelled in May 1967.
Through the 1970s, Van was a regular member of the "home team" on the CHCH-TV
charades
series Party Game
. In 1971, he began making The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
, also for CHCH in Hamilton, Ontario
. It is this show for which he is most well known, and it has subsequently developed a cult following. A total of 130 episodes were produced, with Van playing almost every lead character.
Van was a regular performer on The Ray Stevens
Show, The Ken Berry
"Wow" Show, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
, The Bobby Vinton Show
, and the Hudson Brothers
Razzle Dazzle Show, most of which were co-produced by Chris Bearde
, who had been a writer-performer on Nightcap. Van also appeared many commercials, including Colt 45 Malt Liquor
commercials for 15 years, where he won a Clio Award in 1975.
In 1982, he hosted TVOntario
's Bits and Bytes
, a show devoted to the usage of early (mostly 8-bit) personal computers. Van also narrated the animated program Eureka!
, which taught children about physics. Van also appeared occasionally in the Canadian TV show Bizarre
, hosted by John Byner
.
He had a triple heart bypass in 1998.
Van supported the Canadian Comedy Awards
with promotional appearances from the awards' inception in 2000.
After first being diagnosed in December 2001, Van died of esophageal cancer
at age 68 on 8 January 2003 at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital. He was survived by his wife Susan and two daughters, Tracy and Robyn, from a previous marriage.
One of Van's brothers, Jack Van Evera, also became an actor and appeared on many Canadian television series such as The Forest Rangers
and Adventures in Rainbow Country
.
Biography
Van was born in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and dropped out of Bloor Collegiate Institute
Bloor Collegiate Institute
Bloor Collegiate Institute is a public secondary school located at the intersection of Bloor Street and Dufferin Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is located in the Dufferin Grove neighbourhood.-History:...
in Grade 11 to pursue a career as an entertainer. Starting as a youth, he and his four brothers toured North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
as a singing act called the Van Evera Brothers. After leaving his brothers and dropping "Evera" from his name, Van was initially known as a singer, leading The Billy Van Four and later The Billy Van Singers and making frequent appearances on Canadian variety television shows such as Fancy Free. The single "I Miss You" / "The Last Sunrise" by the Billy Van Four, released on the Rodeo International label, peaked at number 29 on the CHUM Chart
CHUM Chart
The CHUM Chart was a ranking of top 30 songs on Toronto, Ontario radio station CHUM 1050 AM, from 1957 to 1986, and was the longest-running Top 40 chart in the world produced by an individual radio station...
in Toronto in March 1961.
As a comedian, Van first gained national attention in 1963 as a performer on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's late-night satire programme Nightcap. He threatened to quit the show after three seasons when the CBC wouldn't give him a requested raise from $400 to $500 an episode. At that time, a columnist in The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
called Van "perhaps the most talented variety performer ever developed by the CBC." After the dispute became public, the CBC capitulated and Van continued on the show for one final season. Van appeared in a six-part spinoff series, Flemingdon Park, based on a recurring Nightcap skit, that aired at the beginning of 1967. Nightcap was cancelled in May 1967.
Through the 1970s, Van was a regular member of the "home team" on the CHCH-TV
CHCH-TV
CHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...
charades
Charades
Charades or charade is a word guessing game. In the form most played today, it is an acting game in which one player acts out a word or phrase, often by pantomiming similar-sounding words, and the other players guess the word or phrase. The idea is to use physical rather than verbal language to...
series Party Game
Party Game (game show)
Party Game was a Canadian television game show in the 1970s, produced by Hamilton independent station CHCH-TV from 1970 to 1981. It aired throughout Canada in syndication, broadcast on 32 stations at its peak....
. In 1971, he began making The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein was a Canadian children's television series produced by Hamilton, Ontario's independent station CHCH-TV in 1971. It was syndicated to television stations across Canada and the United States and occasionally still appears today in some television markets...
, also for CHCH in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
. It is this show for which he is most well known, and it has subsequently developed a cult following. A total of 130 episodes were produced, with Van playing almost every lead character.
Van was a regular performer on The Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
Show, The Ken Berry
Ken Berry
Kenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
"Wow" Show, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour is an American variety show based on the married couple of American pop-singer Cher and her husband, Sonny Bono. The show ran on CBS in the United States, when it premiered in August 1971...
, The Bobby Vinton Show
The Bobby Vinton Show
The Bobby Vinton Show was a Canadian musical variety television series produced for the CTV Television Network between 1975 and 1978, with a total of 52 episodes broadcast. Starring Bobby Vinton, a best selling pop singer since the early 1960s, the series mixed comedy skits with musical interludes....
, and the Hudson Brothers
Hudson Brothers
The Hudson Brothers are an American music group formed in Portland, Oregon in the 1970s and consisting of Bill Hudson, Brett Hudson and Mark Hudson...
Razzle Dazzle Show, most of which were co-produced by Chris Bearde
Chris Bearde
Chris Bearde is a comedy writer, producer and director best known for his work as a writer on the '60s zeitgeist hit Laugh In and for co-writing and producing TV specials for Elvis Presley, Bob Hope, Sonny and Cher, Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, Jim Carrey, Andy Williams, The Jackson Five, The...
, who had been a writer-performer on Nightcap. Van also appeared many commercials, including Colt 45 Malt Liquor
Colt 45 (malt liquor)
Colt 45 is a brand of malt liquor introduced by National Brewing Company in the spring of 1963. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the National Brewing Company and its brands are today owned by the Pabst Brewing Company....
commercials for 15 years, where he won a Clio Award in 1975.
In 1982, he hosted TVOntario
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
's Bits and Bytes
Bits and Bytes
Bits and Bytes was the name for two Canadian television series, starring Billy Van, who teaches people the basics of how to use a computer. The first series debuted in 1983 and the second series, called Bits and Bytes 2, in 1991. The first series also included popular comedian Luba Goy as the...
, a show devoted to the usage of early (mostly 8-bit) personal computers. Van also narrated the animated program Eureka!
Eureka! (TV series)
Eureka! was a Canadian educational television series which was produced and broadcast by TVOntario in 1980. The series was narrated by Billy Van, and featured a series of animated vignettes which taught physics lessons to children....
, which taught children about physics. Van also appeared occasionally in the Canadian TV show Bizarre
Bizarre (TV series)
Bizarre is a weekly Canadian sketch comedy series, airing from 1980 to 1985. The show was hosted by John Byner, and produced by CTV at the CFTO Glen-Warren Studios in suburban Toronto for first-run airing in Canada on CTV and in the United States on the Showtime premium cable network.-Synopsis:The...
, hosted by John Byner
John Byner
John Byner is an American actor, comedian, and impressionist who has had a lengthy television and movie career. His voice work includes the cartoon series The Ant and the Aardvark, in which the title characters are voiced by Byner's impressions of Dean Martin and Jackie Mason,...
.
He had a triple heart bypass in 1998.
Van supported the Canadian Comedy Awards
Canadian Comedy Awards
The Canadian Comedy Awards, founded by , are an annual awards ceremony celebrating notable English speaking Canadian comedians for achievements in Live, Radio, Film, Television and Internet media over the previous year...
with promotional appearances from the awards' inception in 2000.
After first being diagnosed in December 2001, Van died of esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
at age 68 on 8 January 2003 at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital. He was survived by his wife Susan and two daughters, Tracy and Robyn, from a previous marriage.
One of Van's brothers, Jack Van Evera, also became an actor and appeared on many Canadian television series such as The Forest Rangers
The Forest Rangers
The Forest Rangers was a Canadian television series that ran from 1963 to 1965. It was a co-production between CBC Television and ITC Entertainment and was Canada's first television show produced in colour...
and Adventures in Rainbow Country
Adventures in Rainbow Country
Adventures in Rainbow Country was a Canadian television series, which aired on CBC Television in 1970 and 1971.A half hour family drama, the show starred Lois Maxwell as Nancy Williams, a widow raising her children Billy and Hannah in rural Northern Ontario...
.
Billy Van Singers
- 1968: Polydor Presents The Billy Van Singers, Polydor
- 1969: “Fall In” A Fun Fashion Musical (EP), Capitol
Television series
- 1960: Fancy Free (with The Billy Van Four)
- 1960-1961: Country Hoedown
- 1963-1967: Nightcap
- 1970: The Ray StevensRay StevensRay Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
Show - 1970-1980: Party GameParty Game (game show)Party Game was a Canadian television game show in the 1970s, produced by Hamilton independent station CHCH-TV from 1970 to 1981. It aired throughout Canada in syndication, broadcast on 32 stations at its peak....
- 1971: Rollin' on the River (with Kenny RogersKenny RogersKenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
and the First EditionThe First EditionThe First Edition was a country music/rock band. Its stalwart members being Kenny Rogers , Mickey Jones and Terry Williams...
) - 1971: The Hilarious House of FrightensteinThe Hilarious House of FrightensteinThe Hilarious House of Frightenstein was a Canadian children's television series produced by Hamilton, Ontario's independent station CHCH-TV in 1971. It was syndicated to television stations across Canada and the United States and occasionally still appears today in some television markets...
- 1972: The Ken BerryKen BerryKenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
"Wow" Show - 1972-1973: Waterville Gang (voice)
- 1973-1974: The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour
- 1974: The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show
- 1974: Shh! It's the News
- 1975-1976: The Bobby Vinton ShowThe Bobby Vinton ShowThe Bobby Vinton Show was a Canadian musical variety television series produced for the CTV Television Network between 1975 and 1978, with a total of 52 episodes broadcast. Starring Bobby Vinton, a best selling pop singer since the early 1960s, the series mixed comedy skits with musical interludes....
- 1976: The Sonny and Cher Show
- 1978: Eureka!Eureka! (TV series)Eureka! was a Canadian educational television series which was produced and broadcast by TVOntario in 1980. The series was narrated by Billy Van, and featured a series of animated vignettes which taught physics lessons to children....
(voice) - 1980: BizarreBizarre (TV series)Bizarre is a weekly Canadian sketch comedy series, airing from 1980 to 1985. The show was hosted by John Byner, and produced by CTV at the CFTO Glen-Warren Studios in suburban Toronto for first-run airing in Canada on CTV and in the United States on the Showtime premium cable network.-Synopsis:The...
- 1983: Bits and BytesBits and BytesBits and Bytes was the name for two Canadian television series, starring Billy Van, who teaches people the basics of how to use a computer. The first series debuted in 1983 and the second series, called Bits and Bytes 2, in 1991. The first series also included popular comedian Luba Goy as the...
(host) - 1984: The Littlest Hobo (TV Series) Episode FireHorse (part 1 & 2) (Guest Star as Fire Chief Danford)
- 1987: I'll Take ManhattanI'll Take Manhattan (TV miniseries)I'll Take Manhattan is a 1987 American television miniseries, adapted from Judith Krantz's novel of the same name. Screened by CBS, it tells the story of the wealthy Amberville family, who run their own publishing company in New York. After Zachary Amberville, the patriarch of the family, dies,...
(mini-series) - 1991: Bits and BytesBits and BytesBits and Bytes was the name for two Canadian television series, starring Billy Van, who teaches people the basics of how to use a computer. The first series debuted in 1983 and the second series, called Bits and Bytes 2, in 1991. The first series also included popular comedian Luba Goy as the...
series 2 (host)
Television movies
- 1985: The Hearst and Davies Affair
- 1986: A Deadly Business
- 1992: The Trial of Red Riding Hood
- 1995: Net Worth
Movies
- 1982: The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1982 film)is a 1982 Japanese anime feature film directed by Fumihiko Takayama, from a screenplay by Yoshimitsu Banno and Akira Miyazaki, which is based on the 1900 children's novel by L...
(voice) - 1988: Family Reunion
- 1992: This Is My LifeThis is My Life (film)This Is My Life is a 1992 film that marked the directorial debut of screenwriter Nora Ephron. The screenplay, written by Ephron and her sister, Delia Ephron, is based on the book, This Is Your Life, by Meg Wolitzer. The film tells the story of Dottie Ingels , who works at a cosmetics counter but...
- 2005: Return to Transylvania (documentary)