- Garth Drabinsky
Garth Howard Drabinsky, OC , LL.B , LL.D (born
October 27 ,1949 ) is a Canadian film andtheatrical producer and entrepreneur.Born in
Toronto, Ontario , Drabinsky graduated from theUniversity of Toronto with aBachelor of Laws degree in 1973. He was the producer for a number of films, including "The Disappearance " (1977), "The Silent Partner" (1978), "The Changeling" (1980), "Tribute" (1980), "The Amateur " (1981), "Losin' It " (1983), "The Gospel of John" (2003), "Half Light ", and "The Gospel of Mark ". In 1979, he and Nat Taylor co-foundedCineplex Odeon , a predecessor company ofCineplex Entertainment . In 1995, he was made an Officer of theOrder of Canada .He also helmed the publicly traded theatre
production company , Live Entertainment Corporation of Canada, Inc., also known asLivent . Livent made a splash inNew York City after purchasing a number of disusedBroadway Theatre s and remodelling them into what was originally called the Ford Center for the Performing Arts (later renamed theHilton Theatre ). Drabinsky and Livent produced the inaugural production at the theatre, the 1998 musical version ofE.L. Doctorow 's Ragtime, which had a long run but was not financially successful.In November, 1998, Mr. Drabinsky sought bankruptcy protection in the US claiming a debt of $334 million, and securities regulators in both Canada and the US began investigating Livent's books.
Drabinsky, and former Livent business partner/co-founder Myron Gottlieb, are currently on trial in Canada for alleged financial irregularities and fraud. The trial began on May 5, 2008 with the prosecutor's opening argument. ["The Final Act", by Theresa Tedesco, National Post, 5/3/08] The defence is now putting on its case. [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080910.RLIVENT10/TPStory/Business "Drabinsky defence suggests "pact", by Janet McFarland,
The Globe and Mail , 9/10/08] ]His productions have won 19
Tony Awards .External links
* [http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=3463 Order of Canada Citation]
* [http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Livent Biography of Livent Entertainment Group]
*References
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