A brilliant comedic performer, Don Cullen helped launch the coffeehouse that put Margaret Atwood, Gordon Lightfoot and Sylvia Tyson on stage for the first time
Creative versatility came naturally to Don Cullen. A writer, actor, comedian, producer and impresario, he could seemingly do it all. His talents first surfaced at high school, where Mr. Cullen’s flexible physical features and knack for vocal impersonations made him popular with classmates. “I became the funny kid,” he once recalled, “capitalizing on the angularity of my frame and the rubbery quality of my face.
But Mr. Cullen spent most of his illustrious career creating space for others. His Bohemian Embassy coffeehouse, which operated in four different Toronto locations between 1960 and 1992, featured musicians, poets, comedians and actors and offered the first stages for such figures as Margaret Atwood, Gordon Lightfoot and Sylvia Tyson. Meanwhile, working with Mr. Cullen provided vital training for future showbiz moguls likeWhen Mr.
fame, has fond memories of Mr. Cullen’s days as a satirical revue performer. “He was so collaborative, always happy to share the spotlight,” she recalled. “Some actors elbow others out of the way, but Don was all about everybody getting their moment.” Added Ms. Shuster, a writer and producer for the: “Don was one of our quiet national treasures, a lovely, talented man and hilariously funny in that very self-effacing way.
When Mr. Cullen died on June 26, performers of all artistic persuasions mourned the passing of a witty man with a generous heart who spent much of his life fostering the talents of others.The Bohemian Embassy gained notoriety and media attention after getting itself listed in the Yellow Pages phone book under “Consulates and Other Foreign Government Representatives.” “It provided Toronto with something that didn’t exist at the time,” poet Dennis Lee noted in the 2010 documentary.
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