Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Pratley, Gerald
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1923-2011
History
Gerald Pratley was a film critic and scholar, film industry administrator, and educator. Pratley was born and educated in London, England, and emigrated to Canada in 1946. Shortly after arrival, Pratley joined the CBC as a scriptwriter and, in 1948, became the Corporation's first film reviewer. Between 1948 and 1975, he hosted a number of CBC programs, chaired the Toronto Film Society and the Toronto and District Film Council, and co-founded the A-G-E Film Society. In 1968, Pratley founded the Ontario Film Institute, now known as the TIFF Cinematheque. He was director of the Stratford Film Festival from 1970 to 1975 and has served as a member of the programme committee of TV Ontario. Pratley authored six books, including Torn Sprockets: The Uncertain Projection Of The Canadian Film (1986), and contributed to a number of local and international film publications, including Films and Filming, Film In Review, Variety, Hollywood Quarterly, International Film Guide, Canadian Film Weekly, and Canadian Film Digest. He taught film history at Ryerson University, the University of Toronto, York University, Seneca College, and the University of Waterloo and served on the Advisory Boards of the film departments of Ryerson Polytechnical University and Humber College. He holds Honorary Degrees in Letters and Fine Arts from York and Waterloo Universities (Canada) and Bowling Green State University (USA). He was one of the inaugural recipients of the Toronto Film Critics Association's Clyde Gilmour Award and received a special Genie Award in 2002, in recognition of his lifetime dedication to Canadian film. In 1984, Pratley was named a member of the Order of Canada and, in 2003, was named an Officer of the Order of Canada.