Brian Richard Linehan (September 3, 1944 – June 4, 2004) was a Canadian television host from Hamilton, Ontario,^[1] best known for his celebrity interviews on the longrunning talk show City Lights.^[2]

Background

Linehan was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1944, one of seven children.^[2] His estranged Irish father, Les, worked at one of the local steel mills, Dofasco; and his Serbian mother, Sava (née Kotur), was later remarried to a post-World War II Serbian immigrant, Jovan Rodic Sr. He too, was a steel worker.^[2]

At age 19, Linehan moved to Toronto, taking an entry-level job with Odeon Cinemas.^[3] The following year, he began working in public relations as an organizer of celebrity promotional visits to Toronto.^[3] By 1968, he was the general manager of Janus Films, a film distribution company.^[1]

Career

He joined Citytv in 1973 as the host of City Lights, a program which would eventually become syndicated throughout Canada and the United States.^[3] Linehan was renowned for his composure, interview skills and meticulous research, often leading to in-depth questions that could last for minutes. His guests often responded to his questions with astonishment at his depth of knowledge;^[3] actress Shirley MacLaine once commented that the stars flocked to Toronto "so Brian could tell us about our lives".^[3] His interviewing style was parodied on SCTV by Martin Short as "Brock Linahan",^[2] a character whose seemingly meticulous interview research—unlike Brian Linehan's—almost always turned out to be totally, utterly wrong.^[4]

In 1988, City Lights was rebooted as MovieTelevision, an expanded magazine series on film which Linehan cohosted with Jeanne Beker.^[5] Linehan was not happy with the new format, however, as it left him with far less time to conduct in-depth interviews,^[2] and left the show in 1989 after its first season.^[6] He took some time off, and then spent the early 1990s as a freelance publicity interviewer.^[7]

From 1996 to 1998, he hosted a second show entitled Linehan, which was produced for CHCH-TV in Hamilton.^[7] In 1999, Linehan won a Gemini Award as Best Host in a Lifestyle or Performing Arts Program for his work on the show.^[4] After that show ended, he taught a television production course at Toronto's Humber College.^[1]

Beginning in 2000, the original City Lights shows were reaired on the new Canadian cable channel Talk TV.^[8]

Linehan was also a longtime entertainment reporter on CFRB radio,^[9] and a frequent host of awards ceremonies such as the Genie Awards and the Geminis.^[7]

Personal life

Linehan, who was gay, met Zane Wagman, a dentist, in the late 1960s.^[3] Through the 1970s, the couple also had a sideline business renovating and reselling houses.^[3] They remained together until Wagman's death by suicide in 2002;^[3] however, Linehan was very guarded about his personal life, acknowledging only to his closest friends and never publicly that Wagman was anything more than a platonic roommate.^[3]

Linehan was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2001 and died in 2004.^[3] His ashes were scattered outside the Toronto home he had shared with Wagman, although Joan Rivers kept a small portion of them as a memento of him.^[2]

Legacy

He left his estate to The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation, which attempts to raise the profile of Canadian talent and supports the creation of a Canadian star system.^[10] The foundation's noted donations have included $1 million toward the creation of an actors' training program at the Canadian Film Centre,^[11] and $1 million to the Toronto International Film Festival toward the construction of the TIFF Bell Lightbox.^[12]

The public reading room at TIFF's Film Reference Library is named in honour of Linehan. The library also holds many of his personal archives and research collections.^[1]

George Anthony, a longtime friend of Linehan's, published the biography Starring Brian Linehan: A Life Behind the Scenes in 2008.^[1]