Freeman, David E.

Persona

Freeman, David E.

1945-2012.

David Freeman was born in Toronto in 1945 with cerebral palsy. Early on, Freeman began writing poetry and novels, aided by a modified IBM typewriter. Initial success came with two published articles, “The World of Can’t” in Maclean’s, and “How I Conquered Canada”, for the Toronto Star Weekly Magazine. He attended McMaster University from 1966-1971, graduating with a degree in Political Science. Freeman moved to Montreal in 1975, where he lived with his partner, Francine Marleau. The two travelled frequently, until her death in 2010. Following her death, Freeman’s health began to suffer from recurring bouts of pneumonia. He passed away in November 2012.;During his time at McMaster, David Freeman began writing plays. His debut, Creeps, was the first production at the new Tarragon Theatre, in 1971. It won the inaugural Chalmer’s Award for Best Canadian Play. Freeman continued to write and a number of his plays have been performed extensively in Canada and regularly in the US and Europe. Notable actors such as John Candy, David Ferry, William H. Macy, and Monique Mercure, have portrayed his characters on stage.

RC0267