Biography
Leslie Carlson (also credited as Les Carlson) was an American actor who worked extensively in Canada. Born in Mitchell, South Dakota, in 1933, he earned a BFA and an MA from the University of South Dakota and began his career in stage productions in the United States and England before immigrating to Canada in the late 1960s.
He appeared in four films directed by David Cronenberg: as Barry Convex in Videodrome (1983), for which he received a Genie Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor; as Brenner in The Dead Zone (1983); as Dr. Cheevers in The Fly (1986); and in the short Camera (2000). Other notable film roles include Graham in Black Christmas (1974) and the Christmas Tree Man in A Christmas Story (1983). Carlson was also a prolific stage actor and won a Dora Award for his performance in Valley Song (1996).
He died of cancer in Toronto on 3 May 2014.
