Michael Maclear

Born in 1929 in London, England, Michael Maclear came to Canada in 1954 after having worked as a print journalist for several years. In 1955 he joined the fledgling CBC television news service and a year later became producer of Newsmagazine, Canada's first weekly television news program. In 1961, after a year co-hosting Background with Alistair Cooke and Malcolm Muggeridge, Maclear was appointed CBC’s first Asia Correspondent (1961-1964), and subsequently its London Correspondent (1964-1971). In 1971, he joined the CTV Network.
In his capacity as a network correspondent, Maclear reported from more than eighty countries. He covered Fidel Castro’s takeover of Cuba, China’s Cultural Revolution, and the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. In 1969, Maclear became the first Western television news correspondent to be admitted to North Vietnam. His television reports on the death of Ho Chi Minh and the U.S. bombing of the North were shown in 90 countries, and his articles were also syndicated by the New York Times. Between 1971 and 1974, Maclear hosted the weekly investigative documentary series Maclear; this experiement in “personal journalism” garnered critical acclaim, including the ACTRA Best Broadcaster award. After a period as Executive Producer of CTV’s Current Affairs department, Maclear left to independently produce the first television history of the Vietnam War (Vietnam: The 10,000 Day War).
Maclear was the 1991 recipient of the Personal Achievement Award from the Canadian Film and Television Producer’s Association, and in 2003 he was awarded a special Gemini by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for “Exceptional Contribution to the Canadian Television Industry”. In 2004, he was honoured with the Hot Docs festival award for Outstanding Achievement.
Maclear married his wife, Yoko in 1963. They have one daughter (author Kyo Maclear), and two grandchildren.

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• English

Profile on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0533828/

Canadian Who’s Who 2005 (Elizabeth Lumley, University of Toronto Press, 2005; https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/fedca1/cdi_crossref_primary_10_1108_09504120510596517)