Lister Sheddon Sinclair, 'Renaissance Man'

Lister Sinclair was a major figure throughout the Golden Age of radio in Canada, which began in the 1920s and came to its demise in the 1950s, with the apparition of television. Born in Mumbai, India, Sinclair and his mother settled in Vancouver, shortly after the start of World War II. There, he went on to earn an undergraduate’s degree in mathematics and physics at the University of British Columbia and later his Master’s Degree at the University of Toronto. In 1944, Sinclair began working as a radio actor for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to supplement his income. The role that began his career in radio acting was that of a German sea captain, in the radio series “Fighting Navy”.

Sinclair went on to engage and further develop Canadians’understanding of many topics ranging from mathematical theory to literature, while hosting Wednesday Nights, the Stage series and Ideas. His admiration of Shakespeare proves strong through his numerous adaptations broadcast on CBC. In 1952, Sinclair went on to compose his most prominent reworking titled “All the World’s a Stage”, a variation of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”, reformed to represent Canadian society, among other later adaptations.

With the Golden Age of Radio coming to its close, Sinclair tried his hand at television hosting and production in the mid-1950’s. Sinclair became executive vice-president of the CBC’s English-language television programming, before stepping down in 1974, and returning to his roots in radio, then hosting Ideas between 1983-1999. He continued his career with the CBC until he passed away on October 21^st, 2006.