Ratch Wallace

Richard "Ratch" Wallace (November 7, 1944 - October 16, 2011) was a Canadian film and television actor,[1] most noted for his recurring supporting role as Kenny Volker in the 1980s television series Seeing Things.[2]

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Wallace was known as Ritch in his youth before opting to change his nickname to Ratch after jazz musician Jonah Jones misspelled his name that way when giving him an autograph.[3] He began his career as a stage actor with Toronto's Crest Theatre,[4] having his first film role when he was cast in David Secter's 1966 film The Offering.[5] He subsequently acted in films including Isabel, The Act of the Heart, Journey, The Merry Wives of Tobias Rouke and Sunday in the Country, and had a guest role in an episode of Adventures in Rainbow Country, before trying his hand at filmmaking as executive producer of The Hard Part Begins,[6] and screenwriter of Age of Innocence (also known as Ragtime Summer).[7] He received a Canadian Film Award nomination for Best Screenplay at the 28th Canadian Film Awards in 1977 for Age of Innocence.[8]

He was subsequently also a writer for the television miniseries Jack London's Tales of the Klondike.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "Canada's Ratch Wallace fights film typecasting". Windsor Star, May 7, 1969.
  2. ^ "Comedy series starts on CBC". Regina Leader-Post, September 11, 1981.
  3. ^ "Wanderer now potential star". Calgary Herald, March 7, 1969.
  4. ^ "Canadian Actor Spurns Career in 'A Bunch of Cowboy Movies'". Calgary Herald, April 21, 1969.
  5. ^ Les Wedman, "Ratch Wallace: Making his way". Vancouver Sun, December 11, 1970.
  6. ^ Michael Walsh, "'The hard part is behind us'". The Province, January 25, 1975.
  7. ^ Frank Daley, "Ragtime Summer opens". Ottawa Journal, April 23, 1977.
  8. ^ Frank Daley, "Omens good for film awards show". Ottawa Journal, November 19, 1977.