William Weintraub

Who is William Weintraub?

William Weintraub, OC is a Canadian journalist, author, filmmaker and lecturer, known for his long association with Canada's National Film Board.

Born and educated in Montreal, Weintraub graduated from McGill University where he had worked on the McGill Daily. He began his career as a reporter at The Montreal Gazette in the 1950s, later moving to Weekend magazine. His experience in journalism provided the basis for Weintraub's 1961 novel Why Rock the Boat? and his 2001 memoir Getting Started. Among Weintraub's contemporaries and friends were authors Mordecai Richler, Mavis Gallant, Norman Levine and Brian Moore.

Weintraub's satirical 1979 novel The Underdogs provoked controversy by imagining a future socialist republic of Quebec, in which English-speakers were an oppressed minority, complete with a violent resistance movement. One planned stage version was canceled before its premiere.

In a film career spanning decades, Weintraub was involved with more than 150 NFB productions, serving variously as writer, producer and director. Productions ranged from Canada: Beef Cattle to historical documentaries to a portrait of Canadian writer Margaret Laurence.