NORMAN MCLAREN'S COLLABORATORS GUY GLOVER (1910 – 1988) Guy Glover was Norman McLaren’s life partner from 1937 until McLaren’s death. Glover was an actor and director in theatre and television in London in the 1930s and would be a significant influence on McLaren’s knowledge of and feelings about dance. Often a judge at ballet festivals, he played an important role in the establishment of Canada Council funding for professional dance in Canada. Glover became a senior producer at the National Film Board of Canada and would be the key sounding board for McLaren in the making of his three dance films: Pas de deux, Ballet Adagio and Narcissus.
JEAN-PAUL LADOUCEUR (1921 – 1992)
Jean-Paul Ladouceur, a graduate of l'École des beaux-arts de Montréal, was one of the first young artists hired by Norman when he founded the NFB Animation Studio in January 1943. He would become famous as one of the two protagonists, along with Grant Munro, in McLaren's celebrated Neighbours. He held many positions at the National Film Board of Canada and CBC Radio-Canada, including animator, designer, presenter and screenwriter and was also a celebrated visual artist.
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GRANT MUNRO (1923 – 2017) Grant Munro was a Canadian filmmaker and animator. He was a protégé of Norman McLaren and collaborated closely with him on several of his films, most famously in Neighbours where he played one of the two protagonists. He was one of the earliest and longest-serving members of the National Film Board of Canada, making films full of innovation and wit, which have influenced other filmmakers. Top: Guy Glover (c. 1980s). Photo by Ron Diamond. Bottom: Jean-Paul Ladouceur and Grant Munro on the set of Neighbours (1952). Photos courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.