Alexander Cann
Canadian Australian actor and filmmaker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander Howard Ross Cann (January 8, 1903 – December 21, 1977) was a Canadian actor and journalist known for his role in documenting the 1945 New Guinea Gremlin Special rescue.
Alexander Cann | |
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| Born | January 8, 1903 Nova Scotia |
| Died | December 21, 1977 (aged 74) Sydney, NSW |
| Other names | Alexander Cross |
| Occupations | actor, journalist |
| Spouse | June Dunlop Cann |
| Children | 3 |
Cann was born in Nova Scotia to Mabel Ross Cann and H. V. Cann.[1]: 250 He attended the Royal Naval College of Canada and studied structural engineering at Columbia University. Finding a shortage of work, he moved from New York City to Hollywood and found acting work in the mid-1930s under the stage name Alexander Cross.[1]: 251 He joined the Royal Canadian Navy and was injured on his way to the South Pacific. While he was recovering in Australia, he got a job with the Netherlands-Indies Information Service as a war correspondent.[1]: 254
Cann parachuted into the Baliem Valley, his first ever parachute jump, with a film camera.[2][3] He lived with the survivors and their rescuers for twelve days in order to document the rescue on behalf of his employer's Film and Photo Unit.[4] Cann's short film Rescue from Shangri-La includes staged scenes as well as documentary footage of the indigenous Dani people.[1]: 259
Cann was a film and television actor whose last role was in a 1970 film about Ned Kelly.[5]