Kastner, John

John Kastner was a documentary filmmaker, producer, writer, actor and director. Born in Toronto, Canada, he began his career as a professional child actor and appeared in many TV and radio programs, including the CBC drama "The Offshore Island". He also produced, directed and wrote for a variety of television programs, including game shows ("Photo Finish"), variety shows ("Street Comedy", "Ask a Silly Question" and "90 Minutes Live") and a children's comedy ("Just Kidding"). Kastner is best known as an award-winning writer, producer and director of television documentaries for the CBC and CTV. These documentary projects predominantly pertain to prisoners, Canada's prison and parole systems as well as the personal struggles of those with life-threatening illnesses. Kastner's documentaries include "Prison Mother/Prison Daughter" (1986), "Romance with a Rapist" (1997), "Hunting Bobby Oatway" (1997), "House of Secrets" (1997), "Rage Against the Darkness" (2004), "Monster in the Family" (2006), "Monster in the Family: The Struggle Continues" (2007), "Life With Murder" (2010), "NCR: Not Criminally Responsible" (2013), and "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" (2014). He received Emmy Awards for three feature-length documentaries, "Four Women" (1978), "Fighting Back" (1982) and "The Lifer and the Lady" (1986). Kastner has also written, produced and directed a number of comic documentaries, including "Ask a Silly Question" (1998), "Somebody's Gotta Do It" (1999), "Chickens are People Too" (2000), and "Sinner in Paradise" (2007). He died on 21 November 2019.