Early years[edit]
Walker was born in Toronto, Ontario, on August 23, 1947, to Florence and Malcolm Walker.[1] He was raised in the east end of Toronto, which was considered a working-class neighbourhood.[2] This neighbourhood is what made him loyal to the city lifestyle, which is shown in his work later on in life.
He attended Riverdale Collegiate Institute but did not graduate from high school. After he dropped out of high school he worked a variety of different jobs, and while doing these jobs he had been writing many stories and poems.[2] When working at a job as a taxi driver he saw a pamphlet from the Factory Theatre Lab inviting scripts to be submitted.[3]
Career[edit]
Walker has written over 30 stage scripts and has also written many television shows, radio shows, and also some movies. Some of the television shows that he had written for were Due South, The Newsroom, This is Wonderland, The Line and Living in Your Car,[4] and the film Niagara Motel. Most of his screen projects are cowritten with Dani Romain.
Walker was first known for his playwriting.[5] In 1997, he published a cycle of six new plays, all of which took place in the same suburban motel room. He wrote plays for most of his career but since 2000 he has worked more in television and film.
In 2006, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2009, he received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts.[6]