William Fruet

William Fruet (born January 1, 1933)

Early life and education Fruet was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, and graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1952. He worked for the CBC as an actor and photographer. He appeared Drylanders (1963), the National Film Board’s first English-language feature film. Between 1962 and 1963, Fruet studied directing at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and worked as an industrial filmmaker.

Career Fruet began his filmmaking career in Canada after meeting fellow UCLA alumnus Donald Shebib at the CBC. which was a critical and commercial success and is considered a landmark Canadian film. This film has been designated and preserved as a "masterwork" by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada. His other screenwriting credits include Rip-Off (directed by Shebib) and Slipstream.

His directorial debut was the 1972 film Wedding in White. Based on Fruet's play of the same name, the film stars Carol Kane as a teenager in rural Ontario during World War II, who is forced to marry her rapist after he impregnates her. The play and film was based on a real woman Fruet met in his youth, who had been forced to marry an older man by her parents in the same circumstances. The film received critical acclaim, and won Best Motion Picture at the 24th Canadian Film Awards. He co-created the television series Code Name: Eternity.

Filmography Film Year Title Notes 1972 Wedding in White Canadian Film Award - Best Picture 1976 Death Weekend Also known as: The House by the Lake 1979 Search and Destroy 1980 Cries in the Night Also known as: Funeral Home 1982 Trapped Also known as: Baker County, U.S.A 1983 Spasms 1984 Bedroom Eyes 1986 Killer Party 1987 Blue Monkey 2000 Dear America: A Line in the Sand Short film

TV series

TV movies Brothers by Choice (1986) The Royal Diaries: Isabel - Jewel of Castilla (2000) Imaginary Playmate (2006) The Egg Factory (2008) Matty Hanson and the Invisibility Ray (2011)