Murray Westgate (April 16, 1918 – August 27, 2018) was a Canadian actor."DIDN'T YOU USE TO BE...? MURRAY WESTGATE: Canada's most famous Esso dealer never pumped a gallon". The Globe and Mail, September 18, 1987. He is best known for his longtime role as a television pitchman in Canadian commercials for Esso on Hockey Night in Canada in the 1950s and 1960s, and also for his roles in Blue City Slammers, for which he garnered a Genie Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor at the 9th Genie Awards in 1988, and in the film adaptation of Two Solitudes, in which he portrayed the Prime Minister of Canada."Westgate, Murray (1918- )". Canadian Communications Foundation, November 2002.
Early life Before becoming an actor, Westgate served as a radio operator in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II."Veterans at Sunnybrook show us how to age gracefully". The Globe and Mail, December 5, 2013. He then moved to Vancouver to join Everyman Theatre as an actor, before joining CBC Radio as an actor in radio dramas.
Career Westgate began appearing in Esso commercials in 1952, when the company signed on as the main commercial sponsor of Hockey Night in Canada, and retained this role until 1968.
He also had roles in the television series Jake and the Kid, R.C.M.P., Seaway, House of Pride and Seeing Things, and had some guest and supporting roles in television and theatrical films, but found that he sometimes lost out on roles because he was too recognisably typecast by the Esso commercials. He won an ACTRA Award in 1979 for his performance in the CBC Television film Tyler."CBC scores landslide in ACTRA awards". The Globe and Mail, April 5, 1979.
He was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2002.
Westgate's final acting job was in 1991, at the age of 72, a reprise of his Esso attendant character for two commercials aired by Imperial Oil during that year's Stanley Cup playoffs. The spots featured both a black-and-white clip of one of his original Esso ads and newly recorded footage."Service with a smile". Financial Post, April 5, 1991.
Westgate turned 100 on April 16, 2018. He died on August 27, 2018, at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto, where he had lived for more than a decade.
Personal life Westgate was married to actress Alice Hill until her death in 1983.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1957 A Dangerous Age Police Officer 1959 A Cool Sound from Hell Police Officer 1961 Jake and the Kid Jake 1969 The First Time Customs Officer Uncredited1969 Change of Mind Judge Stanton 1970 Homer Mr. Cochran 1972 The Rowdyman Mr. Lowe 1973 Class of '44 Principal 1973 Our Ms. Hammond 1974 To Kill the King Vincent O'Connell 1974 Sunday in the Country Conway 1977 Rituals Pilot 1978 Two Solitudes Prime Minister 1978 Tyler 1979 Running Mr. Finlay 1979 Fish Hawk Billie Firman 1979 Bye, See You Monday Pere de Lucie 1980 The Kidnapping of the President Archie Standler 1981 Happy Birthday to Me Gatekeeper 1981 Threshold Lecture Host 1981 Silence of the North Dr. Miller 1984 Heavenly Bodies Coach Hudson 1988 Blue City Slammers Bill 1991 Scanners II: The New Order George Kellum (final film role)
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