Harold Greenberg

Greenberg died in 1996 and his brother, Ian Greenberg, took his place as CEO of Astral.

Greenberg was also a noted philanthropist and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1992, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec and a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur.[1]

Greenberg recognized that there was a demand for well-written Canadian scripts, but insufficient resources in order to fund them. In April 1986, he established The FUND (Foundation to Underwrite New Drama). In 1996, after his death, it was renamed The Harold Greenberg Fund. The French-language program, Le Fonds Harold Greenberg, was also established.

Astral slowly evolved into a pure play media company and expanded through the acquisition of pay television channels, such as First Choice and The Movie Network. It would go on to become a leader in the field. Greenberg went on to produce Porky's franchise, one of the most successful Canadian films, spawning three sequels: Porky's II: The Next Day (1983), Porky's Revenge! (1985), and Pimpin' Pee Wee (2009). He also produced the critically acclaimed The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.

He was a producer, known for Porky's (1981), The Neptune Factor (1973) and The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976).

Greenberg got his start in film working in his uncle's second-hand camera store when he was thirteen. He eventually set up his own film and photography company, obtaining the exclusive rights to footage from 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known in Montreal. In 1973 he acquired Astral Communications and subsequently combined it with his own company Ann Green Photos, named after his mother Ann Greenberg. Soon thereafter, it became one of the leading film production companies in Canada.

Harold Greenberg was born on January 11, 1930 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.