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Twice in A Lifetime

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“Twice in A Lifetime” is an inspiring and provocative series that taps into a universal fantasy: to be given a second chance to fix an error of the past. Every episode features a guest star playing a flawed person who dies suddenly. Waiting for him or her on the other side are two celestial figures: a guide, Mr. Jones (Gordie Brown), and Judge Othniel (Al Waxman), who offers the person a chance to return to earth and to a time when they went astray. Accompanied by Mr. Jones, the character has three days to cajole his younger self to not make the same mistake.

More about Al Waxman (courtesy of Northernstars.ca):

It was in London that Al Waxman landed his first role in a movie. “The War Love,” which starred Steve McQueen was the start of Waxman’s career and it was, almost predictably, ignored in his hometown. He returned to Toronto but not for long. Following the death of his mother he headed south to Hollywood. Growing up in a “restaurantfamily” came in handy. While fruitlessly knocking on doors and trying to make connections he was forced to take anything just to stay in Hollywood.

Although he never had to resort to “parking cars or pumping gas” as the song says, he has written about taking a job as a short order cook at Barney’s Beanery. Hollywood is where Waxman learned that “making it” was going to be an ongoing effort. And so he returned to Canada more determined than ever to find that elusive break his career desperately needed. He didn’t know it at the time but the role that was waiting for him was “The King of Kensington.” Co-starring the timing of the series was perfect, seeming to answer the growing demand for a truly Canadian sitcom.

Although he had been in a few movies before “The King of Kensington,” his career began to move into high gear when the highly acclaimed series came to an end. In 1981 he appeared in the made-for-television movie “Cagney & Lacey” which was a pilot for a new series. The series was picked up and Waxman became a regular, appearing in 125 episodes, which also featured another Canadian actor, Harvey Atkin. This much-needed US exposure brought him the first of a long series of film offers and he worked steadily right up until his death finishing a project just two days before entering hospital. One of his last big screen efforts was in Norman Jewison’s film, “The Hurricane” where he played the role of the prison warden.

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