Doug Falconer (Canadian football)
A Canadian football player who later forged a successful second act in Hollywood as a film producer and musician.
1952–2021 (age 69)·Canadian football player·Birthday: January 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Doug Falconer lived two distinct, successful lives: one on the gridiron and one in the glamour of Hollywood. The Vancouver native first made his name as a durable and versatile player in the Canadian Football League, primarily as a slotback and kick returner for the B.C. Lions. His athletic career was solid, but it was merely the opening act. After hanging up his cleats, Falconer channeled his drive into the entertainment industry, founding the production company Insight Film Studios. He proved to have a keen eye for marketable stories, producing a string of television movies and series that found consistent success, particularly on networks like Hallmark. Parallel to this, he nurtured a lifelong passion for music, writing, recording, and performing as a singer-songwriter. His journey from the muddy fields of the CFL to the soundstages of Los Angeles is a testament to versatile talent and entrepreneurial spirit.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Doug was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Doug Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Doug's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2021Died at 69
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
Key Achievements
- Played seven seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL), primarily for the B.C. Lions.
- Founded Insight Film Studios, a successful production company responsible for numerous TV movies and series.
- Produced popular Hallmark Channel films such as 'The Color of Rain' and 'Love on the Sidelines.'
- Released music as a recording artist, blending country and pop influences.
Did You Know?
He was a standout multi-sport athlete in college, also playing basketball for the University of British Columbia.
His production company was based in both Vancouver and Los Angeles.
He performed the theme song for several of the television movies he produced.
He was inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 1963 UBC Thunderbirds football team.
“I gave everything I had on the field, and then I gave everything I had on the set.”
