Toller Cranston

Toller Shalitoe Montague Cranston was a Canadian figure skater and painter born on April 20, 1949, and passed away on January 24, 2015. He was known for his impressive achievements in figure skating, winning the Canadian national championships from 1971 to 1976. During his career, he earned a bronze medal at the 1974 World Championships and another bronze medal at the 1976 Olympic Games.

Although Toller never won the top prize at the World Figure Skating Championships because his compulsory figures scores were not strong enough, he did win small medals for his free skating performances in 1972 and 1974. Many people believe that Toller brought a new kind of art and beauty to men's figure skating with his unique style and grace on the ice.

Personal life

Toller Cranston was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1949 and grew up in Kirkland Lake. When he was 11, his family moved to suburban Montreal. He had a difficult relationship with his mother, who was also a painter. After finishing high school, he studied at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal but decided to focus on becoming a professional artist.

In 1976, Cranston worked with his manager Elva Oglanby to write his first book, Toller. He also wrote other books about his life, sharing his experiences and thoughts in a fun and honest way.

Artistic career

After finishing his studies, Cranston began working as an artist and earned enough to pay for his skating. His first art show was held at his coach Ellen Burka’s home in 1969. In 1971, he had a very successful solo show in Toronto after almost a year of work. From then on, he showed his art in galleries and museums all over the world, with more than 250 exhibitions.

Skating career

Toller Cranston began skating when he was just seven years old after his parents gave him hockey skates. Though his mother was unsure about him taking skating seriously, a coach named Eva Vasak saw his talent and began teaching him for free when he was eleven.

Despite getting an illness that made doctors think he’d never skate again, Toller kept training and won his first big junior competition in 1964. He later faced challenges but improved greatly when he started working with coach Ellen Burka. Though he wasn’t always great at certain skating skills, he became famous for his creative and exciting free skating performances. He was known for his unique spins, jumps, and artistic style.

Toller won many awards, including national titles from 1971 to 1976, a bronze medal at the 1974 World Championships, and a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics. After stopping competitive skating, he performed in shows like “The Ice Show” on Broadway and toured with “Holiday on Ice.” He also appeared in television specials and continued skating professionally until he retired in 1997.