One of the most iconic villains in the history of television, the
enigmatic Cigarette Smoking Man fascinated legions of fans of the 1990s'
hit TV series, The X-Files. Best known as "Cancerman," he was voted
Television's Favourite Villain by the readers of TV Guide. The man
behind the villain, William B. Davis, is a Canadian actor and director,
whose revelations in this memoir will entertain and intrigue the
millions of X-Files aficionados worldwide. But there is more to Davis's
story than just The X-Files. Davis's extensive acting experience began
when he was a child in Ontario in the 1950s, and grew to encompass
radio, theatre, film, and television. At the University of Toronto,
where he graduated with a degree in philosophy, he turned his hand to
directing, a move that took him to theatre school in Britain and a
directing career. There, he reconnected with his undergraduate
colleague, Donald Sutherland, and worked at the National Theatre, with
such notables as Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Maggie Smith, and Albert
Finney. Those who love the theatre will delight in his recollections of
the Straw Hat Players in Ontario or the trials and tribulations of an
artistic director of repertory theatre in Dundee, Scotland, or his
valiant attempt to create a theatre in Quebec devoted to the Canadian
repertoire. Those who love history will relive with Davis those "golden
years" of Canadian radio drama and theatre, not to mention enjoying an
inside look at the National Theatre School of Canada where he directed
the English Acting Program in the '60s. Those who love a bit of
scandalous gossip will not be disappointed. Written in an easy
conversational style, this memoir truly is "The Musings of the Cigarette
Smoking Man" - as William B. Davis reflects on his loves, his losses,
his hopes, his fears, and his accomplishments in this unique and
engaging autobiography.
