Allan Royal

Allan Royal (born August 17, 1944) is a Montreal-born actor, who is also sometimes credited as Allan G. Royal and Alan Royal. He is known for playing the crime reporter Tom Kirkwood on the hit Canadian police drama Night Heat from 1985–1989. He is also known for his recurring role on such programs as the American TV drama Falcon Crest as well as roles in numerous other TV shows, movies, and plays. 2Early career Royal grew up in a bilingual home: his father was a French Canadian and his mother was of British ancestry. He grew up in Montreal's West End, where from the time he was a boy, he wanted to be in show business. He began performing while still in high school, and ultimately left Montreal to study acting in New York with Lee Strasberg. He returned to Canada, performing on stage in Toronto beginning in the mid-1960s. He joined the Toronto Arts Production theater company, where he played a wide range of roles throughout the 1970s, in new plays as well as productions of Shakespeare and Moliere. 2Television and movie career In 1985, Royal joined the cast of a new television production, Night Heat, which aired on both Canadian and American TV. Night Heat also starred Canadian actors Scott Hylands and Jeff Wincott. Royal's character, Tom Kirkwood, wrote a column about crime, and he also was the narrator, doing a voice-over at the beginning and a concluding thought at the end of each episod