Bill Marantz was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1935, when Adolph Hitler was planning to conquer the world and the sun was in the constellation of "The Virgin". Virgo is a mutable sign and "Velvel" has lived up to his birthright. During his sojourn on the planet he has been (often simultaneously) a lawyer, judge, columnist, movie critic, freelance broadcaster and movie actor. He has written radio and television dramas, screenplays, and a mystery thriller. Yet, at the age of 82, the only money he has was inherited from his father, the rag merchant. He's been married to the love of his life for over 60 years, has 4 sons, 9 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren, most of whom tolerate him. He's led a charmed life and has lived long enough to hear a total stranger refer to one the plays he had written for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) as "the best thing I've ever heard on the radio" and one his grandchildren refer to him as an "effing ahole," using the genuine slang, not the euphemism. (Girls will be girls, but she was a married woman with a 7 year old child). Love him or hate him, Bill Marantz will never bore you. At least not deliberately.