Alexander Cann
BornJanuary 8, 1903
Nova Scotia
DiedDecember 21, 1977(1977-12-21) (aged 74)
Sydney, NSW
Other namesAlexander Cross
Occupation(s)actor, journalist
SpouseJune Dunlop Cann
Children3

Alexander Howard Ross Cann (January 8, 1903 – December 21, 1977) was a Canadian actor and journalist known for his role in documenting the 1945 New Guinea Gremlin Special rescue.

Cann was born in Nova Scotia to Mabel Ross Cann and H. V. Cann.[1]: 250  He attended the Royal Naval College of Canada and studied structural engineering at Columbia University. Finding a shortage of work, he moved from New York City to Hollywood and found acting work in the mid-1930s under the stage name Alexander Cross.[1]: 251  He joined the Royal Canadian Navy and was injured on his way to the South Pacific. While he was recovering in Australia he got a job with the Netherlands-Indies Information Service as a war correspondent.[1]: 254 

Cann parachuted into the Baliem Valley, his first ever parachute jump, with a film camera.[2][3] He lived with the survivors and their rescuers for twelve days in order to document the rescue on behalf of his employer's Film and Photo Unit.[4] Cann's short film Rescue from Shangri-La includes staged scenes as well as documentary footage of the indigenous Dani people.[1]: 259 

Cann was a film and television actor whose last role was in a 1970 film about Ned Kelly.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Zuckoff, Mitchell (2011). Lost In Shangri-La. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0061988349.
  2. ↑ Cann, Alexander (July 2, 1945). "Evidence of Warfare Found in "Shangri-La" by Witer". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, VA. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  3. ↑ Selcer, Richard F. (2022-02-05). "This 1945 New Guinea Plane Crash Survivor Became Known As The 'Queen of Shangri-La'". HistoryNet. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  4. ↑ "AN EPIC RESCUE--SCENES FROM THE VALLEY OF "SHANGRI-LA," NEW GUINEA". The Examiner (Tasmania). Vol. CIV, no. 98. Tasmania, Australia. 4 July 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 26 March 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ "Canadian-born actor dies in Australia". Vancouver Sun. Vancouver, BC. December 22, 1977. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
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