He was unmasked as Ferdinand Waldo Demara, who had purloined Cyr’s credentials and parlayed them into a naval appointment. His father, Ferdinand Waldo Sr., worked as a motion picture operator. Ferdinand Waldo Demara was born on 21st December 1921 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in the United States. Demara apparently studied up on the necessary techniques by reading text books and relying on the help of his Sick Berth Attendant, plus generous supplies of anesthetic and antibiotics. Click to open the map in a new window. Our editors have rounded up their most anticipated horror movies of the year. First shown as a school teacher placed under arrest by state troopers, the story recounts how the untrained, uneducated, yet brilliant young man, Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Jr., assumes the identity of a college professor, Trappist monk, prison warden and surgeon in the Canadian navy. During Demara's 'careers', his impersonations included a ship's doctor, a civil engineer, a sheriff's deputy, an assistant prison warden, … The family were fairly well off when he was born, but his father lost a lot of money in the Great Depression and the family had to move to a poor neighbourhood. He was an audacious fake and a master deceiver, and he remains one of the most intriguing figures in Canada’s naval history. Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr., the inspiration for the movie ''The Great Impostor,'' who spent much of his life pretending to be somebody else, is dead … Posing as Cyr, he performed numerous minor surgeries, including dental work on the infected tooth of CAYUGA’s commander, Captain James Plomer. Ferdinand Demara, Jr. was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on December 21, 1921. Demara, known locally as 'Fred', was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1921, at 40 Texas Avenue in the lower southwest Tower Hill Neighborhood. I would have just left at that point.’ ”, To confirm if we are open, please call (250) 363-5655 or (250) 363-4312, PO Box 17000 Stn Forces Ferdinand “Waldo” Demara, an American by birth, joined the Royal Canadian Navy in March 1951. This last escapade resulted in arrest and six months in prison. His father, Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Sr. was born in Rhode Island and worked in Lawrence’s old Theatre District as a motion picture operator. Find the perfect Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Talk:Ferdinand Waldo Demara. SNAC is a discovery service for persons, families, and organizations found within archival collections at cultural heritage institutions. Peter Godwin Chance, who sailed with Demara and once had an infected toe treated by the bogus physician, remembers him as an “affable” man, “…always the life of the party, [though he] neither drank alcohol nor smoked cigarettes.”, When asked to describe his motives, Demara is said to have responded: “Rascality, pure rascality.”. Early Life: Demara, known locally as "Fred", was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1921, at 40 Texas Avenue in the lower southwest Tower Hill Neighborhood. In fact, his … He may have suffered from an illness. Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. (21 dhjetor 1921 - 7 qershor 1982), i njohur si 'Mashtruesi i Madh', i cili u shtir si shumë njerëz si murg, kirurg, roje i burgut etj. Following a commando-style raid off the west coast of Korea, three seriously wounded casualties — all South Korean guerillas – were brought aboard CAYUGA. It's cut from the page, so I don't have the date, but the dateline for the obituary itself is "Anaheim, Calif., June 8," 1982. “Dr” Cyr was commissioned as a Surgeon-Lieutenant and assigned to the naval hospital in Halifax and subsequently to HMCS CAYUGA. Select from premium Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Jr of the highest quality. Little time was lost in processing this valuable recruit. Investigate and report. War correspondents had picked up the story of the CAYUGA medic and broadcast it far and wide. Social Networks and Archival Context. His father, View the profiles of people named Ferdinand Demara. The ship was sent north to assist in the defence of Tae Wa-Do, an offshore island about 25 miles east of the entrance mouth of the Yalu River, Korea. Although he soon left the monastic life, he reportedly later looked back on this time as the best in his life. Demara had no formal training in any of his many adopted careers as a psychologist, university lecturer, Trappist monk and prison warden, to name but a few. On his return to Canada, Demara was very quietly, and honourably, released from the service, issued re-hab and back pay plus active service credits in the amount of just under one thousand dollars. He was the subject of a movie, The Great Impostor, in which he was played by Tony Curtis. Ferdinand “Waldo” Demara, an American by birth, joined the Royal Canadian Navy in March 1951. The unbelievable hide-and-seek story mixes suspense with humor, as Demara attempts to outwit and … Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Jr. (December 21, 1921 – June 7, 1982), known as 'The Great Impostor', masqueraded as many people from monks to surgeons to prison wardens. Cyr aka Demara is said to have removed a bullet from a man’s chest and amputated a foot. Although an American by birth, he joined the Canadian Navy in March 1951. Those who knew Demara were quick to point out that Curtis’s movie star good looks in no way resembled Demara, who was beefy and not especially handsome. Using the name Joseph Cyr, he arrived at the recruiting office in Saint John, New Brunswick, and offered his professional services as a doctor. Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. finished his “career” with his real name as a counsellor at the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. Demara, known locally as 'Fred', was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1921, at 40 Texas Avenue in the lower southwest Tower Hill Neighborhood. Ferdinand “Fred” Waldo Demara Jr. wanted to be somebody — so he decided to be everybody. Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Jr. (December 21, 1921 – June 7, 1982), known as 'The Great Impostor', masqueraded as many people - from monks to surgeons to prison wardens. Demara wrote a book called "The Great Pretender" that detailed his adventures in posing as, and getting away with, people in various occupations in which he had no experience, such as a shipboard doctor. A Life magazine photo of Ferdinand Waldo Demara in 1952, not long after his masquerade as Dr. Joseph Cyr was exposed As the only 'surgeon' aboard, the … Victoria, BC V9A 7N2. Using the name Joseph Cyr, he arrived at the recruiting office in Saint John, New Brunswick, and offered his professional services as a doctor. “The RCN, thoroughly embarrassed by the entire affair, declined to prosecute Demara”, notes author Edward C. Meyers in his book about the Royal Canadian Navy in Korea, “Thunder in the Morning Calm”: “The whole episode, Ottawa decided, was best forgotten as quickly as possible. An enlistment process that should have taken months was completed in days. After three days locked in his cabin dosed on barbiturates, he was persuaded to come on deck, where he surrendered. The resilient Demara bounced back, going on to forge a series of new personas including law student, cancer researcher, deputy sheriff, and teacher. Introduction: Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Jr. (21 December 1921 – 7 June 1982), known as "the Great Impostor", was an infamous impersonator and conman. Ferdinand Waldo Demara (1921- June 8, 1982), known as "the Great Impostor", masqueraded as many people from monks to surgeons to prison wardens. Check out our editors' picks for the best movies and shows coming this month. He was then driven to the border and turned over to the United States Immigration Office at Blaine, Washington. Had the authorities found time to dig a little, they might have uncovered the doctor’s secret. This is a VERY interesting show featuring Ferdinand Demara, notorious "Great Imposter". Unlike other icons who have appeared on the front of Life magazine, Ferdinand Waldo Demara was not famed as an astronaut, actor, hero or politician. 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