Les Stroud facts for kids

Les Stroud, born on October 20, 1961, is a Canadian expert in survival skills. He is also a filmmaker and musician. Many people know him as the person who created, wrote, produced, directed, filmed, and hosted the TV show Survivorman. On November 22, 2021, Scouts Canada named Stroud their Chief Scout.

Before becoming famous, Stroud worked behind the scenes in the music business. Later, he became a full-time wilderness guide, survival teacher, and musician. He lives in Huntsville, Ontario. Stroud has made survival shows for channels like The Outdoor Life Network, The Discovery Channel, The Science Channel, and YTV. Many people have said that watching Stroud's TV shows helped them survive dangerous situations in the wilderness.

Les Stroud's Early Life and Career

Stroud was born in the Mimico area of Toronto. He finished high school at Mimico High School. After that, he studied Music Industry Arts at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. For several years, Stroud worked at MuchMusic, a music video channel in Toronto. He also wrote songs for the band New Regime.

A canoe trip to Temagami changed his career path. During this time, he also worked as a garbage collector for the City of Toronto.

Becoming a Wilderness Guide

In 1990, Stroud started working as a guide for Black Feather Wilderness Adventures. He led canoe trips into the wild areas of Northern Ontario. While on a survival course, he met Sue Jamison, who would become his wife. She was a photographer. They married in 1994.

After their wedding, they spent a year living in the remote Wabakimi area of Ontario. This experience became the basis for their documentary called Snowshoes and Solitude. Later, the couple moved to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. There, Stroud taught outdoor skills to young people with special needs. Stroud and Jamison then settled in Huntsville, Ontario. They had two children and started two companies: Wilderness Voice, which taught outdoor skills, and Wilderness Spirit Productions, a media company.

Creating Survivorman

The TV show Survivor was very popular. Stroud had an idea for a more real version of a survival show. He presented his idea to The Discovery Channel Canada. In 2001, Stroud made two shows for @discovery.ca. They were called One Week in the Wilderness and Winter in the Wilderness. These specials were very successful. This led to the creation of Survivorman.

Survivorman followed a similar idea. Stroud would go into the wilderness alone with very little equipment. He would film his own survival experience.

Les Stroud's Film and Television Work

After marrying Sue Jamison in 1994, they spent a year living in the Canadian wilderness. They tried to live like people did in the Paleolithic age. They went to Goldsborough Lake, deep in the Wabakimi area. First, they built a tipi, then an attached A-frame. They used no metal, plastic, or factory-made tools. For the first six months, they brought traditional foods like wild rice, squash, beaver and moose meat, bear fat, and maple sugar. In late September, friends brought them food for the next six months. They also brought chopped firewood. Stroud and Jamison built a winter cabin. They used an axe, a modern bow saw, and a trapper's tin wood stove. They also found a metal pot.

They had to leave the wilderness three times for family or health reasons. Once, Stroud's father was very ill. Another time, they both needed treatment for a stomach illness. Stroud filmed their experience of living in a primitive way. He released a 50-minute documentary called Snowshoes and Solitude. This film won "Best Documentary" at the Muskoka Film Festival. It also won "Best Film" at the Waterwalker Film Festival.

From Specials to Survivorman Series

In 2001, Stroud made two one-hour specials for the science news show @discovery.ca. These shows were like Survivorman. Stroud filmed himself surviving in the wilderness. They first aired as daily segments over a week. Later, they were put together as two one-hour specials called Stranded. These popular pilot shows led to the creation of Survivorman. Stroud made 23 episodes of the show, which started airing in 2004. Stroud also wrote and performed the opening music for Survivorman.

In 2006, Stroud made a 90-minute special. It showed his family building an off-the-grid home. The show, Off the Grid with Les Stroud, showed them buying land and fixing up an old farmhouse. They added solar and wind power, a raincatcher, and a well. The show also covered how the Stroud family adjusted to this way of living. Stroud has appeared on many TV shows. These include The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The View, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Larry King Live.

Stroud also hosted an episode of the Discovery Channel show I Shouldn't Be Alive. It was called Lost In The Snow. He also hosted the TV program Surviving Urban Disasters on the Science Channel. He was also part of the 20th annual Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.

Later TV Projects

In 2010, Stroud hosted and produced the popular kids' TV series Survive This and Survive This 2. These shows aired on YTV and Cartoon Network. They took teenagers into the wilderness to teach them survival skills. The teens learned some skills and then faced survival challenges. Stroud's next show after Survivorman was called Beyond Survival with Les Stroud. It started in 2010.

On April 27, 2018, National Geographic aired Stroud's show Alaska's Grizzly Gauntlet on their NGW channel. In four episodes, Stroud explored how Kodiak brown bears survive. He also looked at how they live together. Since 2020, Stroud has worked with chef Paul Rogalski on their PBS series Wild Harvest. In this show, Stroud searches for wild ingredients. He then challenges Rogalski to use them to make different dishes in each episode.

Les Stroud's Music Career

Besides making films and teaching survival, Stroud has also worked as a professional musician. After college, Stroud worked as an associate producer for the new music channel MuchMusic. He was also a production manager for music videos for bands like Rush and Corey Hart. During this time, Stroud played in a David Bowie cover band called Diamond Dogs. He also played lead guitar and wrote music for his own band, New Regime. This band signed with RCA Records shortly after Stroud left.

In his show Survivorman, Stroud often shows his skill as a blues harmonica player. The harmonica is a big part of his first CD, which is self-titled. This album has been described as "a collection of diverse roots/blues and traditional folk, acoustic music that reflects the uniquely northern spirit of freedom and adventure." You can download some songs from this album on his official website. Stroud has performed in the Muskoka area. He has also played at the Orillia Blues Festival and the Toronto Beaches International Jazz Festival.

Stroud and The Northern Pikes have also worked together on music. They formed a group called Les Stroud and the Pikes. They performed live together several times in 2005 and 2006. An EP (a short album) from this collaboration, called Long Walk Home, was released in the spring of 2007.

Awards and Recognition

Stroud has received several awards for his music. He won "Best Acoustic/Folk Act," "Best Blues Act," and "Best Overall" awards at the Spirit of the North music festival in New Liskeard, Ontario.

His documentary Snowshoes and Solitude was named "Best Documentary" at the Muskoka Film Festival. It also won "Best Film" at the Waterwalker Film Festival.

Stroud was nominated for six Gemini Awards for his work on Survivorman. In 2010, Stroud and his production team were nominated for "Best Children's or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series" for Survive This.

Personal Life

Stroud has a lot of experience with survival and primitive living skills. He first learned from expert David Arama. He then studied with many others, including John "Prairie Wolf" McPherson.

Stroud has also actively participated in adventure racing. He has competed in the Canadian championships.

In late 2008, Stroud and his wife, Sue Jamison, separated.