Toronto's 'Yorkville Swindler' — the story of con man Albert Rosenberg, in his own words
Albert Rosenberg is a life-long scam artist and an audacious entrepreneur.
For decades, he convinced banks, art galleries and elite investors in Canada and Europe that he was a sophisticated, cultured tycoon with millions to spend and endless business schemes. He also managed to sell this fabricated identity to his wives and girlfriends, until the multiple red flags became impossible to overlook.
How did he do it? And how did he get away with it for so long? In The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, Rosenberg tells his side of the story.
Inspired by the investigative journalism of writer Courtney Shea in Toronto Life magazine, the film explores a world where cheats and swindlers may be a dime a dozen, but true con artists — like Bernie Madoff, Anna Sorokin and Albert Rosenberg — are elegant artists of persuasion and exploiters of trust.
Through extraordinary and unprecedented interviews with Rosenberg himself, his daughter and his victims, the documentary brings viewers into the world of the con, examining the relationship between artist and victim.
In the tradition of programs like The Tinder Swindler, Catch Me if You Can and Inventing Anna, The Talented Mr. Rosenberg film is a revelatory look into our oh-so-susceptible selves and an investigation into the mind, motive and methods of a con artist — and his victims, including family and lovers, who fell for his cons over and over again.
Watch The Talented Mr. Rosenberg on The Passionate Eye: Friday, October 21 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT). Now streaming on CBC Gem.
