Murdoch Mysteries director Gary Harvey finds power in being open about his invisible disability
Eight years ago he lost his tongue to cancer. Now he advocates for others in the industry.
I met Gary Harvey in 2022 at the Content Canada Conference. We were both there as delegates of the newly-launched Disability Screen Office. I was in the midst of directing Push, a disability-centred doc-series for CBC and Gary was directing episodes of Murdoch Mysteries. As like-minded people, with varying levels of invisible disability, we hit it off. When Gary mentioned he was looking for a new assistant, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to shadow someone with his wealth of experience.
Gary began directing 27 years ago and continues to find inspiration in the complete, story world-building offered by this type of TV series work; he loves colouring within the lines, while simultaneously challenging the boundaries of the format and its beloved characters, to build upon their best work. This will be his seventh season with the Murdoch Mysteries team since 2015. His passion for directing hasn't wavered, but recently he's been finding a deeper connection with his work.
Eight years ago, Gary's life irrevocably changed when he lost his tongue to cancer and with it, his primary tool as a director, his voice. While he never actually lost his ability to speak — a common misconception given his amputation — his ability to enunciate and produce key sounds has been forever altered, permanently impairing his speech. His disability not only affected his daily life — eating is both a chore and time-consuming obsession for him now — but it also threatened his ability to convey his creative vision.
Gary's confidence was shaken, but through intense efforts and frequent frustrations, he was able to adapt, relearning how best to speak but it's still a daily struggle. "Without a tongue, my peers, friends and family all experience different levels of 'severity' when it comes to my disability," says Gary. " Any disconnect on either side of the participant equation can sometimes cause the severity to compound."
Returning to work with a new disability
Gary was eager to return to work when his longtime collaborator and colleague, Peter Mitchell (Murdoch Mysteries' showrunner), reached out. "In my darkest place, Peter stood up for me and gave me some hope. He stood by his commitment and brought me in."
If I pretended this problem didn't exist officially, no one else would confront me about it directly. Looking back it was ridiculously silly.- Gary Harvey
"It was roughly seven months after surgery when I first came on board. In fact, my first episode of Murdoch aired on CBC one year and one day after my surgery." Looking back, it may have been too soon, but he desperately wanted to put his injury behind him.
Back at work, he tried to downplay his newly acquired disability. "If I pretended this problem didn't exist officially, no one else would confront me about it directly. Looking back it was ridiculously silly." In those early days, Gary says he began to realize that, as an able-bodied white male, he'd lived the majority of his life and career in the comfort of his privilege, something he had been becoming more aware of over time and through changes in his industry, but post-surgery he began to understand the limits of that privilege. Suddenly, when he opened his mouth to speak people weren't listening the way they used to.
I, too, have been struggling with my own relationship with disability for years. Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in my early 20s, I was warned by doctors and specialists to hide my diagnosis for fear of being passed over at work. It took me more than a decade before I could admit to close colleagues what I was dealing with. Even now, I say all of this with a keen awareness of the privilege that my invisible disability provides.
Over the last eight years, directing has changed for Gary but the accommodations he and others now make have improved his overall process. Pre-production and planning have become much more fruitful. Gary is able to introduce his disability to those who are unaware, allowing for more informed and nuanced communication with both cast and crew. And the addition of an assistant, who shadows Gary's process, echoing words or phrases where needed, and filling in verbal gaps that may have been missed, has been a welcome change.
While he has been working with an assistant on other projects, this is the first year he has included this accommodation in his role with Murdoch Mysteries. As his current assistant, I am the embodiment of that accommodation. "Having someone nearby, assisting my communication process has been invaluable. I won't do it any other way now. I also believe my relationship with an assistant has resulted in more robust storytelling. An assistant makes me better. A couple of like minds directed at the same purpose and supporting different aspects of that purpose is proving to be powerful."
In the last year, Gary has done a lot of work to understand his connection to disability and the disability community, finally claiming his disability proudly. "Since identifying as disabled, I'm continually surprised at the willingness of others to open up freely." This is something even Gary couldn't do before.
There is a lot to be done about disability representation and inclusion on and off-screen in Canada. Honestly, the work has barely begun but knowing that there are people with disabilities working in the industry like Gary Harvey, with a wealth of experience and knowledge to share, gives me and everyone in the disability community hope that we too can have meaningful careers in this industry in the future.
See Gary Harvey's latest directing work on Murdoch Mysteries on CBC Gem.