Life with Billy is a 1994 Canadian television film based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Brian Vallée. The film was nominated for five Gemini Awards, and won three.
The film begins with Jane Hurshman (Beatty) shooting her common-law husband Billy Stafford (McHattie) in his sleep, and then shows the resulting police investigation and trial, interspersed with flashbacks showing the domestic abuse that Stafford inflicted on Hurshman over the course of their relationship.
Cast
Nancy Beatty as Jane Hurshman
Stephen McHattie as Billy Stafford
Deb Allen as Mandy
Glenn Wadman as Ronnie Wamboldt
Matthew Ferguson as Allan Whynot
Joadi Newcomb as Dini Harrison
Nancy Marshall as Bernice Wamboldt
Tony Quinn as Cpl. Lawson
Richard Donat as Constable Snow
Awards
Won
Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series - Paul Donovan Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series - Stephen McHattie Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series - Nancy Beatty
Nominations
Gemini Award for Best TV Movie - Eric Jordan & Michael Donovan
Gemini Award for Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series - John Frizzell & Judith Thompson