Tom Kneebone Fonds (University of Guelph)

In 1987 Kneebone took over the artistic directorship of "The Smile Theatre Company". Within his second year as the Artistic Director, The Smile Theatre Company was awarded the prestigious Brenda Donahue Award for distinguished contribution and achievement within the Toronto theatre community. Tom Kneebone passed away on November 15, 2003.

He is the recipient of the Order of Ontario, The Order of Canada, The Queen's Jubilee Medal, the ACTRA Award, the Toronto Telegram Award, the Theatre Plus Award for Best Performer, and the Arts and Letter's Club Award.

His directorial credits include the Canadian Premiere production of "Brighton Beach Memoirs", and the international twenty-fifth anniversary production of "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris" at Massey Hall.

On the concert stage he has narrated, "Carnival of the Animals", "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, "A Child's Christmas in Wales", with the Festival Singers and Edith Sitwell's "Faȧde", with Lois Marshall.

As a writer he has created and devised the following theatre pieces: "Noel and Gertie", "Hey Porter!", "Gilbert & Sullivan Tonight", "A Little Street Music", "A Child's Christmas in Brockville (Parts 1 & 2)", "Songs My Mother Taught Me", "Jenny Lind", and for CBC Arts National has written and narrated, "Noel Coward ¡ A Portrait", "The American Theatre Music of Kurt Weill", "Billie's Babes" and "Kneebone and Christie".

His innumerable television appearances embrace hosting a seventeen part series "Fantastica" for Columbia's Screen Gems, network dramatic and variety shows ranging from Shaw's "Major Barbara", to his own one-man show, and films that include: "The Luck of Ginger Coffey", "Triangle" (which won an award at the San Francisco Film Festival), "The Road to Avonlea" and "The Housekeeper".

His enduring partnership with Dinah Christie has resulted in a broad spectrum of national appearances from cabarets to concert halls with the leading symphony orchestras. In Toronto he has performed with Miss Christie at Massey Hall, Roy Thomson Hall and the Imperial Room at the Royal York Hotel.

With these kudos behind him, he has established himself as the country's foremost cabaret performer in "Oh Coward!", "That Hamilton Woman", "Up Tempo", "Suddenly This Summer", "Ding Dong at the Dell", "The Hollywood Blues", "Spring Thaw", "The Apple Tree", "Gilbert and Sullivan Tonight", "T.K.'s Kabaret", "The Kneebone Collection" and "Noel and Gertie".

His major theatre credits include "Misalliance", with Zoe Caldwell, Peter in "Peter Pan", Babs in "Charley's Aunt", Hans in "Hans Christian Anderson" with Veronica Tennant, the M.C. in "Cabaret", Terri Denis in "Privates on Parade", Henry in "My Fat Friend" with Rita Tushingham, and at the Stratford Festival as the Dauphin in "St. Joan", Feste in "Twelfth Night" and Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn.

Tom Kneebone has appeared with the London Old Vic, The Stratford Festival, The Shaw Festival, the Canadian Opera Company, the National Ballet of Canada. The National Tap Dance Company, The Charlottetown Festival, on Broadway and countless radio and television productions, distinguishing himself as one of Canada's leading performers in the classical and musical theatre.