Tom Kneebone

Who was Tom Kneebone?

Tom Kneebone, CM OOnt was a Canadian cabaret performer and actor.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Kneebone went to England to study at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He moved to Canada in 1963 and performed in various revues in Toronto and across Canada for decades, often with onstage partner Dinah Christie. Kneebone was also a performer at the Shaw Festival and the Stratford Festival of Canada. He became artistic director of the Smile Theatre Company in 1987, writing and directing performances at health care facilities and senior citizens' homes.

In early 2003, he was named a member of both the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario. Kneebone's Order of Canada honour was in recognition of being a "multi-talented performer who has had a long and eclectic career" while his Order of Ontario honour was for having "brought joy to the lives of thousands of seniors confined to nursing homes and long-term care facilities through live theatre".

Kneebone died later that year at age 71.