Ken James 1934 - 2016

Prolific Canadian Actor

Canadian born of Welsh parents, Kenneth (“Ken”) James grew up in Toronto and was raised in Cabbagetown. He attended Lord Dufferin Public School and graduated from grade 8. At the ceremony he received a framed medal for being “the most popular student.”

Following graduation, he travelled to England to study at the London School Of Speech And Drama. When he returned to Toronto the next year, he joined The All About Us Theatre Bus Tour and travelled across Canada.

As a young man, he also worked on the railroad for six years. He spoke of the hard strong working men; some who thought he should not leave the railroad to pursue acting as he was giving up a good pension. Others cheered him on to follow his dream.

Ken was also a professional boxer. He fought on the first card that featured George Chuvalo.

Ken’s first break came in 1963 when he played the role of Lenny in Of Mice And Men at the Crest Theatre in Toronto.

For two years he was the leading man of Ottawa’s Town Theatre where he played in A Shot In The Dark, The Lion In Winter, Philadelphia, Here I Come, Death Of A Salesman, See How They Run and The Odd Couple. He also played Hank Webster in The Road To Avonlea and was in the cast of Canada’s first prime-time soap opera Riverdale that ran for three seasons on the CBC (1997-2000) in addition to other productions.

His best known films were Cinderella Man, Fly Away Home and The Shipping News.

During his prolific career of four decades, he appeared in more than one-hundred film and television roles and on CBC radio. He also performed in live on-stage productions across the country. He received several ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) Awards.

Ken James was an integral part of the growth of theatre in Toronto. He lived at an exciting time in Canadian theatre and he was proud of what it became. Unlike so many Canadian talents who gravitated elsewhere, he made his sole living working in Canada. He was proud to be Canadian and remained true to his country.