Jan Rubes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jan Rubes (born 6 June 1920) is a Canadian bass singer and actor.
Born in Czechoslovakia, at the end of World War II he graduated from the Prague Conservatoire and joined the Prague Opera House as a bass singer. In 1948 he won first prize at the Geneva International Music Festival, and emigrated to Canada at the end of the year to pursue a career in a wider sphere.
Beginning as a singer with the Canadian Opera Company, he subsequently directed and became director of touring, before switching to radio and television, where he became known as an actor and presenter well known in Canada.
He came to more general notice with a fine portrayal of an Amish patriarch in Peter Weir's film Witness.
In 1995, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.
