Timothy Findley Research Paper

Born in October 30, 1930, Timothy Findley grew up in Rosedale area of Toronto, Ontario. Although his childhood was spent in a rich neighbourhood, the Findleys suffered a financial strain due to the Depression. As a child, Findley developed double mastoids, then pneumonia; he mostly stayed away from brutal plays, spending most of his time at home. Due to his sickness, it was natural for him to develop a solitary nature. Looking back, childhood was not the best time of his life for Timothy. By the age of seven or eight, Finley became aware that he was attracted to men and did not tell his parents until the age of fourteen. They initially responded with a sense of denial and tried with an effort to set him back to what they thought the appropriate track by introducing him to a number of girls. However, they …show more content…
His big acting hit came in 1953 when he got invited to audition by Tyrone Guthrie with the creation of a Shakespeare festival in Stratford. When the Stratford company was established, Findley took parts in the opening season’s 2 productions, playing Catesby in Richard III and a French officer in All’s Well That Ends Well. Working with Guthrie in Stratford was a thrilling experience for him, and Findley continued to keep in touch with the company even after he left later. There, he met Alec Guinness, the main actor of the festival, who was so impressed with him that he offered Findley a training at London’s Central School of Speech of Drama. For the subsequent 3 years, Findley worked as a contract actor. Later in England, he was suggested to try writing plays. He started with writing short stories while still acting. Though he was considered a good actor, he was not exceptional. When he moved to California, it was difficult to hunt for acting jobs, so he moved on to writing for Hollywood in the hopes of becoming a great scriptwriter. This was not successful and he returned to Toronto,