Keppie, George

George Keppie was born in Australia, but much of his success as a theatre manager was in Toronto. He first came to Toronto in 1921 after managing stock companies in the U.S. for several years. With an acting troupe headed by matinee idol Vaughan Glaser, he moved into the abandoned Loew's Uptown and converted it into a highly successful repertory theatre. In 1938, he became manager of the Empire Theatre, where he presented a group of young actors and actresses, including Jane Mallett, in small roles in a different play each week. He worked there until a heart condition forced him to to retire. He died in 1963.