 He pursued a career in the arts, studying dance and acting, and had significant success as an actor before turning to writing.He was part of the original Stratford Festival company in the 1950s, acting alongside Alec Guinness, and appeared in the first production of Thornton Wilder's "The Matchmaker" at the Edinburgh Festival.He also played Peter Pupkin in "Sunshine Sketches", the CBC Television adaptation of Stephen Leacock's "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town".