In the mid-1950s, five visionary actors – Jane Mallett, Barbara Hamilton, Donald Davis, Barry Morse, and William Needles – each put a symbolic $1 into a pot and launched the Actors’ Fund of Canada. In the words of Jane Mallett, who became our Founding President, the organization was created so “that we could better look after those in need in the theatrical profession, either visitors or residents in Canada.”

After a series of benefit performances at the Crest Theatre, the Actors’ Fund of Canada was incorporated on May 27th, 1958, to “care for the aged, sick, and destitute.” The scope of the organization was not confined to any one branch of the entertainment business. Rather, it was “designed to help anyone, anywhere, who has ever been engaged in any branch of the entertainment industry,” a commitment held dear ever since. Jane Mallett remained its President until her death in 1984.