Jan Rubeš
Jan Ladislav Rubeš CM (6 June 1920 – 29 June 2009) was a Czech-Canadian bass opera singer and actor.
Jan Rubeš
Photographer not credited · Radio-TV Mirror, January 1953 · Public domain
- Name
- Jan Rubeš
- Birth Name
- Jan Ladislav Rubeš
- Born
- 6 June 1920
- Birthplace
- Volyně, Czechoslovakia
- Died
- 29 June 2009
- Place of death
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Occupation
- Actor, opera singer
- Nationality
- Canada · Czechoslovakia
- Fields
- singing · film · television · acting
- Education
- Prague Conservatory
- Honours
- Member of the Order of Canada · Earle Grey Award
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Jan Ladislav Rubeš CM (6 June 1920 – 29 June 2009) was a Czech-Canadian bass opera singer and actor.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Jan Rubeš (1920–2009) was a Canadian and Czechoslovak actor, film actor and film director, among other activities. Born in Volyně, the actor died in Toronto.
Jan Rubeš studied at Prague Conservatory. The actor worked for University of Windsor. Jan Rubeš was active in acting, film and singing. The actor received Earle Grey Award and Member of the Order of Canada.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Jan Rubeš. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q187884 · wikipedia · Jan Rubeš
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Honorific Suffix — CM • Name — Jan Rubeš • Years Active — 1935–2006 • Birth Name — Jan Ladislav Rubeš • Born — 6 June 1920 • Birthplace — Volyně, Czechoslovakia • Died — 29 June 2009 • Place of death — Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Occupation — Actor, opera singer • Children — 3
Life and career
Life and career
• Illustration — Susan Douglas and Jan Rubeš singing Czech folk songs, 1953 Rubeš was born in Volyně, Czechoslovakia, to Ružena (née Kellnerová) and Jan Rubeš. Not long after 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 well known as an actor and presenter in Canada. He is noted for his portrayal of Amish patriarch Eli Lapp in Peter Weir's major-market film Witness and Jan in D2: The Mighty Ducks.
Family
Family
On 22 September 1950, Rubeš married actress Susan Douglas. The couple had three sons: Christopher (died 1996), Jonathan, and Anthony. They remained married until his death in 2009. He is the great-uncle of Czech YouTuber Janek Rubeš.
Death
Death
On 29 June 2009, Rubeš died following a stroke at Toronto General Hospital.
Motion pictures
Motion pictures
• 1950: Forbidden Journey - Jan Bartik • 1963: The Incredible Journey - Carl Nurmi • 1975: Lions for Breakfast - Ivan • 1980: Mr. Patman - Vrakettas • 1981: The Amateur - Kaplan • 1981: Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid - Psychiatrist • 1983: Utilities - Mort • 1985: Witness - Eli Lapp • 1985: One Magic Christmas - Santa Claus • 1987: Dead of Winter - Dr. Joseph Lewis • 1988: Blood Relations - Andreas • 1988: The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick - Augustus Glick • 1988: The Kiss - Gordon Tobin • 1988: Something About Love - Stan Olynyk • 1989: The Experts - Illyich • 1989: Cold Front - Zoubov • 1989: Blind Fear - Lasky • 1990: Divided Loyalties • 1990: Courage Mountain - Grandfather • 1990: The Amityville Curse - Priest • 1991: Class Action - Pavel • 1991: Deceived - Tomasz • 1991: On My Own - The Colonel • 1992: Don Gio - Journalist No. 2 • 1994: Boozecan - Pops • 1994: D2: The Mighty Ducks - Jan • 1994: Mesmer - Prof. Stoerk • 1995: Roommates - Bolek Krupa • 1996: Never Too Late - Joseph • 1997: Bach Cello Suite #4: Sarabande - Dr. Kassovitz • 1998: Music from Another Room - Louis Klammer • 1998: The White Raven - Markus Strand • 1999: Snow Falling on Cedars - Ole Jurgensen • 1999: Nightmare Man - Evan Hannibal • 2000: Believe - Jason Stiles • 2001: Anthrax - Arthur Kowalski • 2002: The Burial Society - Marvin Telekunsky • 2003: The Republic of Love - Strom • 2004: Daniel and the Superdogs - The Colonel
Television movies
Television movies
• 1975: Deadly Harvest • 1977: The Day My Granddad Died • 1978: Catsplay • 1985: Charlie Grant's War - Jacob • 1985: Murder by Reason of Insanity - Giorgi Denerenko • 1986: The Marriage Bed - Max Ehrlich • 1988: No Blame - Dr. Bloomer • 1988: Two Men - Michael Barna • 1990: Descending Angel - Bishop Dancu • 1992: Devlin - Vittorio Di Fabrizi • 1993: Coming of Age - Tomas Havel • 1994: The Birds II: Land's End - Karl • 1994: Lamb Chop in the Haunted Studio - Phantom • 1995: Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story - Far • 1997: Flood: A River's Rampage • 1999: What Katy Did - Dr. Reinhart • 2000: The Christmas Secret - Andree • 2005: Our Fathers - Pope John Paul
Television series
Television series
• 1963: The Forest Rangers - Jaworski / Gregor Kowalski • 1970: Castle Zaremba - Col. Kazimir Zaremba • 1970: The Barbara McNair Show - Himself • 1983: Vandenberg - Lewis Vanderberg • 1975–1983: Guess What (host) • 1985: Kane & Abel (miniseries) - The Polish Consul • 1985: Murder in Space - Gregory Denarenko • 1986: Kay O'Brien - Dr. Josef Wallach • 1986: Crossings (miniseries) - Isaac Zimmerman • 1988: Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show (as a special guest) - Jan Rubes • 1989: War of the Worlds - (Episode, "Choirs of Angels") - Dr. Erik von Deer • 1990: Street Legal (season 4, Episode 4X13 "Leon's Story") - Arthur Robinovitch • 1990: Max Glick - Augustus Glick • 1992–1993: By Way of the Stars (miniseries) - Hausierer Nathan • 1996: The X-Files (Episodes Tunguska [uncredited] and Terma) - Vassily Peskow • 1996–1998: Due South - Dr. Mort Gustafson • 1997: The Third Twin (miniseries) • 1999: The Beachcombers (Episode, "A Bearish Market") - Brink • 1999: The Outer Limits (Episode, "Tribunal") - Robert Greene / Older Karl Rademacher • 2000: Stargate SG-1 (season 3, Episode 21 "Crystal Skull") - Nicholas Ballard
Susan Douglas and Jan Rubeš singing Czech folk songs, 1953
Photographer not credited · Radio-TV Mirror, January 1953
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
2009
Jan Rubeš died at Toronto.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Volyně.
Birth place
Toronto.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Jan Rubeš”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q187884: Jan Rubeš
General reference · Wikidata
Awards and recognition
• 1989: nominee, 10th Genie Awards, Best Actor, Something About Love • 1990: winner, Earle Grey Award • 1995: appointed Member, Order of Canada
Literature
Literature
Les Tchèques et les Belges: une histoire en miroir (sous la direction de Sarah Flock, Jiří Kocian, Jan Rubeš et Oldřich Tůma), Slavica bruxellensia, 2008
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Historica Canada. Jan Rubeš. The Canadian Encyclopedia. 4 March 2015.
- 2.Profile , filmreference.com; accessed 11 May 2014.
- 3.Jan Rubeš brought a wide range of talents to stage, screen and radio. The Globe and Mail. 30 June 2009.
- 4.CBC News. Opera singer and actor Jan Rubeš dies at 89. 30 June 2009.
- 5.Governor General of Canada. Order of Canada citation: Jan Rubes, C.M.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
38,226 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Jan PeszekPerson
- Jan PietrzakPerson
- Jan PotměšilPerson
- Jan RavensPerson
- Jan RybkowskiPerson
- Jan SchmidtPerson
- Jan SharpPerson
- Jan SosniokPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Jan Rubeš?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.