Thomas Dale Jackson, (born 27 October 1948) is a Canadian actor and singer. He created and starred in an annual series of

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

concerts called the Huron Carole for 18 years. He was the Chancellor of

Trent University Trent University is a public liberal arts university in Peterborough, Ontario, with a satellite campus in Oshawa, which serves the Regional Municipality of Durham. Founded in 1964, the university is known for its Oxbridge college system, sma ...

from 2009 until 2013. He played Billy Twofeathers on ''

Shining Time Station ''Shining Time Station'' is a children's television series jointly created by British television producer Britt Allcroft and American television producer Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by Quality Family Entertainment (the American bran ...

'' and Peter Kenidi on ''

North of 60 ''North of 60'' is a 1990s Canadian television drama depicting life in the sub-Arctic northern boreal forest (north of 60° north latitude, hence the title). It first aired on CBC Television in 1992 and was syndicated around the world. It is se ...

''.

Life and career

Tom Jackson was born on the One Arrow Reserve,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, near

Batoche Batoche, which lies between Prince Albert and Saskatoon in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, was the site of the historic Battle of Batoche during the North-West Rebellion of 1885. The battle resulted in the defeat of Louis Riel and his M ...

, the son of Rose, a

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

, and Marshall, an

Englishman The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common ancestry, history, and culture. The English identity began with the Anglo-Saxons, when they we ...

. He moved with his family to Namao, Alberta at age seven, and then to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

when he was fourteen. A year later, he dropped out of high school and lived on the streets for several years. As an actor, he has appeared in television shows such as ''

'' and ''

'' where his character Billy Twofeathers debuted in its Halloween episode "Scare Dares". Jackson also made a guest appearance on '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' in the season seven episode "

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry com ...

". His films include ''Loyalties'' and ''

The Diviners ''The Diviners'' is a novel by Margaret Laurence. Published by McClelland & Stewart in 1974, it was Laurence's final novel, and is considered one of the classics of Canadian literature. The novel won the Governor General's Award for English-l ...

''. He also starred in ''

Grizzly Falls ''Grizzly Falls'' is a 1999 adventure film about a boy and a bear, set in British Columbia in the early 20th century. It was written by Stuart Margolin and Richard Beattie, and directed by Stewart Raffill. Plot The film starts with an old man, H ...

'' in 1999 and appeared in the 2007 horror thriller ''

Skinwalkers In Navajo culture, a skin-walker () is a type of harmful witch who has the ability to turn into, possess, or disguise themselves as an animal. The term is never used for healers. The yee naaldlooshii, translating to "by means of it, it goes on ...

''. In 2014, he appeared in '' The Dependables'', as Sergeant Robinson. In 2019, he played White Bull, a

Ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute people, a Native American people of the Great Basin * Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah * Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah * Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern ...

drug lord A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise. Crime barons may be difficult to bring to justice: usually, they do not possess illegal goods. Ra ...

, alongside

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Liam Neeson, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, BAFT ...

in the film ''

Cold Pursuit ''Cold Pursuit'' is a 2019 action thriller film directed by Hans Petter Moland and written by Frank Baldwin. An international co-production, the film stars Liam Neeson, Tom Bateman, Tom Jackson, Emmy Rossum, Domenick Lombardozzi, Julia Jon ...

''. He appeared the 2023 series '' Sullivan's Crossing''. He has also released several albums of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and folk music.

Personal life

Jackson now resides in

Port Hope, Ontario Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, about east of Toronto and west of Kingston, Ontario, Kingston. It is at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County, Onta ...

with his family.

Philanthropy

A well-known

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

, Jackson created an annual series of

concerts called the Huron Carole. Featuring Jackson and numerous other Canadian singers and performers, the Huron Carole troupe travels across the country each year, raising money for the Canadian Association of Food Banks. An album of Christmas songs recorded to tie-in with the tour is an annual best seller in Canada. After 17 years, Jackson retired the Huron Carole and in its place launched ''Singing for Supper'', a cross-Canada tour that plays smaller community venues raising money and gifts of food, during the 2005 Christmas season. After ''North of 60'' cast member Mervin Good Eagle died by suicide in October 1996, Tom started the Dreamcatcher Tour. In the spring of 1997 Jackson's home town was bracing for "the flood of the century" that had already put towns south of the US/Canada border under water. Jackson was instrumental in organizing flood relief concerts across the nation (Calgary, Winnipeg).

Honours and decorations

Jackson has been honoured several times for his life's work. Most notably, in 2000, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

and is a former member of the

Advisory Council. He has been nominated for

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

and

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in th ...

. He has also received honours from several Canadian universities, including honorary degrees from the

University of Calgary {{Infobox university , name = University of Calgary , image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , former ...

, the

University of Lethbridge The University of Lethbridge (also known as uLethbridge, uLeth, and U of L) is a public comprehensive and research university located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with a second campus in Calgary, Alberta. Founded in the liberal arts traditio ...

and

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...

. He also received the Humanitarian Award at the 2007 Juno Awards due to his charitable efforts. In May 2014, Jackson received a

Governor General's Performing Arts Award The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are an annual Canadian award, presented to honour distinguished achievements in Canadian performing arts and culture. Administered by the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation in associ ...

(GGPAA) for his lifetime contributions to Canadian broadcasting. At the Gala honouring GGPAA recipients on 10 May, Jackson took to the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) () is a Arts centre, performing arts organization in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one ...

stage to perform one of his songs. On 14 April 2009, Jackson was announced as the tenth chancellor for Trent University. Jackson held this position until 2013.

Filmography

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

*
Official websiteTom Jackson profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Tom 1948 births Canadian country guitarists Canadian country singers Canadian folk guitarists Canadian folk singers Canadian male film actors Canadian male guitarists Canadian male television actors Canadian Métis people Canadian people of English descent Chancellors of Trent University Cree male actors Indspire Awards Living people Métis musicians Male actors from Calgary Male actors from Saskatchewan Male actors from Winnipeg Musicians from Calgary Singers from Saskatchewan Musicians from Winnipeg Companions of the Order of Canada 20th-century Canadian guitarists 21st-century Canadian guitarists 20th-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian singers 20th-century First Nations musicians 21st-century First Nations musicians Governor General's Award winners Singers from Manitoba Singers from Alberta Cree male singers