Robert Ironside

Robert grew up in the East End of Toronto in the 1960's in the Pape and Queen area. Growing up in a diverse and challenging home of 5 children, he being the second youngest, Robert learned to play guitar at a very young age and to express himself artistically due to the aesthetic tutelage of many uncles, aunts and indeed his immediate family. Learning to read as a toddler and learning to walk before his first year, the young Ironside learned much from his Father Robert W. Ironside and his mother Patricia "June" ironside before her tragic death from peritonitis when Robert was 11 years of age. As with many families, such a loss at a young age seems to encourage creative and imaginative development. This was true for Robert and continues with Robert to this day with both of his sisters and his two elder brothers. His older brother who is a well known actor in the proper sense of the word, later added his younger brothers Robert and Roberts other brother into some short film projects that the elder Ironside worked on for his school work and early independent projects that he immersed himself in, either on his own or with friends as he moved up in the business during the very early 1970's Robert's bit in "Bolt or "Rebel Run" was due to his visiting his brother on set in Montreal in 1993. When the Director said he fitted well as an extra, he allowed Robert to slip in a bit of extra work as a biker part which suited his stature and kept him on set and busy while visiting his working brother. Robert was about 6 foot and was well over 300 lbs when that movie was shot. He was asked to mimic playing slide guitar in the movie, which he plays very skillfully off screen and has all of his life. Robert also served as a musical consultant and guitar tutor for the movie "Going to Kansas City" and although he has a screen credit for this, he was not on screen as an extra or actor while visiting Montreal that time. Robert is now known for his finely carved chess sets and is recognized for his work carving electric guitars in particular.