He was raised in the upper class Rosedale district of the city,[1] attending boarding school at St. Andrew's College (although leaving during grade 10 for health reasons).

[1] After Findley published his first short story in the Tamarack Review, Gordon encouraged him to pursue writing more actively, and he eventually left acting in the 1960s.

[1] Findley's third novel, The Wars, was published to great acclaim in 1977 and went on to win the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction.

[2] His writing was typical of the Southern Ontario Gothic style – Findley, in fact, first invented its name[4] — and was heavily influenced by Jungian psychology.

Many of his novels centred on a protagonist who was struggling to find the moral and ethical and rational course of action in a situation that had spun wildly out of control.

Elizabeth Rex, his most successful play, premiered at the Stratford Festival to rave reviews and won a Governor General's award.

[2] Findley was also an active mentor to a number of young Canadian writers, including Marnie Woodrow and Elizabeth Ruth.