Temple Maynard was born in London, England, the son of Temple Walsham Maynard and the former Marie Rose Ellen "Nellie" McCabe. He immigrated to Canada with his parents and lived in Toronto for a while. His family then moved to North Vancouver, where he attended North Vancouver High School. In 1954 he would co-write and direct a pantomime entitled "Rumplestiltskin" with his fellow students. The proceeds of the play went to a local polio fund and that same year he graduated. He would ultimately attend the University of British Colombia. Upon his graduation, he became a professor of English Literature at Simon Fraser University and was an expert on 18th Century English Literature in particular. He was a highly intelligent, handsome, and well-built, imposing man with a square jaw who stood 6'4" tall. He was an avid motorcyclist and rode his BMW motorcycle across the United States and Canada several times. His deep baritone voice and English accent drew admiration from all who knew him. He was an authority on the Victorian period of interior decoration and owned a large vintage home in North Vancouver, which he lovingly restored and had it furnished with period antiques. He was also an avid gardener and in the 1980s gave free lectures on Victorian English, Ancient Egyptian, and Roman Gardens at the Capilano Public Library in North Vancouver. He was granted tenure and spent most of the year 1974-76 in San Francisco. He was a gay man who acquired many friends in the community. Unfortunately, he contracted HIV, and within a couple of years died of AIDS. He was only 52 years of age. His passing was a great loss to his students and the many friends who looked up to him. He bequeathed Simon Fraser University the "Temple Maynard Graduate Scholarship in English" and the "Temple Maynard Memorial Graduate Bursary in English."