Brian Bedford
Brian Bedford | |
|---|---|
| File:Brian Bedford Theater Mania 2011.jpg | |
| Born | 16 February 1935 |
| Died | 13 January 2016 (aged 80) |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1957–2016 |
| Spouse | Tim MacDonald |
Brian Bedford (16 February 1935 – 13 January 2016) was an English actor. He has appeared on the stage and in film, and is known for both acting in and directing Shakespeare productions. He received seven Tony nominations, the second most for a male actor behind Jason Robards, who has eight.
Early life
Bedford was born in Morley, West Yorkshire, the son of Ellen (née O'Donnell) and Arthur Bedford, a postman.[1] He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London from 1952-55.[2]
Career
Primarily a stage actor, he was known for his English-speaking interpretations of the French playwright Molière, including Tony Award nominated performances in Tartuffe, The Molière Comedies (a double bill of the short plays The School for Husbands and The Imaginary Cuckold) and The School for Wives, for which he received the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.[3]
He did a great deal of Shakespearean work, notably as Ariel in The Tempest opposite John Gielgud's Prospero in 1958, Angelo in Measure for Measure at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 1975 and 1976, and The Public Theater's New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park productions of As You Like It (as Orlando), and Timon of Athens (as Timon), the latter based on a production he originated with the National Actors Theatre in 1993 and which he eventually played on Broadway. Bedford's additional Broadway credits include The Seven Descents of Myrtle, Private Lives, Two Shakespearean Actors, London Assurance and Jumpers.
Bedford appeared with James Garner in the 1966 film Grand Prix, and in 1967 he was a regular on the short-lived CBS series Coronet Blue. He provided the voice of Robin Hood in the 1973 Disney film of the same name. In 1997 Bedford was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. Other honours include the Obie Award, the Outer Circle Critics Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the L.A. Drama Critics Award.[2]
In 2009, Bedford starred as "Lady Bracknell" in The Importance of Being Earnest, marking 27 seasons of acting and/or directing, at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada.[4]
He repeated the role in 2010 (in a double role as both actor and director) for the Roundabout Theatre in New York, which earned him a 2011 Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.[5]
Personal life
Bedford shared a renovated home in Stratford, Ontario with fellow actor Tim MacDonald, his partner since 1986 and husband since 2013.[5][6]
Death
Bedford died from cancer on 13 January 2016 in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 80.[7]
Stratford Shakespeare Festival credits as actor
Stratford Shakespeare Festival credits as director
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
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- 1935 births
- 2016 deaths
- 20th-century English male actors
- 21st-century English male actors
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
- American Theater Hall of Fame inductees
- British expatriate male actors in the United States
- Cancer deaths in California
- Drama Desk Award winners
- English expatriates in Canada
- English male film actors
- English male stage actors
- English male television actors
- English male voice actors
- English people of Irish descent
- Gay actors
- Male actors from Yorkshire
- LGBT entertainers from England
- People from Morley, West Yorkshire
- English male Shakespearean actors
- Tony Award winners
- LGBT directors