Brian Bedford (16 February 1935 – 13 January 2016) was an English-born American and Canadian actor. He has appeared on the stage and in film, and is known for both acting in and directing Shakespeare.

Life and career

Bedford was born in Morley, West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of Ellen (née O'Donnell) and Arthur Bedford, a postman. Bedford attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art inLondon from 1952–54.

Primarily a stage actor, he is 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.

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 FestivalShakespeare 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 television seriesCoronet 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, the Outer Circle Critics Award, theDrama Desk Award, and the LA Drama Critics Award.

In 2009, Bedford starred as "Lady Bracknell" in The Importance of Being Earnest, marking 27 seasons of acting and/or directing, at theStratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada.

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.

Personal life

Bedford shared a renovated home in Stratford with fellow actor Tim MacDonald. He died on 13 January 2016 in Santa Barbara, Californiafrom cancer at the age of 80.

Stratford Shakespeare Festival credits as actor

• Measure for Measure (1975–76) by William Shakespeare —Angelo
• Richard III (1977) by William Shakespeare —Richard III
• The Guardsman (1977) by Ferenc Molnár —The Actor
• As You Like It (1977–78) by William Shakespeare —Jacques
• Private Lives (1978) by Noël Coward —Elyot
• The Winter's Tale (1978) by William Shakespeare —Leontes
• Uncle Vanya (1978) by Anton Chekov —Dr Astrov
• Much Ado About Nothing (1980) by William Shakespeare —Benedick
• Twelfth Night (1980) by William Shakespeare —Malvolio
• The Seagull (1980) by Anton Chekov —Dr Dorn
• The Misanthrope (1981) by Molière —Alceste
• Arms and the Man (1982) by George Bernard Shaw —Bluntschli
• The Relapse (1989) by John Vanbrugh —Lord Foppington
• The Merchant of Venice (1989) by William Shakespeare —Shylock
• The Lunatic, the Lover & the Poet (1989) by Brian Bedford —adapted Shakespeare texts
• The Lunatic, the Lover & the Poet (1990) by Brian Bedford —adapted Shakespeare texts
• Timon of Athens (1991) by William Shakespeare —Timon
• The School for Wives (1994) by Molière —Arnolphe
• Amadeus (1995,1996) by Peter Shaffer —Salieri
• Much Ado About Nothing (1998) by William Shakespeare —Benedick
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999) by William Shakespeare —Bottom
• The School for Scandal (1999) by Richard Brinsley Sheridan —Sir Peter Teazle
• The Lunatic, the Lover & the Poet (2002) by Brian Bedford —adapted Shakespeare texts
• Present Laughter (2003) by Noël Coward  —Garry Essendine
• London Assurance (2006) by Dion Boucicault —Sir Harcourt Courtly
• King Lear (2007) by William Shakespeare —King Lear
• The Importance of Being Earnest (2009) by Oscar Wilde —Lady Bracknell
• The Misanthrope (2011) by Molière —Oronte

Stratford Shakespeare Festival credits as director

• The Lunatic, the Lover & the Poet (1989) by Brian Bedford
• The Lunatic, the Lover & the Poet (1990)
• Waiting for Godot (1998) by Samuel Beckett
• The Winter's Tale (1998) by William Shakespeare
• The Lunatic, the Lover & the Poet (2002)
• Fallen Angels (2005) by Noël Coward
• London Assurance (2006) by Dion Boucicault
• The Importance of Being Earnest (2009) by Oscar Wilde
• The Misanthrope (2011) by Molière

Awards and nominations

Tony Awards

• 1971 Best Actor in Play - The School for Wives (winner)
• 1992 Best Actor in Play - Two Shakespearean Actors (nominee)
• 1994 Best Actor in Play - Timon of Athens (nominee)
• 1995 Best Actor in Play - The Molière Comedies (nominee)
• 1997 Best Actor in Play - London Assurance (nominee)
• 2003 Best Actor in Play - Tartuffe (nominee)
• 2011 Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play - The Importance of Being Earnest (nominee)

Drama Desk Awards

• 1969 Outstanding Performance - The Misanthrope (winner)
• 1970 Outstanding Performance - Private Lives (winner)
• 1971 Outstanding Performance - The School for Wives (winner)
• 1974 Outstanding Performance - Jumpers (winner)
• 1992 Outstanding Actor in a Play - Two Shakespearean Actors (winner)
• 1994 Outstanding Actor in a Play - Timon of Athens (nominee)
• 2011 Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play - The Importance of Being Earnest (winner)

Obie Awards

• 1965 Outstanding Performance - The Knack (winner)