Brian Bedford | |
|---|---|
 Bedford in 2011 | |
| Born | (1935-02-16)16 February 1935 Morley, West Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 13 January 2016(2016-01-13) (aged 80) |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1955–2015 |
| Spouse | |
Brian Bedford (16 February 1935 – 13 January 2016) was an English actor. He appeared in film and on stage, and was an actor-director ofShakespeare productions. Bedford was nominated for sevenTony Awards for his theatrical work, winning once.
He served as the voice ofDisney's Robin Hood from the1973 animated film of the same name.
Brian Bedford was born inMorley, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 16 February 1935, the son of Ellen (née O'Donnell) and Arthur Bedford, a postman.[1] He attendedSt Bede's Grammar School inBradford, leaving at the age of 15.[2] He attended theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art inLondon from 1952 to 1955.[3] At RADA, he was in the same class asAlbert Finney,Alan Bates andPeter O'Toole.[4]
Primarily a stage actor, he appeared in English-speaking interpretations of the French playwrightMolière, includingTony Award nominated performances inTartuffe,The Molière Comedies (a double bill of the short playsThe School for Husbands andThe Imaginary Cuckold) andThe School for Wives, for which he received theTony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.[5]
He performedShakespearean work, such asAriel inThe Tempest oppositeJohn Gielgud'sProspero in 1958, and at theStratford Festival in Ontario, Canada includingAngelo inMeasure for Measure, Malvolio inTwelfth Night and the title role inRichard III directed by Robin Phillips, andThe Public Theater'sNew York Shakespeare FestivalShakespeare in the Park productions ofAs You Like It (as Jacques), andTimon of Athens (as Timon) on Broadway, with theNational Actors Theatre in 1993. Bedford's additional Broadway credits includeThe Seven Descents of Myrtle,Private Lives,Two Shakespearean Actors,London Assurance andJumpers.
Bedford appeared withJames Garner in the 1966 filmGrand Prix, and in 1967 he was a regular on theCBS seriesCoronet Blue. He provided the voice ofthe title character in the 1973 Disney filmRobin Hood, which directorByron Howard credits as a major inspiration[6] for the Academy Award-winning animated film,Zootopia. In 1988, he appeared as Mr. Stone, the head of the consortium that ownsCheers, and would later appear (as a different character) in its spin-off,Frasier, in 2000.[7] In 1997 Bedford was inducted into theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame. Other honours include theObie Award, theOuter Circle Critics Award, theDrama Desk Award, and the L.A. Drama Critics Award.[3]
In 2009, Bedford starred as Lady Bracknell inThe Importance of Being Earnest, marking 27 seasons of acting and/or directing, at theStratford Festival in Canada.[8][9]
He repeated the role in 2010 (in a double role as both actor and director) for theRoundabout Theatre inNew York, which earned him a 2011 Tony Award nomination forBest Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.[10]
Bedford shared homes inStratford, Ontario, and inSanta Barbara, California, with fellow actor Tim MacDonald, his partner since 1985 and husband since 2013.[10][11]
Bedford died of cancer on January 13, 2016, in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 80;[12] his remains were cremated.[13]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Man of the Moment | Clapper boy | Uncredited |
| 1957 | Miracle in Soho | Johnny | |
| 1960 | The Angry Silence | Eddie Barrett | |
| 1962 | Number Six | Jimmy Gale | |
| 1963 | The Punch and Judy Man | First Escort | |
| 1966 | The Pad and How to Use It | Bob Handman | |
| Grand Prix | Scott Stoddard | ||
| 1973 | Robin Hood | Robin Hood | Voice role |
| 1995 | Nixon | Clyde Tolson | |
| 2011 | The Importance of Being Earnest | Lady Bracknell | Also director |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Madeleine | Maxime | TV movie |
| 1958 | ITV Play of the Week | Miolands the Herald | Episode: "Winterset" |
| ITV Play of the Week | Victor | Episode: "Squaring the Circle" | |
| ITV Play of the Week | Chris | Episode: "As the Twig is Bent" | |
| 1961 | ITV Television Playhouse | Ralph Whitlock | Episode: "The Bad One" |
| BBC Sunday-Night Play | Lieutenant Chanz | Episode: "The Judge and His Hangman" | |
| Traitor in a Steel Helmet | Trooper Jupp | TV movie | |
| 1962 | Edgar Wallace Mysteries | Jimmy Gale | Episode: "Number Six" |
| Sir Francis Drake | Estaban | Episode: "Escape" | |
| The Secret Thread | Tony | TV movie | |
| 1965 | Ben Casey | Pat Jordan | Episode: "Then I, and You, and All of Us Fell Down" |
| The Holy Terror | Billy Sims | TV movie | |
| 1966 | New York Television Theatre | Episode: "The Dark Lady of the Sonnets" | |
| 1967 | Androcles and the Lion | Lentulus | TV movie |
| Coronet Blue | Brother Anthony | Recurring role | |
| 1969 | Judd, for the Defense | Eric Wright | Episode: "The Crystal Maze" |
| The Name of the Game | Anthony Malcolm | Episode: "An Agent of the Plaintiff" | |
| 1971 | Nanny and the Professor | Cholmondeley Featherstonehaugh | Episode: "Cholmondeley Featherstonehaugh" |
| 1985 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Stewart Dean | Episode: "Wake Me When I'm Dead" |
| The Equalizer | W. Donald Polk | Episode: "Bump and Run" | |
| 1987 | The Equalizer | Paul Coble | Episode: "Beyond Control" |
| 1988 | Murder, She Wrote | Alastair Andrews | Episode: "Benedict Arnold Slipped Here" |
| Cheers | Greg Stone | Episode: "How to Recede in Business" | |
| 1989 | The Equalizer | Emil Kostov | Episode: "Time Present, Time Past" |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Sherlock Holmes | Episode: "My Dear Watson" | |
| 1990 | The Last Best Year | Dr. Castle | TV movie |
| 1993 | Bob | Dr. Edward Mars Jones | Episode: "The Man Who Killed Mad Dog" |
| 1994 | Scarlett | Sir John Morland | Miniseries |
| 1998 | More Tales of the City | Henry Callaway Kent | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Frasier | Edward | Episode: "Out with Dad" |
| 2002 | Mr. St. Nick | Jasper | TV movie |
| 2004 | A Christmas Carol: The Musical | Mr. Fezzwing | TV movie |
| Great Performances | Degas | Episode: "Degas and the Dance" | |
| 2014 | Black Jesus | Episode: "I Gave at the Playground" |
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