Brian Bedford

English actor (1935–2016)

Tim MacDonald
​
(m. 2013)​

Brian Bedford (16 February 1935 – 13 January 2016) was an English actor. He appeared in film and on stage, and was an actor-director of Shakespeare productions. Bedford was nominated for seven Tony Awards for his theatrical work, winning once.

He served as the voice of Disney's Robin Hood from the 1973 animated film of the same name.

Early life

Brian Bedford was born in Morley, West Yorkshire on 16 February 1935, the son of Ellen (née O'Donnell) and Arthur Bedford, a postman.[1] He attended St Bede's Grammar School in Bradford, leaving at the age of 15.[2] He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London from 1952 to 1955.[3] At RADA, he was in the same class as Albert Finney, Alan Bates and Peter O'Toole.[4]

Career

Primarily a stage actor, he appeared in 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.[5]

He performed Shakespearean work, such as Ariel in The Tempest opposite John Gielgud's Prospero in 1958, and at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada including Angelo in Measure for Measure, Malvolio in Twelfth Night and the title role in Richard III directed by Robin Phillips, and The Public Theater's New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park productions of As You Like It (as Jacques), and Timon of Athens (as Timon) on Broadway, with the National Actors Theatre in 1993. 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 CBS series Coronet Blue. He provided the voice of the title character in the 1973 Disney film Robin Hood, which director Byron 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 owns Cheers, and would later appear (as a different character) in its spin-off, Frasier, in 2000.[7] 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.[3]

In 2009, Bedford starred as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest, marking 27 seasons of acting and/or directing, at the Stratford Festival in Canada.[8][9]

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.[10]

Personal life

Bedford shared homes in Stratford, Ontario and in Santa Barbara, California with fellow actor Tim MacDonald, his partner after 1985 and husband from 2013.[10][11]

Death

Bedford died of cancer on January 13, 2016 in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 80;[12] his remains were cremated.[13]

Stratford Shakespeare Festival

Actor

Director

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1955 Madeleine Maxime TV film
Man of the Moment Clapper boy Uncredited
1957 Miracle in Soho Johnny
1960 The Angry Silence Eddie Barrett
1961 Traitor in a Steel Helmet Trooper Jupp TV film
1962 The Secret Thread Tony TV film
Number Six Jimmy Gale
1963 The Punch and Judy Man First Escort
1965 The Holy Terror Billy Sims TV film
1966 The Pad and How to Use It Bob Handman
Grand Prix Scott Stoddard
1967 Androcles and the Lion Lentulus TV film
1973 Robin Hood Robin Hood Voice role
1990 The Last Best Year Dr. Castle TV film
1995 Nixon Clyde Tolson
2002 Mr. St. Nick Jasper TV film
2004 A Christmas Carol: The Musical Mr. Fezzwing TV film
2011 The Importance of Being Earnest Lady Bracknell Also Director

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1958 ITV Play of the Week Miolands the Herald Episode: "Winterset"
Victor Episode: "Squaring the Circle"
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"
1962 Edgar Wallace Mysteries Jimmy Gale Episode: "Number Six"
Sir Francis Drake Estaban Episode: "Escape"
1965 Ben Casey Pat Jordan Episode: "Then I, and You, and All of Us Fell Down"
1966 New York Television Theatre Episode: "The Dark Lady of the Sonnets"
1967 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 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"
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"
2004 Great Performances Degas Episode: "Degas and the Dance"
2014 Black Jesus Episode: "I Gave at the Playground"

Awards and nominations

Tony Awards
  • 1971 Best Leading Actor in Play – The School for Wives (winner)
  • 1992 Best Leading Actor in Play – Two Shakespearean Actors (nominee)
  • 1994 Best Leading Actor in Play – Timon of Athens (nominee)
  • 1995 Best Leading Actor in Play – The Molière Comedies (nominee)
  • 1997 Best Leading Actor in Play – London Assurance (nominee)
  • 2003 Best Leading Actor in Play – Tartuffe (nominee)
  • 2011 Best Leading Actor in 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)

References

  1. ^ Brian Bedford profile, FilmReference.com; accessed 25 August 2011.
  2. ^ Coveney, Michael (25 January 2016). "Brian Bedford obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b RADA Student and Graduate Profiles: – Brian Bedford, rada.ac.uk; accessed 15 January 2016.
  4. ^ Flatley, Guy (24 July 2007). "The Rule of O'Toole". MovieCrazed. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  5. ^ Brian Bedford profile, kino-teatr.ru; accessed 15 January 2016. (in Russian)
  6. ^ Howard, Bryan. "Archived copy". Twitter. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Brian Bedford Visits 'Frasier' on TV, Feb. 10". 10 February 2000.
  8. ^ "Brian Bedford profile". Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  9. ^ "Stratford Festival Archives | Details".
  10. ^ a b Brantley, Ben (5 January 2011), "The Importance of Being Astonished", New York Times, retrieved 9 March 2011
  11. ^ Weber, Bruce (13 January 2016). "Brian Bedford, Stage Actor Who Brought the Classics to Life, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Brian Bedford, Stratford Festival icon, dead at age 80". CBC News. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Actor Brian Bedford, Voice of Robin Hood, Dies in Santa Barbara". 22 January 2016.

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