Brian Bedford

Brian Bedford (16 February 1935 – 13 January 2016) was an English actor. He 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 had eight.

Early life
Bedford was born in Morley, West Yorkshire, the son of Ellen (née O'Donnell) and Arthur Bedford, a postman. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London from 1952–55. At RADA, he was in the same class as Albert Finney, Alan Bates and Peter O'Toole.

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.

He did a great deal of Shakespearean work, notably as Ariel in The Tempest opposite John Gielgud's Prospero in 1958, and at the Stratford Festival in 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 Jaques), 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 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.

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.

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
Mr Bedford shared homes in Stratford, Ontario and in Santa Barbara, California with fellow actor Tim MacDonald, his partner since 1985 and husband since 2013.

Death
Bedford died from cancer on 13 January 2016 in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 80.

Stratford Shakespeare Festival credits as actor

 * "Twelfth Night" (1975) by William Shakespeare —Malvolio
 * Measure for Measure (1975) by William Shakespeare —Angelo
 * Richard III (1977) by William Shakespeare —Richard III
 * The Guardsman (1977) by Ferenc Molnár —The Actor
 * As You Like It (1977,1978) 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 —Trigorin
 * The Misanthrope (1981) by Molière —Alceste
 * Arms and the Man (1982) by George Bernard Shaw —Bluntschli
 * "Blithe Spirit" (1982) by Noël Coward —Charles
 * "Richard II" (1983) by William Shakespeare —Richard II
 * "Tartuffe" (1983,1984) by Molière —Tartuffe
 * "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1984) by William Shakespeare —Bottom
 * "Waiting for Godot" (1984) by Samuel Beckett —Vladimir
 * 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
 * "Macbeth" (1990) by William Shakespeare —Macbeth
 * "Julius Caesar" (1990) by William Shakespeare —Brutus
 * The Lunatic, the Lover & the Poet (1990) by Brian Bedford —adapted Shakespeare texts
 * Timon of Athens (1991) by William Shakespeare —Timon
 * "Much Ado About Nothing" (1991) by William Shakespeare —Dogberry
 * The School for Wives (1991) by Molière —Arnolphe
 * "Measure for Measure" (1992) by William Shakespeare —Duke
 * "Twelfth Night" (1994) by William Shakespeare —Feste
 * "The School for Husbands & The Imaginary Cuckold" (1994) by Molière —Sganarelle
 * Amadeus (1995,1996) by Peter Shaffer —Salieri
 * "The Little Foxes" (1996) by Lillian Helman —Horace
 * "Equus" (1997) by Peter Shaffer —Dysart
 * 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
 * "Tartuffe" (2000) by Molière —Tartuffe
 * "Private Lives" (2001) by Noël Coward —Elyot
 * "The Seagull" (2001) by Anton Chekov —Sorin
 * The Lunatic, the Lover & the Poet (2002) by Brian Bedford —adapted Shakespeare texts
 * Present Laughter (2003) by Noël Coward —Garry Essendine
 * "Love's Labour's Lost" (2003) by William Shakespeare —Don Armado
 * London Assurance (2006) by Dion Boucicault —Sir Harcourt Courtly
 * "Twelfth Night" (2006) by William Shakespeare —Malvolio
 * King Lear (2007) by William Shakespeare —King Lear
 * The Importance of Being Earnest (2009) by Oscar Wilde —Lady Bracknell

Stratford Shakespeare Festival credits as director

 * "Titus Andronicus" (1978,1980) by William Shakespeare
 * "Coriolanus" (1981) by William Shakespeare
 * "The Rivals" (1981) by Richard Sheridan
 * "Blithe Spirit" (1982) by Noël Coward
 * The Lunatic, the Lover & the Poet (1989,1990,2002) by Brian Bedford
 * "Phaedra" (1990) by Racine
 * "Othello" (1994) by William Shakespeare
 * Waiting for Godot (1996,1998) by Samuel Beckett
 * "Equus" (1997) by Peter Shaffer
 * The Winter's Tale (1998) by William Shakespeare
 * "Private Lives" (2001) by Noël Coward
 * "Present Laughter" (2003) by Noël Coward
 * "Noises Off" (2004) by Michael Frayn
 * Fallen Angels (2005) by Noël Coward
 * London Assurance (2006) by Dion Boucicault
 * "King Lear" (2007) by William Shakespeare
 * The Importance of Being Earnest (2009) by Oscar Wilde
 * Blithe Spirit (2013) by Noël Coward

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)