Brian Bedford

Infobox actor
bgcolour =
name = Brian Bedford

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imagesize =
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date and age|1935|2|16
location = Morley, Yorkshire, England
yearsactive = 1957-present
spouse =
tonyawards = Best Leading Actor in a Play
1971 "The School for Wives"

Brian Bedford (born 16 February 1935) is an English Tony Award-winning actor.

Born in Morley, West Yorkshire, Bedford attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London from 1952–1954 and was in the same class as Albert Finney, Alan Bates and Peter O'Toole.

Primarily a stage actor, he is known for his English-speaking interpretations of the French playwright Molière. He has done 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 Festival of Canada in 1973, 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", "Tartuffe", "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 series "Coronet Blue." He provided the voice of Robin Hood in the 1973 Disney movie of the same name.

In 1997 Bedford was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. Other honors include the Obie, the Outer Circle Critics Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the LA Drama Critics Award. As of 2007, Bedford has acted and/or directed in 26 seasons of productions at the Stratford Festival in Canada, most recently directing and starring in "King Lear".

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) 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) Obie Awards
* 1965 Outstanding Performance - "The Knack" (winner)

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play
years=1991-1992
for "Two Shakespearean Actors"
before=Ron Rifkin
for "The Substance of Fire"
after=Ron Leibman
for ""succession box
title=Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play
years=1993-1994
for "Timon of Athens"
before=Brian Bedford
for ""
after=Ralph Fiennes
for "Hamlet"

External links

*ibdb name|id=31470|name=Brian Bedford
*imdb name|id=0066028|name=Brian Bedford
* [http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Brian%20Bedford Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia entry]