Broadway star was nominated for seven Tonys and won one for “The School for Wives”
Broadway star Brian Bedford, who was nominated for seven Tony Awards and won one during his six-decade career, died on Wednesday. He was 80.
The British actor passed away in Santa Barbara, California. Tim MacDonald, Bedford’s husband and partner of 30 years, said he had died peacefully, according to Playbill.com.
Bedford’s acting resume boasted 12 Broadway appearances, included works by Shakespeare, Moliere, Coward, Shaffer and Stoppard. He won his Tony Award playing Amolphe in Moliere’s “The School for Wives” in 1971.
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Born in West Riding, Yorkshire in England, Bedford attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and was in the same class as Albert Finney, Alan Bates and Peter O’Toole.
Along with his stage credits at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and on Broadway, he appeared in a number of films such as “Grand Prix, ” “Nixon” and “A Christmas Carol, ” along with voicing the title character in the animated Disney film “Robin Hood.”
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Bedford’s last Broadway appearance was in the 2011 revival of “The Importance of Being Earnest, ” in which his portrayal of Lady Bracknell earned him his seventh Tony nomination.
He was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1997.
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