Brian Bedford, Actor & director

In 1999, the Indiana University Department of Theatre and Drama proudly welcomed acclaimed actor and director Brian Bedford to Bloomington to present the Ralph L. Collins Memorial Lecture. During his visit the Tony-award winning actor performed his original piece The Lunatic, the Lover and the Poet, adapted from Shakespeares texts. He also presented a lecture and led a discussion entitled Shakespeare Today.

Brian Bedford has been at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario for 17 seasons. Since his debut in 1975, Mr. Bedford has played over 28 leading roles, including most recently Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Martin Dysart in Equus, Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, and Horace Giddens in The Little Foxes. His numerous directing credits include The Winters Tale, Waiting for Godot, Equus, Othello, Titus Andronicus, Coriolanus, and Racines Phaedra. In the last few years, between seasons at Stratford, Mr. Bedford has starred on Broadway in five highly acclaimed productions: Much Ado About Nothing, London Assurance, The Moliere Comedies, Timon of Athens, and Two Shakespearean Actors, for all of which he received Tony Award nominations for Best Actor. Mr. Bedford won the Tony for his performance in The School for Wives, the Obie and New York Drama Desk Awards for his performance in Mike Nichols production of The Knack, and the L.A. Drama Critics Award for Equus. He has performed The Lunatic, the Lover and the Poet, his one-man Shakespeare evening, to sold-out houses in over 90 North American cities, and around the world. Numerous film and television appearances include Armistead Maupins More Tales of the City, Nixon, Scarlett, Cheers, Murder She Wrote, Grand Prix, and the voice of the title character in Walt Disneys Robin Hood. In 1997, Mr. Bedford was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.