Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Renowned Canadian actor, Douglas Campbell, a pioneer of Canadian theatre dies at 87

Douglas Campbell, stalwart of the Stratford stage and a pioneer of Canadian theatre, has died. He was 87.

CBC reports:
Actor Douglas Campbell died Tuesday at Montreal's Hôtel Dieu hospital of complications of diabetes and heart disease. Campbell was active in developing theatre in Canada. Primarily a character actor, Campbell was able to create comic roles such as Falstaff, which he brought to the Stratford stage as recently as 2001. He also received critical acclaim for his 1959 portrayal of Othello. Campbell also had a significant career on the screen, playing the roaming 19th century Ontario Provincial Police inspector Cameron on the CBC's 1979 series The Great Detective. His influence was "continent-wide," Antoni Cimolino, general director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, said in an interview with CBC News. "He really believed in theatre and in its power to change people. He brought that warmth and level of integrity to everything he did ... and he never lost his ability to speak truth to power," Cimolino said. READ MORE