Brian Bedford

Brian Bedford was an English actor and director who was known for classical stage work and for voicing Disney's Robin Hood. Born in Morley, West Riding of Yorkshire, he trained at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art between 1952 and 1955. He worked largely in the theater, in Molière and Shakespeare roles, and received seven Tony Award nominations, winning once for The School for Wives. Much of his stage career unfolded over many seasons at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, where he also directed, and in New York; in 2009 he took the role of Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest, played it again for the Roundabout Theatre in 2010 and drew another Tony nomination in 2011. On screen he appeared with James Garner in Grand Prix (1966) and gave voice to the title role in the animated Robin Hood (1973). His honors included induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1997.