The Man Who Could Play Kings and Fools

The great Shakespearean and classical actor, William Hutt, has died at the age of 87. A Canadian national treasure, one of the world’s greatest stage actors, a lion of Shakespearean theatre, William Hutt was until today a living symbol of Stratford and icon of the greatest playwright in the English language. For more than 50 years Hutt was that rarest of performers, the versatile actor who could play both kings and fools, his rich stage baritone was described by one writer as reflecting “the unclouded summer, sweet autumn and crisp winter of the Canadian voice.” Theatre goers and the Stratford Festival of Canada will dearly miss him.