Richard Monette
| Richard Monette | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 19, 1944 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | September 9, 2008 (aged 64) London, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | Loyola College |
| Occupation | actor,administrator |
Richard Jean Monette OC, DHum, LLD (June 19, 1944 – September 9, 2008) was a Canadian actor and director, best known for his 14-season tenure as the longest-serving artistic director of the Stratford Festival of Canada from 1994 to 2007.
Monette was born in Montreal, the son of Florence M. (née Tondino) and Maurice Monette. He was educated at Loyola High School (Montreal) and Loyola College (now Concordia University).
Monette was the nephew of Canadian painter Gentile Tondino.
It was at college that his acting skills were first noticed when he took top acting honours at the 1959 Hart House Inter-Varsity Drama competition in Toronto.
Upon graduation, he chose to pursue an acting career, and his first professional role was as a 19-year-old Hamlet at the Crest Theatre in Toronto. He joined the Stratford Festival Company in 1965, and played a variety of small roles. He also won a role in Soldiers at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, a production that took him to Broadway. He also appeared in a number of television plays on CBC.
In 1969, he moved to London England, and appeared in a variety of productions, including open-air Shakespeare in Regent Park, and the original London production of the notorious Oh! Calcutta!.
Upon his return to Canada in 1974, he took on the title role in the premiere of the English translation of Michel Tremblay's Hosanna at the Tarragon Theatre. His definitive interpretation of the conflicted transvestite obsessed with Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra marked his arrival as one of Canada's leading actors. In his memoir, he recalled it as "a great role, perhaps the best I have ever played, outside of Shakespeare".
...
Wikipedia