Bill Stewart; actor
Hyfler/Rosner
The Times (London)
September 8, 2006, Friday
Bill Stewart, actor, was born on December 7, 1942. He died
on August 29, 2006, aged 63.
Actor whose work ranged from groundbreaking theatre to
mainstream television
BILL STEWART was a character actor whose career spanned
experimental productions at the Royal Court in the 1960s to
several seasons at Shakespeare's Globe and Hollywood films.
In a career of more than 40 years he played Sandy Longford,
Inspector Frost's journalist friend in the television crime
drama A Touch of Frost and Sir Toby Belch in the Globe's
award-winning production of Twelfth Night.
His last film role was with Ed Harris in Copying Beethoven,
which is being premiered at the Toronto Film Festival this
week and is due to be released in the US next month.
Stewart was in the original 1965 production of Edward Bond's
Saved, which caused a furore. The play, which includes a
scene of a baby being stoned to death, was refused a licence
by the Lord Chamberlain, so the Royal Court became a club to
enable the production to be staged.
Bill Stewart was born in Liverpool in 1942, one of four
children of a headmistress and an engineer. He left
technical college at 16, began training as a quantity
surveyor, and within a year or two became involved in
amateur dramatics. This and a visit to the Liverpool
Everyman Theatre convinced him that acting would be a great
deal more fun than surveying.
His mother was not so happy about his planned career change,
but his father was more philosophical, saying that since he
was going to spend his life working it might as well be at
something he would enjoy.
He applied to drama schools and was accepted by the Bristol
Old Vic Theatre School in 1963. His mother died the summer
he was due to set off for Bristol, and he greatly regretted
that she never saw his successes in his chosen career.
During his final year at the theatre school he wrote to Bill
Gaskell, artistic director at the Royal Court, asking for an
audition. He did not get a reply, but was bold enough to
approach Gaskell at a party soon afterwards. He asked him
why he had not replied, and told him it was very rude of
him. The notoriously prickly Gaskell offered him his first
job, in the controversial production of Saved.
Stewart returned to Liverpool and acted for three years at
the Everyman Theatre, under its founder director Peter
James. The theatre had a policy then of employing only young
actors, and others who had their first break there included
Jonathan Pryce and Julie Walters. Stewart married James's
sister Margaret in 1970.
His work took him to theatres all over Britain, especially
the Sheffield Crucible, again with Peter James, and the
Nottingham Playhouse under Richard Eyre. His peripatetic
lifestyle did not make for an easy marriage, and he and
Margaret were divorced.
Stewart acted in many groundbreaking productions over 30
years, playing the lead, Joseph K, in Steven Berkoff's
adaptation of The Trial in 1973. He was also in the first
production of Berkoff's harsh satire Sink the Belgrano at
the Half Moon Theatre in 1986.
He acted in several of Howard Barker's plays with The
Wrestling School, the company set up to produce Barker's
work. These included The Europeans (1986) about the
aftermath of the struggle between Christianity and Islam in
the 17th century, and Victory, (1991).
As well as appearing in many mainstream television dramas,
from Frost to Lovejoy, Stewart was involved in innovative
television productions including Made in Britain (1983), the
third collaboration between Alan Clarke and the screenwriter
David Leland. The play focused on a violent teenage
skinhead, Trevor, who refuses to co-operate with attempts to
rehabilitate him by the courts or his social worker, played
by Stewart. He also appeared in the political thriller
serial Edge of Darkness in 1985 and in Alan Bleasdale's GBH
in 1991.
More recently he played several seasons at Shakespeare's
Globe, including appearing in Henry V during Mark Rylance's
first season as artistic director. He played Capulet in
Romeo and Juliet in 2004, which gave him the opportunity to
work closely with young actors, which he loved. He was Sir
Toby Belch in Twelfth Night in 2002, in a production which
toured the US the following year. Stewart's portrayal of Sir
Toby, not as lively and rumbustious but as a sad figure
weeping silently into his ale, won wide acclaim.
Motor neuron disease was diagnosed in June and he took this
news calmly and with great bravery. He was supported and
cared for by his partner of the past seven years, the
actress Pamela Moiseiwitsch, and her children, Luke and
Emily.
deb...@comcast.net
Jed
wrote:
>
>The Times (London)
>
>September 8, 2006, Friday
>
>
>
>
>Bill Stewart, actor, was born on December 7, 1942. He died
>on August 29, 2006, aged 63.
Photo:
Hyfler/Rosner
"Jed" <zyz...@plenipotentiary.com.invalid>
>
> Photo:
>
> http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorsS/P00032908.HTML
He seemed to be the kind of chap who would have appreciated
us finding a photo from "Morons from Outer Space." It's
better than what I found, which was nothing. Thanks.
Brad Ferguson
<rel...@rcn.com> wrote:
> Stewart was in the original 1965 production of Edward Bond's
> Saved, which caused a furore. The play, which includes a
> scene of a baby being stoned to death, was refused a licence
> by the Lord Chamberlain, so the Royal Court became a club to
> enable the production to be staged.
Ah. I remember a picture in Life magazine. A starkly lighted angry
man was throwing stones as hard as he could into a baby carriage.
aka Bob
>Motor neuron disease was diagnosed in June and he took this
>news calmly and with great bravery. He was supported and
>cared for by his partner of the past seven years, the
>actress Pamela Moiseiwitsch, and her children, Luke and
>Emily.
Three months and a bit from diagnosis to death? Seems like motor
neuron disease can move very quickly.
--
"It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens." - Woody Allen
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Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
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MGW
<bobf...@surfwriter.net.not> scrawled:
> On Fri, 8 Sep 2006 11:28:15 -0400, "Hyfler/Rosner" <rel...@rcn.com>
> magnanimously proffered:
>
> >Motor neuron disease was diagnosed in June and he took this
> >news calmly and with great bravery. He was supported and
> >cared for by his partner of the past seven years, the
> >actress Pamela Moiseiwitsch, and her children, Luke and
> >Emily.
>
> Three months and a bit from diagnosis to death? Seems like motor
> neuron disease can move very quickly.
Or be hard to diagnose and therefore not be diagnosed until its late
stages.
--
MGW
Statistics means never having to say you're certain.
(Note: my Hotmail address is seldom checked)
SoHillsGuy
MGW wrote:
> > Three months and a bit from diagnosis to death? Seems like motor
> > neuron disease can move very quickly.
>
> Or be hard to diagnose and therefore not be diagnosed until its late
> stages.
Our mayor (Pittsburgh) was diagnosed with brain cancer in July and died
last week, just about eight weeks later. That was lightening fast...