Having attended the Stratford Festival since 1986, I saw William Needles onstage many times. The word "grace" is used below in the festival's media release and it is so appropriate. His presence onstage reached the heights of "acting" - it looked utterly natural.
His exit from the stage was equally graceful and full of energy. His obituary is a joyful read.
MEDIA RELEASE
02/16
Stratford Festival bids farewell to the dean of
Canadian actors
William Needles, a veteran of 47 seasons, dies at age
97
January 13, 2016… It is with sadness that the
Stratford Festival bids farewell to the man who was Canada’s oldest working
actor. William Needles died January 12, at the age of 97, surrounded by
his family, at a hospice in Alliston, Ontario. Just days earlier, he had left
his adopted hometown of Stratford, after suffering a massive heart attack on
December 19.
True to form, Mr. Needles surprised doctors and loved ones,
showing enormous resilience despite a dim prognosis. The Stratford General
Hospital saw a steady stream of actors pour through its doors during the
Christmas period, as faithful friends visited a man whose support of the
theatrical industry is unparalleled. Expecting to find an invalid drawing his
last breath, his visitors instead found their longtime friend and mentor
reciting Shakespeare – the Chorus from Henry V one day, Shylock’s
admonition to Antonio another. His mind was razor sharp, though his body was
letting him down.
Mr. Needles, with the help of his daughter, Jane, reached
out to friends near and far. Calls came in from every corner, including from
his former student Jon Lovitz, who immortalized Mr. Needles with his classic Saturday
Night Live character “Master Thespian.”
His achievements and honours are many: a Member of the Order
of Canada, a founding member of the Stratford Festival company, a co-founder of
the Actors Fund of Canada, a Master Teacher Cum Laude from the University of
California, Irvine, and recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the University
of Waterloo and the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals.
“The
Stratford Festival has lost one of its pioneers, a gifted actor and a favourite
uncle. Bill Needles was the embodiment of grace and generosity. His humour,
humanity and sense of fun infused his work on and off the stage,” said Artistic
Director Antoni Cimolino.
“Bill
was a brilliant comedian who could bring the house down with laughter while
appearing quite nonchalant. His work seemed effortless. His voice and manner
were rich with nuance.
“But
perhaps the greatest of his many talents was his gift of mentorship to several
generations of young actors. In what can be a difficult way of life Bill was
there for so many during the tough times. His honesty, decency and kindness
could balm almost any hurt and sooth a bruised spirit. After a talk with Bill
you'd be ready to get up, smile and try again.
“Billie
Noodles – as he was fondly called – will be dearly missed."
Mr.
Needles was born in Yonkers, New York, on January 2, 1919, and raised in
Kitchener, Ontario, just down the road from Stratford. His father, Ira
Needles, was the founder of BF Goodrich Canada and co-founder of the University
of Waterloo.
In the
late 1930s, Mr. Needles studied for two years at the Goodman School of Drama at
the Art Institute of Chicago, and then moved to Winnipeg to work as a stage
manager for the John Holden Players. In 1940 he moved on to Toronto, where he
joined the cast of the CBC Radio soap opera John and Judy, playing John.
After serving in the Second World War he returned to the role of John at CBC.
He made a name for himself in radio drama, and served as a manager for Lorne
Greene’s Acting Academy and Dora Mavor Moore’s New Play Society before joining
the Stratford Festival in its inaugural season.
He
retired from the stage at the age of 87 and, as the oldest working actor in
Canada, turned in two final masterful performances: Adam in 2005’s As You
Like It – his last performance on his beloved Festival stage – and
Castruchio in 2006’s The Duchess of Malfi.
During
his career, Mr. Needles performed at theatres across North America and abroad,
including the Broadway productions of Hadrian VII with Alex McCowan and Next
Time I’ll Sing to You with James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons. His many
film roles included Banquo in the 1961 production of Macbeth, with Sean
Connery in the title role.
He was a
teacher of acting, serving for many years at the University of California,
Irvine, and a mentor beyond compare to hundreds of people starting out in the
profession.
Though
retired for a decade, Mr. Needles made almost weekly visits to the Festival,
travelling through the halls on his scooter and sharing lunch with his many
friends in the greenroom. The Festival was truly his second home, and the
theatre’s people his second family. He will be sadly missed and long remembered.
Mr.
Needles leaves behind his wife, Dorothy Jane Goulding, whom he married in 1946,
five children, Jane (Ted Bradley), Arthur (Linda), Dan (Heath), Reed (Clare)
and Laura Ann, 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, his sister,
Lauranna Jones, many nieces and nephews and countless friends and colleagues.
The
Stratford Festival is dedicating the 2016 production of As You Like It
to Mr. Needles’ memory. Mr. Needles performed in four different productions of
the play at Stratford, as Duke Senior in 1959, Duke Frederick in 1972, Duke Senior
in 1983 (which was televised on CBC), and Adam in 2005.
A
celebration of Mr. Needles’ life will be held at the Festival in the spring. A
family funeral will be held on Saturday, January 16, in Alliston, with burial
to follow at Avondale Cemetery in Stratford at a later date. Memorial donations
may be made to the William Needles Guthrie Award Fund at the Stratford
Festival, the Actors’ Fund of Canada, or Matthews House Hospice in Alliston,
Ontario.
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