Michael Bradshaw(1933-2001)

Born in London, England in 1933 and grew up in Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. He trained as a printer for most of his teen years except for two years mandatory service in the British armed forces ("National Service") which he served in the Royal Air Force. During this time he was working in non-professional theatre in his home town. He left Britain for Canada in 1956 where he flourished in theatre winning the Best Actor in the Dominion of Canada Award at the Dominion Drama Festival for his portrayal of Sir Thomas Moore in 'A Man For All Seasons'. He went on to the United States to be in the first touring company of 'Man of La Mancha' with 'Jose Ferrer' and was on Broadway three times between the 1960s and 1970s including roles in Portrait of a Queen with 'Dorthy Tutin' and Conduct Unbecoming as Major Lionoel Roach for which he nominated for a Tony Award. In the 1970s he served as Production Stage Manager for the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri and then retired for most of the 1980s. In the late 80s he began working again, appearing in smaller productions around the New England area, especially Boston where he worked extensively during the 1990s. In the early 2000s he continued theatre work around the country having been in The Art of Success off Broadway in New York and in Tennessee William's Night of the Iguana at the Dallas Theatre Centre in Dallas, Texas. He was scheduled to take part in the Washington D.C. premiere of The Invention of Love but due to illness was forced to withdraw, the first time he'd ever been forced to leave a production in his career. His illness was diagnosed as cancer, and it grew worse until he finally succumbed on 13th December 2001 in a Newton, New Jersey hospital. He is survived by his sons Jeff, Michael, Jon and Josh as well as his wife of 25 years Patricia.