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Richard McMillan

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Richard McMillan
Born
Richard John Lawrence McMillan[1]

(1951-03-20)20 March 1951
Beaverton, Ontario, Canada
Died19 February 2017(2017-02-19) (aged 65)[1][2][3]
Toronto, Ontario. Canada
Other namesRichard MacMillan
OccupationActor
Years active1977 – 2014
Known forBest known as Pooh-Bah in the Stratford Festival production of The Mikado (1982-1984).
Spouse
Anne Louise Bannon
​
(m. 1991)​

Richard McMillan (also known as Richard MacMillan; 20 March 1951 – 19 February 2017) was a Canadian film, television and stage actor.

Early life

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McMillan was born in Beaverton, Ontario, Canada on 20 March 1951 and, as an infant, was adopted by Frank and Mary McMillan. His parents ran the Beaverton Hotel, and provided McMillan and his younger brother, Frank ("Cooch"), a worthy home and surroundings in which to grow up as youngsters. Later in life, McMillan met his biological mother who refused to acknowledge him as her child, which was profoundly felt, and influenced his onstage performances, according to his actress/wife, Anne Louise Bannon. After high school, McMillan moved to Toronto, Ontario and studied theater at Ryerson University but did not graduate, and instead, soon afterwards, joined the Stratford Festival as a young actor.[1]

Career

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In 1982, McMillan became well known for his role as Pooh-Bah ("Lord High Everything Else") in an adaptation, by Brian MacDonald, of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, The Mikado. In the 1980s and 1990s, McMillan was a well regarded Shakespearean actor at the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival hosted by the University of Pittsburgh, as well as an actor in other related stage productions in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.[4] In 1989, while there, McMillan met his wife, Anne, then a graduate student at the University, who was playing Ophelia to his Hamlet on stage. They married in 1991, in her hometown of Windsor, Ontario, and afterwards, in 1993, the couple had a daughter Maggie.

During this time, McMillan also performed in stage productions in and around Toronto,[5] which included a featured role in Inexpressible Island, a three-act dramatic play by David Young, in 1997.[6] In 2000, McMillan performed as Scar in the Canadian production of The Lion King, a duplicate of the Broadway version, at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. In addition, McMillan later played the wizard Saruman in a production of Lord of the Rings. Between performances, McMillan enjoyed painting, playing the piano as well as several sports, including kayaking and, having had earned a private pilot's license, flying.[1]

Over the years, McMillan was awarded honors for his acting performances. These honors included several Dora Mavor Moore Awards, a Canadian Screen Award and a Toronto Theatre Critics Award.[1]

According to Richard Rose, artistic director of the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto, and a close personal friend of McMillan, "In the roles he took on, he was noted for presenting fiercely passionate characters that he illuminated with compassion and, conversely, he was a master of the clown — roles that were at once humorous and sad ... As an actor he understood the absurd and the contradictory. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone quite that sad on the stage, and for that the audiences just loved him. You couldn’t take your eyes off him.”[2][3]

McMillan was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2009, and after a remission, later died of the disease on 17 February 2017 in Toronto at Princess Margaret Hospital at the age of 65.[1][2][3]

Filmography

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Films (selected)

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Year Title Role Notes
1983 The Mikado Pooh-Bah
1983 The Wars Harris
1988 Family Reunion Desk Clerk
1993 M. Butterfly Embassy Colleague
1994 Trapped in Paradise Agent #1
1995 The Michelle Apartments Ernie
1996 The Legend of Gator Face Skeeter
1998 Shadow Builder Father Finler
1998 Babyface Leo
1998 All I Wanna Do Bert Chubb
1998 Sleeping Dogs Lie Rainville
1999 A Map of the World Lloyd
1999 External Affairs Ilya Trefonich
1999 New Blood Young
2004 Slow Jam King Buck Garvey's security
2004 The Day After Tomorrow Dennis
2004 Zeyda and the Hitman Superintendent
2004 A Different Loyalty Angus Petherbridge
2004 Cube Zero Bartok
2006 The Fountain Henry
2012 Please Kill Mr. Know It All Actor #4
2014 How to Build a Better Boy Principal Fragner

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Morrow, Martin (21 February 2017). "Richard McMillan: Acclaimed theatre star excelled at both comedy and drama". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Vlessing, Eton (21 February 2017). "Richard McMillan, Canadian Stage and Screen Veteran, Dies at 66 - His film credits included Darren Aronofsky's 'The Fountain,' Roland Emmerich's 'The Day After Tomorrow' and David Cronenberg's 'M Butterfly.'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c La Rose, Lauren (21 February 2017). "Richard McMillan, Canadian theatre star, dead at 65 - Richard McMillan, a fixture in Canadian theatre, died on Feb. 19 after a struggle with thyroid cancer". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  4. ^ Staff (2023). "The Richard McMillan Fund". University of Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  5. ^ Staff (3 January 2019). "Shakespeare in Performance: Person - Richard McMillan - Credited in Cast". Internet Shakespeare Live. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  6. ^ Staff (17 April 2020). "Inexpressible Island". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
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