Beloved Stratford Festival actor Michael Blake dies at 53
In a news release, the festival called Blake, 53, 'one of the most gifted actors of his generation. He played an extraordinary variety of parts and did so with an ability and ease that was rare.'
Blake was well known at Stratford for his Shakespearean roles, which included Macduff in 'Macbeth,' Master Page in 'The Merry Wives of Windsor,' Don John in 'Much Ado About Nothing,' Cominius in 'Coriolanus,' the Duke of Clarence in 'Richard III,' Albany in 'King Lear' and Dumaine in 'All's Well That Ends Well.'
In 2019, he played the lead in the festival's 'Othello.'
In
her review for the Star
, Karen Fricker praised Blake's performance.
'Blake's Othello is beautifully spoken, poised and feline: in all ways attuned to the world around him,' she wrote. 'He's succeeded by contradicting in practice the low expectations that society has of him. Which is not to say he's crafty; he's savvy and principled.'
Blake performed in 25 Stratford productions between 2011 and 2023, including 'Napoli Milionaria!' 'The School for Scandal,' 'All My Sons' and 'Tartuff.'
The festival noted that Blake also appeared at theatres across Canada, and in film and television, including 'Due South,' 'The Expanse,' 'The Lost Symbol' and 'Murdoch Mysteries.'
According to his
IMDb.com
biography, Blake was born in Toronto and graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal.
He played the adult Simba in the original Toronto run of the musical 'The Lion King'; was an inaugural member of the English acting company of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and was a member of the first graduating class of the Soulpepper Academy in Toronto.
'Each part Michael played was powerfully realized,' artistic director Antoni Cimolino said in the news release. 'His work was true and realistic. His portrayals had an integrity that was compelling. It drew you into his reality.
'We will all remember him both for his art and his person. He was a member of our artistic family and he will be deeply missed.'
Funeral details have yet to be announced. The festival said it will dedicate a production to Blake's memory in 2026.
This story has been edited from an earlier version that gave an incorrect age for Michael Blake.
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Beloved Stratford Festival actor Michael Blake dies at 53
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