Latest news with #Blake
Calgary Herald
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Stratford Festival mourns the loss of actor Michael Blake, co-star of ATP's King James
Actor Michael Blake, who played a variety of roles during 10 seasons at the Stratford Festival, has died, the company announced on Monday. Article content Blake, 53, was considered 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, the Festival said in a release. Article content Article content 'Each part Michael played was powerfully realized,' Stratford Festival artistic director Antoni Cimolino said. 'His work was true and realistic. His portrayals had an integrity that was compelling. It drew you into his reality.' Article content Article content Blake also performed at theatres across Canada, as well as on film and TV, but he will be remembered in Stratford for bringing to life a variety of characters — an unforgettable Othello, a heartbreaking Macduff in Macbeth, a good-hearted Master Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, a delightfully villainous Don John in Much Ado About Nothing, a commanding Cominius in Coriolanus, an excellent Duke of Clarence in Richard III, and Albany in King Lear. Those performances have been captured on film, the Festival said. Article content Article content It total, Blake performed in 25 Stratford productions between 2011 and 2023, including Errico in Napoli Milionaria!, Mr. Balance in The School for Scandal, George Deever in All My Sons, Edmund in King Lear, Dumaine in All's Well That Ends Well, Cleante in Tartuff, and Sebastian in Twelfth Night. Article content
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Justin Baldoni Is Being Sued Over "It Ends With Us" Again
Justin Baldoni is being Last December, his It Ends With Us costar, Blake Lively, sued Justin (who also directed the movie), alleging sexual harassment. He denied the allegations and attempted to countersue her for $400 million, claiming defamation for one, but his suit against Blake and her husband Ryan Reynolds was ultimately dismissed by a judge last month. Justin also filed separate suits against the New York Times and publicist Leslie Sloane, which were dismissed at the same time. "As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it," a statement from Blake's lawyers subsequently read. "We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages." Yesterday, Harco Insurance Company filed a lawsuit in New York against Justin, the production company he cofounded (Wayfarer Studios), and other related entities. The gist of their complaint is that the insurance company thinks that they shouldn't have to pay any legal fees for Justin or Wayfarer in relation to Blake's complaints as their agreement allegedly does "not provide coverage for the claims asserted by Blake." Why? Well, for one, they point to a section in Blake's complaint where she says that she made complaints of sexual harassment in April through June of 2023. A separate now-dismissed lawsuit from Justin against Blake similarly acknowledges that Blake raised her complaints with Justin as early as May 2023. The issue here is that Wayfarer allegedly first applied for insurance for the year after Blake made her complaints. According to Harco's complaint, the studio didn't tell the insurance company: "Despite the acknowledged pre-July 2023 complaints by Lively and others, Wayfarer's July 2023 Application for the 2023 Policy includes a letter from Wayfarer which warrants that no person or entity for whom the insurance is intended has any knowledge or information of any act, error, omission, fact or circumstance which may give rise to a claim." Furthermore, the insurance company claims that nobody told them about when Blake, Justin, and other execs met in early 2024 to discuss Blake's allegations of sexual harassment on set. This was important when it came to them renewing their insurance for the following year. "The first page of the 2024 Renewal Application includes a notice, in all capitals which advised Wayfarer that it should report any currently known claims or circumstances that could result in a claim to its current insurer because '[HARCO] WILL NOT PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR CLAIMS OR INCIDENTS WHICH THE APPLICANT IS AWARE OF PRIOR TO THE INCEPTION DATE,'" the suit continues. "Wayfarer's 2024 Renewal Application advised Harco that there was no claim, notice of potential claim, or any situation that may give rise to a claim within the last 12 months." In fact, Harco alleges that Wayfarer and Justin only told the insurance company about Blake's legal action in April this year, when they allegedly "demanded that Harco provide them with a defense and indemnity." When the insurance company told Justin et. al that they didn't have coverage for Blake's complaints, they apparently said that they "disagree." On the plus side for Justin, his Wayfarer Studios cofounder, billionaire Stephen Sarowitz (who is also named as a defendant in the insurance lawsuit), previously said that he'd be willing to "spend $100 million to ruin the lives of Ms. Lively and her family.'
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Beloved Stratford Festival actor Michael Blake dies at 53
Toronto actor Michael Blake, who spent 10 seasons at the Stratford Festival, has died. 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 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.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Beloved Stratford Festival actor Michael Blake dies at 54
Toronto actor Michael Blake, who spent 10 seasons at the Stratford Festival, has died. In a news release, the festival called Blake, 54, '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 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.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘I have to be honest' – RTE star Arthur Gourounlian makes confession after bump in the road on family day out
RTE star Arthur Gourounlian was honest with his followers after a bump in the road occurred on his family day out. The Dancing With The Stars judge spent some quality time with his mum Maria, sister-in-law Aoife, and kids Blake and Blu yesterday. 3 Arthur brought his kids for a day out in Wicklow yesterday Credit: Instagram 3 Arthur's mum is currently staying at his Dublin home Credit: Instagram 3 Arthur spoke about Blake's tantrum Credit: Instagram They visited Smurfs Village in Avondale in Wicklow and had an "absolutely amazing day". Arthur shared snippets of their day out over on Instagram and raved over the unique experience. The 45-year-old said: "Loved every single moment. The Smurfs Village is nothing short of enchanting. "From the exceptional presentation to the welcoming atmosphere and the incredible professionalism of the team, everything was truly top-notch. read more arthur gourounlian "We are genuinely impressed and wholly immersed in the experience." After having fun at the Smurf-themed family event, they went to see what the all fuss is about at Beyond the Trees in Avondale Forest Park. The family-of-five took a leisurely stroll through the walled gardens and walked along the forest park trails. Arthur said: "I love discovering new things everyday. I adore the view, the nature and the location. Wow." read more on the irish sun They decided they wanted to climb to the top of the viewing tower to go on the giant slide and look out at the stunning scenery. However, after posting about the excursion, Arthur confessed that they didn't actually end up making it to the slide. Arthur Gourounlian shares summer fun clip with mum The dad-of-two told his fans: "Right, so I have to be very honest here, from the last video you saw Blake going up. "We wanted to get to the top then do the slide, but we never made it to the top because my lovely daughter had a little tantrum. "She didn't want to go into the buggy and she didn't want to walk but she wanted Papa to carry her. "It was a long way up so we're trying to compromise but none of us wanted to give up. Yes I wasn't going to let her win, those little tears wouldn't fool me. FAMILY FUN "So we ended up going home. So we never made it to the top but I've seen people sliding through the slide and I'm definitely going to come back and revisit this place when Blake is 25-years-old. "Honestly, the views are just spectacular. Oh, if you're wondering what happened after, she was absolutely fine. She sat in the car and said, 'Papa, let's go home', I was like, 'You won't break me'." Arthur also shared some gorgeous photos from their day out and captioned the post: "What a beautiful Friday spent at Beyond the Trees Avondale with my gorgeous girls! "We started with the charming Smurf Village and discovered the most magical walking path through the forest. It's always incredible to stumble upon new places, views, and little adventures that make your heart full. We loved every single minute of it." The celebrity choreographer's friends and fans flooded the comment section with compliments. Hubby Brian Dowling wrote: "Family." Evelyn said: "Beautiful family." One fan commented: "Aw beautiful family. J'adore. Tati is looking fabulous." Karen added: "Gorgeous photos."
