Farewell, Brian Bedford...

It always saddens me to hear about the death of a performer I like, and especially so when it happens to be one that I’ve had the great fortune to have met. Such is the case with Brian Bedford, an actor primarily known for his work on stage, yet also having performed in a number of feature films and TV show guest appearances.

I first became aware of Brian Bedford in 1973, when I saw Disney’s animated feature, Robin Hood up on the big screen when I was just 13. Brian was perhaps the only actor in the film’s voice credits that I had never heard of, and ironically he was the voice of the title character, Robin Hood the fox! I just loved that film, as I was quite taken by the concept of the Robin Hood legend being re-enacted with a cast of anthropomorphic animals. (And that was long before I’d ever heard the word, “anthropomorphic”!) Despite it not being particularly well thought of by animation film critics, it still remains a personal favourite Disney feature of mine, as I still believe it has some of the most enjoyable characterizations, even if the plot is merely serviceable.

My photo of Brian Bedford from 1980.
I wish we'd had digital cameras back then!

Several years later, Brian Bedford started to appear at Canada’s Stratford Festival, in Stratford, Ontario. In 1978, my parents agreed to take me to see him at Stratford, in a production of Private Lives, opposite Maggie Smith. We drove there from Ottawa, and I was able to arrange before the show for permission to visit with Brian backstage after his performance, as I had drawn a caricature that I wished to present to him. Brian had given the word that we’d be welcome, and so we headed backstage after the show (and passed Maggie Smith in the hallway, who smiled at us as she was just heading home). Brian Bedford was absolutely charming, and graciously spent about a half hour with us, chatting with me about both his voice work in Robin Hood, as well as his role in Grand Prix, the only live-action feature I’d seen him in, and on which I had based my caricature of him. Coincidentally, Brian's co-star in Grand Prix was James Garner, my alltime favourite actor, whom I have featured numerous times on The Cartoon Cave!

As the tragic race car driver, Scott Stoddard, in Grand Prix 1966

We saw him again at Stratford a couple more times over the years, and also were able to visit with him when he appeared on the Toronto stage in a production of Whose Life Is It Anyway? The caricature pictured in the photo above is a second one I’d done of him, presented to him at Stratford in 1980. Every time I saw him, he greeted me by name, even remembering the fact that I’d hoped to one day work for Disney. That would actually happen for me in 1984, but I don’t believe I saw him again after then, and I think he’d have been happy to hear that news if I’d gotten in touch again. I really wish now that I had. Brian Bedford was a true gentleman and a very kind fellow. I will miss him very much.

I Think I've Ustinov Ink On Sir Peter!

I've always had a fondness for the various British character actors I grew up watching. Here's one of my favourites - the wonderful Peter Ustinov. He's such a fun actor to draw as well, as he has such an expressive face with that broad nose, mischievous glint in his eyes, and a very unusual mouth shape. I've seen a fair number of his films and have drawn him many times, though these three are probably the only ones I took to finished ink line.
Here he is in perhaps the first role I saw him in when I was a kid, in Disney's 1968 comedy, "Blackbeard's Ghost". Watching it today, I feel that Ustinov's presence probably raised the film up from being just another lightweight Disney comedy to something rather inspired. It looked like he had great fun hamming it up in the role of the ghostly pirate trying as best he could to make amends for all his earthly wrongs, so as to break the witch's curse on him and set his soul to rest. On a side note, I recall that I had a tough time drawing his co-star, Dean Jones, a Disney regular throughout the 60's and 70's. I drew this one originally for a fan club newsletter down in the Walt Disney World area, back when I used to work there in the early 90's.
This drawing dates back to 1979. (I feel so old!) Peter Ustinov was playing "King Lear" on the Stratford stage and my parents and I went to see the show. I had also done a full-colour painting of this, which I had framed up and presented to him backstage after the performance. "King Lear" is a very long play, and it was clear that Mr. Ustinov was tired, but he was still very gracious and chatted with us for about 10 minutes before heading home. It was quite a thrill to meet him and, yes, I got his autograph on my drawing!
This last drawing of Sir Peter Ustinov (yes, he'd been knighted by then!) dates back to 1996. He's definitely looking older and the bagginess of the flesh around his eyes has reduced the upwards slant that was evident in my earlier drawings. Just a year earlier, I'd taken my Dad to see him in a one-man show he did at The Royal Alex Theatre in Toronto called "An Evening With Peter Ustinov". Ustinov was an extremely witty raconteur, and the audience just loved him. My Dad had also been a longtime fan of his and it was a really special occasion for me to spend with him, as it was usually pretty tough to convince him to go see a show. He seemed quite keen to see this one, I'm happy to say, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. A very happy memory...

Here's a short video of Sir Peter in action. You get a great sense of his storytelling abilities along with his great gift for mimicry. There's also a quick glimpse of one of his more famous fans sitting in the audience.

Finally, I can't resist ending off with the role that Peter Ustinov is famous for to Disney animation fans - Prince John in "Robin Hood". Here's a compilation of clips somebody was good enough to cobble together on YouTube. I think there is a very strong likeness of the actor in the broad lion nose and bright, slanted up eyes. Also, as I mentioned earlier, Ustinov has an unusual mouth shape with the upper lip protruding over his lower lip and the corners of his mouth stretched back when he talks. The Disney animators, most notably Ollie Johnston, have interpreted his mouth movements into the animation, resulting in a character design that is capable of producing that distinctive vocal sound. This is something I always tell my students at Sheridan to pay attention to in their own character designs - that the design has to be credible with the voice coming out of it. By analyzing the mouth shape and jaw structure, you can tailor the design perfectly to being able to create the given vocal quality and mannerisms.

Sadly, the world said goodbye to Peter Ustinov in 2004. Happily though, he'd had a long and productive life and career. I heartily recommend seeing his many great films. "Topkapi" and "Hot Millions" are both a hoot!