10 Facts About Brian Bedford

Brian Bedford appeared in film and on stage, and was an actor-director of Shakespeare productions.

Brian Bedford served as the voice of Disney's Robin Hood from the 1973 animated film of the same name.

Brian Bedford was born in Morley, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 16 February 1935, the son of Ellen and Arthur Bedford, a postman.

Brian Bedford attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London from 1952 to 1955.

Brian Bedford appeared with James Garner in the 1966 film Grand Prix, and in 1967 he was a regular on the CBS series Coronet Blue.

Brian Bedford provided the voice of the title character in the 1973 Disney film Robin Hood, which director Byron Howard credits as a major inspiration for the Academy Award-winning animated film, Zootopia.

In 1997 Brian Bedford was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Brian Bedford repeated the role in 2010 for the Roundabout Theatre in New York, which earned him a 2011 Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.

Brian Bedford shared homes in Stratford, Ontario, and in Santa Barbara, California, with fellow actor Tim MacDonald, his partner after 1985 and husband from 2013.

Brian Bedford died of cancer on January 13,2016, in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 80; his remains were cremated.