Francis Edward Paxton Whitehead was an English actor and theatre director.
21 Facts About Paxton Whitehead
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Paxton Whitehead was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Pellinore in the 1980 revival of Camelot.
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Paxton Whitehead was known for his film roles and for his many guest appearances on several US television shows: he portrayed Bernard Thatch on The West Wing, and in the 1990s often appeared in recurring and guest roles on major sitcoms, such as Frasier, Caroline in the City, Ellen, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Drew Carey Show, Mad About You, and Friends.
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Paxton Whitehead was born in East Malling and Larkfield, Kent on 17 October 1937, the son of Louise and Charles Parkin Whitehead.
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Paxton Whitehead trained at London's Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art beginning when he was 17 years old.
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In 1961, Paxton Whitehead directed Doric Wilson's first play to be performed, And He Made a Her, a comedy that was an off-off-Broadway production at the Caffe Cino.
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Paxton Whitehead made his Broadway debut in The Affair after appearing in Canadian stage and television productions.
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Paxton Whitehead replaced Jonathan Miller in the Broadway production of Beyond the Fringe in 1964 and appeared on the LP recording of the show, Beyond the Fringe '64.
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Paxton Whitehead went on to appear with the American Shakespeare Company to direct in regional repertory.
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In 1967 Paxton Whitehead succeeded Barry Morse as artistic director of Ontario's Shaw Festival, the only repertory company dedicated to the works of George Bernard Shaw.
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Paxton Whitehead served until 1977 and appeared in productions as an actor.
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Paxton Whitehead received an honorary degree in arts from Trent University in 1978 and earned an Antoinette Perry "Tony" Award nomination for Camelot in 1980.
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Paxton Whitehead appeared in numerous Broadway productions including My Fair Lady with Richard Chamberlain, The Harlequin Studies with Bill Irwin, Noel Coward's Suite in Two Keys, Peter Shaffer's Lettice and Lovage, London Suite by Neil Simon, and as Sherlock Holmes in The Crucifer of Blood.
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Paxton Whitehead was well known for his film roles and many guest and recurring appearances on television shows, especially many of the top sitcoms from the 1990s such as Frasier, Caroline in the City, Ellen, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Drew Carey Show, Mad About You, and Friends.
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In later years, Paxton Whitehead continued to work in regional theatre and on Broadway.
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Paxton Whitehead began previews of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre on 17 December 2010 in the role of Reverend Canon Chasuble.
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Paxton Whitehead played the role of George Bernard Shaw in Anthony Wynn's Bernard and Bosie: A Most Unlikely Friendship in a benefit performance for the Episcopal Actors' Guild on 5 May 2011.
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Paxton Whitehead was an associate artist of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.
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Paxton Whitehead was then married to Katherine Robinson from 1987 until she died in 2009.
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Paxton Whitehead lived in Arlington County, Virginia, in his final years.
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Paxton Whitehead died from complications of a fall at a hospital in Arlington, on 16 June 2023, at age 85.