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Hutt, Peter

Distinguished and versatile actor, who has worked extensively at the Stratford and Shaw Festivals. He grew up in Iroquois Falls, northern Ontario and moved to Toronto in 1961. He currently lives in Niagara-on-the Lake.

He began his professional acting career at the Stratford Festival in 1975, remaining for four years, and returning from 1999 to 2002 and again in 2010. In total, he has performed with the company for sixteen seasons, including the roles of Antonio in The Merchant of Venice; Caliban in The Tempest; the Doctor in Cymbeline; the Old Man in Elektra; Oronte in The Misanthrope; Alonso in The Tempest; Buckingham in Richard III; Chauvelin in The Scarlet Pimpernel; William Shakespeare in Timothy Findley’s Elizabeth Rex. In 2013, he played Escalus in Measure for Measure, Aubespine in Mary Stuart, and Brabantio in Othello. In 2014, he appeared in Antony and Cleopatra and Mother Courage; and in 2015 in The Taming of the Shrew.

In 1979, he began working with the Shaw Festival, and has performed in a wide range of plays, including Misalliance (1980), A Respectable Wedding (1980) , Dangerous Corner (1988), Berkeley Square (1989), Waste (1995), Rosmersholm. More recently he appeared in Lillian Hellman’s The Autumn Garden (2005), Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Belle Moral: A Natural History (2005), Shaw’s Arms and the Man (2006) and The Philanderer (2007); as Reverend Winemiller in Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke (2007), and as Arthur Birling, whom Hutt describes as “a pompous, elitist and self-righteous industrial tycoon,” in J.B. Priestly’s An Inspector Calls (2008).

He has acted in theatres across Canada, including the Tarragon Theatre (The Children’s Republic by Hannah Moscovitch, 2011), Manitoba Theatre Centre, Citadel Theatre, Neptune Theatre, Grand Theatre, London, National Arts Centre and Royal Alexandra Theatre.

His film and TV credits include The Age of Dorian, Forever Knight, The Taming of the Shrew (CBC), Breaking All the Rules, Echoes in the Darkness, and the acclaimed CBC television production of Elizabeth Rex.

He was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Patience (Tarragon Theatre).

Peter Hutt is married to Shaw ensemble member Brigitte Robinson, with whom he has a son and a daughter. His uncle was William Hutt, the inspiration for his career in the theatre.

Last updated 2021-02-01

Hutt, William

Internationally acclaimed actor, born in Toronto,Ontario May 2, 1920, died in Stratford, Ontario June 27, 2007. His career was primarily at the Stratford Festival, where he excelled in major roles since its inception in 1953.

A decorated veteran of WWII, he completed a B.A. from the University of Toronto after returning to Canada. He first acted with the Hart House Theatre, making his professional debut in summer stock, and then in the Canadian Repertory Theatre, Ottawa.

At the Stratford Festival he played lead role in many of the productions of Shakespeare's plays, including s Lear (three times), Hamlet, Macbeth, Prospero (four times), Falstaff, Titus Andronicus, Brutus, Timon, Feste, Richard II, as well as unforgettable performances as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest (three times), in Three Sisters (with Maggie Smith, Marti Maraden and Martha Henry) and Long Day's Journey into Night. His final performance at Stratford was fittingly as Prospero in The Tempest (2005).

He also played in New York, not only with the Stratford company, but also in Edward Albee's Tiny Alice and Shaw's Saint Joan; and in Great Britain (Bristol Old Vic, West End) and many of Canada's important houses including Vancouver Playhouse, Grand Theatre, London and the Shaw Festival. In 2004 he played the role of Vladimir in Waiting for Godot for Soulpepper Theatre Company

He has also won awards for his film and television appearances, including an ACTRA for his portrayal of Sir John A. Macdonald in The National Dream (1978).

His performances were marked by a resonant voice and an assured stage presence which never subverted the characters he played. He was equally adept at tragic and comic roles.

William Hutt was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1969. In 1988, he received the Toronto Drama Bench Award for Distinguished Contribution to Canadian Theatre. He was awarded the Governor General’s Award for lifetime achievement in 1992. He has received Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees from McMaster University, and the universities of Ottawa, Guelph, and Western Ontario. In 2000 he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame, and the Waterloo Street Bridge in Stratford was renamed for him.

He has said of his early years at Stratford, "I was as bombastic as most young actors, but I came to realize that what is not said is as interesting as what is."

Further reading: Keith Garebian, William Hutt, a Theatre Portrait, 1988; and Keith Garebian, William Hutt: Soldier Actor, Guernica, 2017.

Profile by Gaetan Charlebois. Additional information by Anne Nothof

Last updated 2018-11-27