B: December 21, 1921 in Montréal, Québec
D: April 20, 1988 in Stratford, Ontario
Jean Gascon started out wanting to be a doctor and studied medicine, but he gravitated toward theatre and also followed an acting career first with Jean-Louis Roux and Les Compagnons de Saint-Laurent. He then studied in France with Ludmilla Pitoëff and became in 1951 a cofounder of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, and in 1952, the theatre school. Just a few of the highlights from a long career include the years 1956 when he played Henry V at the Stratford Festival; 1958 when he toured Europe, the US and Canada; 1959 when he directed Othello at Stratford; 1960-63 he became the first director of the National Theatre School; 1964 he directed The Comedy of Errors at Stratford; then from 1968-74 he was artistic director of Stratford succeeding Michael Langham. In 1977 he became theatre director of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and in 1986-87 Gascon directed The Barber of Seville and Tosca at the Opéra de Montréal. He was in rehearsal for a return to Stratford to direct My Fair Lady when he suffered a heart attack and died. Gascon received many honours including the Order of Canada, the Prix du Québec, the Royal Bank Award and the Molson Prize. He appeared in only a handful of films. Also see: Gabriel Gascon
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