The Stratford Festival is mourning the death of William Needles.
Needles was Canada’s oldest working actor. He was a long-time veteran of the Festival having worked 47 seasons here including the very first one in 1953.
Fellow actor Rod Beattie says he was a mentor to younger generations of actors:
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Needles accomplished much in his life, including being named a Member of the Order of Canada, co-founding the Actors Fund of Canada and winning both the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals.
The Stratford Festival is dedicating the 2016 production of As You Like It to his memory and will be holding a celebration of his life in the spring.
William Needles was 97-years-old.
Photo of Needles provided by the Stratford Festival
