William Hutt (actor)

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For other persons named William Hutt, see William Hutt (disambiguation).

William Ian DeWitt Hutt, CC , O.Ont , MM , BA , DFA , D.Litt (born May 2, 1920) is a Canadian actor of stage and film.

Hutt was born in Toronto, Ontario on May 2, 1920, the second of three children of emotionally remote parents (his mother in particular was incapable of expressing any kind of feeling).

Hutt served five years as a medic during World War II, receiving the Military Medal for “bravery in the field”. After the war, he received his BA in 1948 from Trinity College of the University of Toronto, and subsequently joined the Stratford Festival of Canada in its first season in 1953.

He has appeared in film and television in such roles as Le Moyne in the 2003 film The Statement, Sir John A. MacDonald in the Canadian television production of The National Dream, and James Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night (which he also performed on stage).

In 1969 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada and in 1992 he was awarded the Order of Ontario. He also received an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in October 1997, and in 2000 was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. Hutt was the first recipient of the Governor General's Lifetime Achievement Award, English Stage.

Hutt's last performance at Stratford was on October 28, 2005 when he appeared as Prospero in Shakespeare's The Tempest. He will return to the Stage in Stratford's 2007 season, appearing as Tobias in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance.

He continues to appear in films, and is considered by many to be one of the finest theatre actors of the 20th century.