Paxton Whitehead (born October 17, 1937 in Kent, England) is an actor who made his professional debut in 1956.
He trained at London's Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art beginning when he was 17 years old. After attending the Academy he worked in repertory, small touring companies that rehearsed and performed a new play each week. In 1958 he was signed by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
In 1961 Whitehead directed Doric Wilson's first play to be performed, his comedy And He Made A Her, a production at the off-off-Broadway venue Caffe Cino. He made his Broadway debut in "The Affair" (1962) after appearing in Canadian stage and TV productions. 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. He went on to appear with the American Shakespeare Company to direct in regional repertory.
Whitehead succeeded Barry Morse as Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival, the only repertory company dedicated to the works of George Bernard Shaw. Under his leadership, it continued to develop into an international event. During his tenure he was able to push through a plan of building the purpose-built 869 seat state-of-the-art Festival Theatre to expand considerably the capacity for audiences at Niagara-on-the-Lake. Queen Elizabeth II, Indira Gandhi, and Pierre Elliot Trudeau were among those who attended performances at the Shaw Festival Theatre during its inaugural season in 1973. He served until 1977 and also appeared in productions as actor. His notable appearances included The Apple Cart, Major Barbara, The Philanderer, Arms and the Man, Misalliance, and Heartbreak House with Jessica Tandy.
He received an honorary degree in arts from Trent University in 1978 and earned an Antoinette Perry "Tony" Award nomination for Camelot in 1980. He has 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 Schaffer's Lettice and Lovage, London Suite by Neil Simon, and as Sherlock Holmes in The Crucifer of Blood.
In recent years, Whitehead has been in retirement away from acting. However, in 2007, he made a cameo in Desperate Housewives as the father of Susan Mayer's fiancée, Ian. Whitehead will be appearing in the role of Phil at the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, CT from July 12 - July 27, 2007 in Relatively Speaking, a comedy.
Whitehead is an Associate Artist of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. He performs on recordings of Shaw's The Doctor's Dilemma and Harley Granville-Barker's The Voysey Inheritance.
Tour History
