John Richard Easton (March 22, 1933 – December 2, 2019) was a Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of Brian Hammond in the 1970s BBC serial '' The Brothers''.

Life and career

Easton was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, the son of Mary Louise (née Withington) and Leonard Idell Easton, a civil engineer. He started acting in a children's theatre group before moving, at the age of seventeen, to

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

to work in a weekly repertory theatre. From 1972 to 1976, Easton appeared as Brian Hammond in the 1970s BBC serial '' The Brothers''. He also performed in many stage productions and various film roles. He also had television guest appearances on ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'', ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

'', '' Frasier'', and '' Ed''. In 2002, Easton starred in the title role in a three-part documentary, ''

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

'', on PBS. Between 2005 and 2011, Easton again appeared as Benjamin Franklin in a series of commercials and videos about

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, produced for the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts A.F. & A.M. On October 18, 2006, while performing Tom Stoppard's '' The Coast of Utopia'' on stage during the show's second preview at the

Lincoln Center Theater The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT ...

's Vivian Beaumont Theater, Easton suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

and collapsed. His heart stopped beating, but after co-star Martha Plimpton realized that Easton's fall was serious and asked the audience if a doctor was present, a stagehand stepped up to perform CPR. An ambulance was called and Easton was revived with defibrillation. He underwent a procedure to correct a

heart arrhythmia Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, are irregularities in the cardiac cycle, heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. Essentially, this is anything but normal sinus rhythm. A resting heart rate that is too fast – ab ...

, briefly delaying the opening of the play, in which he played a central role. He made a full recovery and returned to the play soon after the incident. In 2008, Easton was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. In 2011, Easton made a guest appearance in the second season of '' Boardwalk Empire'', appearing as Jackson Parkhurst in the episode " Gimcrack & Bunkum". One of his last notable appearances in media was as the voice of Nigel, the eccentric celebrity fanatic in the game ''

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

''. Easton died on December 2, 2019, at the age of 86.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

* ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' -

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

(1969 Lyceum Theatre production) * '' The Invention of Love'' - A. E. Housman, aged 77 (2001) * '' Noises Off'' - Selsdon Mowbray (2001

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

production) * ''Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2'' - Henry IV (2003 Lincoln Center production) * '' The Coast of Utopia'' - Alexander Bakunin/Leonty Ibayev/Stanislaw Worcell (2006 Lincoln Center production) * '' Elling'' - Alfons (2010 Broadway production)

Video games

Awards

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Easton, Richard 1933 births 2019 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Canadian male film actors Canadian male Shakespearean actors Canadian male stage actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Drama Desk Award winners 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors Male actors from Montreal Tony Award winners Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom