Paxton Whitehead (born 17 October 1937) is a British actor who made his professional debut in 1956. He played Professor Phillip Barbay in the 1986 comedy film Back to School.

Biography

Early years
Paxton was born in East Malling, Kent, the son of Louise (née Hunt) and Charles Parkin Paxton, a lawyer. 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.


Career
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 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. Whitehead and Suzanne Grossman adapted Georges Feydeau's plays There's One in Every Marriage for the Broadway stage in 1971, and Chemin de Fer in 1974.

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, Noël Coward's Suite in Two Keys, Peter Shaffer's Lettice and Lovage, London Suite by Neil Simon and as Sherlock Holmes in The Crucifer of Blood.

In recent years, Whitehead has continued to work in regional theatre and on Broadway. In 2007, he made a cameo in Desperate Housewives as the father of Susan Mayer's fiancée, Ian. Whitehead appeared in the role of Phil at the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, CT from 12–27 July 2007 in Relatively Speaking, a comedy. Whitehead began previews of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre on 17 December 2010 in the role of Reverend Canon Chausible. The show opened on 13 January 2011 and was filmed live on 11/12 March 2011 for broadcast in June 2011. He will play the role George Bernard Shaw in Anthony Wynn's Bernard and Bosie: A Most Unlikely Friendship in a benefit performance for the Episcopal Actors' Guild on 5 May 2011.

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.



^ "Doric Wilson on the Caffe Cino." Doric Wilson Professional Web Page. Originally printed in Other Stages (NYC). 8 March 1979.

^ "Paxton Whitehead: Male, Performer, Writer, Dramaturg". Internet Broadway Data Base. Retrieved 23 June 2007.

^ Erickson, Hal. "Biography". Allmovie. Retrieved 23 June 2007.

^ Mandelbaum, Ken. "DVDs: So That's the Way You Like It: BEYOND THE FRINGE (Acorn Media)". Broadway.com. Retrieved 23 June 2007.

^ Simonson, Robert (25 August 2010). "Suzanne Grossman, Actress and writer, Dies at 72". Playbill. Retrieved 25 August 2010.

^ IMDB Cast Listing for "Desperate Housewives" Dress Big

^ Monty, Scott (22 June 2007). "Where Are the Slippers Now?" (VALL)". Baker Street Blog. Retrieved 22 June 2007.

^ Hetrick, Adam (25 June 2007). "Carr, Waterston, Whitehead to Star in Westport's Relatively Speaking". Playbill. Retrieved 25 June 2007.

^ Lipton, Brian Scott (25 June 2007). "Carr, Hart, Waterston, Whitehead Set for Westport's Relatively Speaking". Theater Mania. Retrieved 25 June 2007.

^ Broadway's The Importance of Being Earnest to be Filmed for the Big Screen

^ Episcopal Actors' Guild