Stratford Festival pioneer, Douglas Rain, dies at 90
The Cochrane Times Post
November 11, 2018
Douglas Rain, a member of the Stratford Festival’s founding company, died early Sunday morning at the St. Marys Memorial Hospital at the age of 90.
According to a Stratford Festival press release, Rain spent 32 seasons in Stratford, playing such roles as Malvolio in Twelfth Night (1957), Iago in Othello (1959), the title role in King John (1960), Cardinal Wolsey in Henry VIII (1961), Apemantus in Timon of Athens (1963), Ulysses in Troilus and Cressida (1963), Mr. Pinchwife in The Country Wife (1964), Edgar in King Lear (1964) and Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night (1966).
“Canadian theatre has lost one of its greatest talents and a guiding light in its development,” said festival artistic director Antoni Cimolino in the press release. “Douglas Rain was that rare artist — an actor deeply admired by other actors. The voice of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Douglas shared many of the same qualities as (Stanley) Kubrick’s iconic creation — precision, strength of steel, enigma and infinite intelligence, as well as a wicked sense of humour.
“But those of us lucky enough to have worked with Douglas soon solved his riddle and discovered that at the centre of his mystery lay warmth and humanity, evidenced in his care for the young members of our profession. Douglas dedicated his talent to the stages of his native land, and we are proud in return to dedicate the coming season’s production of Othello to his memory. We owe him so much.”
Born in Winnipeg in 1928, Rain performed as a child actor on CBC radio. He attended the University of Manitoba and afterwards travelled to London to study at the Old Vic Theatre School. He returned to Canada for the Festival’s inaugural season in 1953, playing the Marquis of Dorset and Tyrrell in Richard III, in which he also understudied Alec Guinness in the title role.
Having performed on the festival stage until 1998, Rain also performed across Canada at the Manitoba Theatre Centre, the National Arts Centre, Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, and the Shaw Festival, where he embodied such roles as Caesar in Caesar and Cleopatra (1983), Andrew Undershaft in Major Barbara (1987), and Captain Shotover in Heartbreak House (1985 and 1999). His U.K. credits include Hadrian VII, directed by Peter Dews (1968) and The Heretic, directed by Morris West (1970). He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as William Cecil in Vivat!Vivat! Regina! in 1972. From 1974 to 1977, Rain was head of the English acting department at the National Theatre School of Canada.
On top of voicing the iconic HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rain had more than a hundred television and film roles to his name, often working with director Eric Till. He also worked on hundreds of radio plays, many with the CBC, with directors Esse Ljungh and John Reeves, and lent his voiceover talents to the National Film Board of Canada on many occasions.
Rain is survived by his two sons, David and Adam (with first wife Lois Shaw), his daughter Emma (with second wife Martha Henry), granddaughter, Salima, and daughter-in-law, Asira.
RAIN, Douglas (Douglas James Rain)
Born: 3/13/1928, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died: 11/11/2018, St. Mary’s, Ontario, Canada
Douglas Rain’s western – actor:
Hudon Bay (TV) - 1959 (Martin Cobb)