Patrick Bedford, stage actor who revived Gate, is dead at 67

By Andrew Bushe

DUBLIN — The actor Patrick Bedford, who was a central figure in the revival of the Gate Theatre in Dublin, in association with Michael MacLiammoir and Hilton Edwards, has died in New York.

He was 67.

Born in Dublin, Bedford had lived in the U.S. for many years.

He began his career in amateur productions before making his professional debut in "Tolka Row" in 1951.

During the 1950s and ’60s he played a variety of shows in the Gate and starred in Brian Friel’s "Philadelphia Here I Come" when the production scored a huge success in Dublin and then in the U.S.

He also did a national tour of America with the musical "1776" which visited 38 cities in two years.

When Hilton Edwards died, he left his and MacLiammoir’s shareholdings in the Gate Theatre to Bedford and the architect Michael Scott.

In 1988, the Gate was handed over to a trust and Bedford became a trustee which he remained until his death.