Christopher Gaze

Christopher Gaze

Christopher Gaze is a British actor (born in 1952, in Surrey).

Biography

Gaze is a the founding Artistic Director of the annual Bard on the Beach Shakespeare festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Best known as Artistic Director of Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, Christopher Gaze has performed in England, the USA and across Canada. Born in England, he trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School before coming to Canada in 1975 where he spent three seasons at the Shaw Festival. He moved to Vancouver in 1983 and in 1990 founded Bard on the Beach which he has since nurtured to one of the most successful not-for-profit Arts organizations in North America, with 2009 attendance exceeding 91,000. In addition to performing and directing for Bard, Christopher’s voice is heard regularly in cartoon series, commercials and on the radio. He also hosts Vancouver Symphony’s popular Tea & Trumpets series and their annual Christmas concerts. His many honours include induction into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal (2004), Honorary Doctorates from UBC & SFU, the BC Community Achievement Award (2007), the Gold Medallion from the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America (2007) and a Jessie Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Equus at The Playhouse. As an Olympic ambassador, Christopher was honoured to run with the Olympic flame for the 2010 Games. A gifted public speaker, Christopher frequently shares his insights on Shakespeare and theatre with students, service organizations and businesses.

A gifted public speaker, Christopher frequently shares his insights on the theatre and Shakespeare out in the community with school groups, service organizations and local businesses. He works with several other Arts organizations, notably as host of Vancouver Symphony's Tea & Trumpets and Christmas Concerts series, guest artist at selected Chor Leoni concerts, and as a guest host on the Knowledge Network. Christopher also works extensively as a character actor in film and radio, and he narrated the Emmy Award winning animation series Madeline. For three years he was on the Board of Tourism Vancouver, serving as the Festival and Events representative.

Additionally, he has also performed voiceover roles for animation, such as Turaga Vakama in the first three Bionicle movies, Diagnostic Drone in Beast Machines and Major Mint in Barbie in the Nutcracker. He received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University in October 2006.

Filmography

External links