Stage and Screen Character Actor Paxton Whitehead Dies at 85

Tony nominated character actor Paxton Whitehead has died at the age of 85.

Born in Kent, England, Francis Edward Paxton Whitehead trained at London’s Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He made his professional stage debut at 18, and then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1958, touring Russia in Hamlet. He moved to New York shortly thereafter and made his Broadway debut in 1962’s The Affair.

On Broadway, Whitehead was nominated for a 1981 Tony Award for his role as Pellinore in Camelot. He appeared more than a dozen Broadway shows, ranging from the original Noises Off in 1984, for which he received a Drama Desk Award as part of the ensemble, to the 1993 revival of My Fair Lady, in which he played Colonel Pickering. Additional credits include The Importance of Being Earnest, Absurd Person Singular, Lettice and Lovage, Run for Your Wife, and Candida. He played several previews in 2018’s Bernhardt/Hamlet, marking his final Broadway appearance, though he bowed out of the drama before opening night.

Whitehead joined Canada’s Shaw Festival in 1966 and lead the company as artistic director from 1967-77. He is responsible for expanding the festival’s season, helping to establish its audience, and opening an 850-seat auditorium. Whitehead was also the artistic director of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company from 1971-73.

The actor made his screen debut in the film Back to School, opposite Rodney Dangerfield and Sally Kellerman. Most notably, he played Rachel’s Bloomingdale’s boss on Friends in 1998 and had a longtime recurring role as stuffy neighbor Hal Conway on Mad About You. His many TV credits also include The West Wing, Ellen, Frasier, and 3rd Rock From the Sun.

Whitehead is survived by children Charles and Alex.