Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Jean Gascon
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Quizzes
USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood
Pop Culture Quiz
Quick Facts
Born:
Dec. 21, 1921, Montreal, Que., Can.
Died:
April 20, 1988, Stratford, Ont. (aged 66)
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Jean Gascon

Canadian actor and director
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Jean Gascon (born Dec. 21, 1921, Montreal, Que., Can.—died April 20, 1988, Stratford, Ont.) was a Canadian actor and director, cofounder of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (1951) and cofounder of the National Theatre School (1960).

While studying medicine at various universities, Gascon gained attention as an actor with Les Compagnos de St. Laurent (1942–45). Equally versed in both French and English productions, he spent 19 seasons at the Stratford Festival and served as its artistic director (1969–74). At the festival he appeared in Henry V (1956) and directed Othello (1959), The Comedy of Errors (1964), and The Misanthrope (1981). For his longtime contributions to the arts, he was made an Officer (1967) and Companion (1974) of the Order of Canada.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.