Jonathan Crombie

Jonathan Crombie (12 October 1966 – 15 April 2015) was a Canadian actor and voice-over artist born in Toronto, Ontario. His father, David Crombie, served as mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978 and later as a federal Cabinet Minister during the 1980s. Crombie attended Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute, where casting agent Diane Polley — mother of actress Sarah Polley — noticed him performing in a school production of The Wizard of Oz.

Crombie had no prior acting experience when he auditioned for the role of Gilbert Blythe in the 1985 CBC Television miniseries Anne of Green Gables, submitting a photo taken at a kiosk in Toronto's Union Station. The role became the defining credit of his career, and the character proved popular enough that Crombie was commonly addressed by the nickname "Gil." He reprised the role in the 1987 television film Anne of Avonlea, in a 1992 episode of Road to Avonlea, and again in the 2000 television film Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. His other television work included a guest appearance on 21 Jump Street in 1991, a comedy performance on the Canadian series Comedy Now! in 1998, the role of playwright Lionel Train in the second season of Slings & Arrows in 2005, and voicing the title character in the animated series The Secret World of Benjamin Bear from 2003 to 2009, along with three prequel films. In 2015, he appeared in guest roles on both The Good Wife and Haven.

In 2014, Crombie co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed a documentary with John Mitchell titled Waiting for Ishtar, examining the 1987 film Ishtar. The project was funded through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign and premiered at Cinecycle in Toronto on 14 December 2017, after Crombie's death; the film was dedicated to his memory.

On stage, Crombie spent four seasons at Ontario's Stratford Shakespeare Festival, appearing in A Comedy of Errors, Hamlet, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, and as Romeo in Diana Leblanc's production of Romeo and Juliet. He received a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for his performance in the Canadian Stage Company's 1997 production of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. His Toronto stage credits also included The Dishwashers by Morris Panych at Tarragon Theatre in 2005 and The Oxford Roof Climbers Rebellion by Stephen Massicotte at Tarragon Theatre and the Great Canadian Stage Company in 2006.

Crombie made his Broadway debut in the Canadian musical The Drowsy Chaperone, playing the role of Man in Chair. He performed the role from March to April 2007, returned to the production beginning 21 August of that year, and subsequently performed the role during the show's United States tour. In 2013, he appeared at Centerstage in Baltimore in Clybourne Park and Benetha's Place as part of the Raisin Cycle, which was featured on PBS. His final stage appearance came in 2015 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company, where he played two roles in the world premiere of Benediction, based on the novel by Kent Haruf.

Crombie died suddenly on 15 April 2015, of a brain hemorrhage in New York City. His family announced his death three days later, on 18 April 2015. His organs were donated following his death. News of his passing prompted "Gilbert Blythe" to trend on Twitter as fans shared condolences. At his 2015 memorial service, livetweeted by TVOntario journalist Steve Paikin, his sister Robin stated that Crombie was a gay man who had not come out until his forties and had been a very private person. He never married and had no children.