Powys Thomas

Powys Thomas (25 December 1925 – 22 June 1977) was a Welsh-born actor and theatre educator who made significant contributions to the development of professional theatre in Canada. He was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, and received his early education at Rendcomb College in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, where he was known by the nickname Willie and was an active participant in the school's theatrical productions. In 1944 he left Rendcomb having earned a history scholarship to Queens' College, Cambridge, though his studies were interrupted when he was called up as a Bevin Boy to work as a coal miner in Wales for the remainder of World War II. He subsequently trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Thomas spent the years 1951 to 1956 as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-upon-Avon before relocating to Canada in 1956, where he began working with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He became one of the earliest actors associated with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario and served as the first director of the actors' workshops there. In 1960, alongside Michel Saint-Denis, Thomas co-founded the National Theatre School of Canada, leading its English section as artistic director until 1965. He also founded the Vancouver Playhouse school.

His stage performances included notable work in King Lear in Vancouver, Waiting for Godot, The Three Musketeers, and Lorenzaccio at Stratford, Ontario, as well as Three Sisters in Winnipeg. On screen, he portrayed Hudson in the Educational Film Board of Canada production The Last Voyage of Henry Hudson.

Thomas appeared on Broadway between 1957 and 1958, taking part in four productions: the drama Under Milk Wood, the comedy Measure for Measure, The Broken Jug, and Two Gentlemen of Verona. He died suddenly on 22 June 1977 while on holiday in Wales, at the age of 51.