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Edward James "Ted" Follows (November 30, 1926 – October 21, 2016) was a Canadian film, television and stage actor.[1] He was best known for playing the role of Macduff in Macbeth at the Stratford Festival and the 1961 CBC Television film adaptation,[2] and his television roles as the title character in the CBC drama series McQueen,[2] as crown attorney Arnold Bateman in Wojeck,[2] and as Charles Tupper, Minister of Railways, in The National Dream.

Key Information

Early life and education

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Follows was born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1926 to Edward James Follows and Isabella (née Latimer) Follows, and had a younger brother, Jack. He was raised in a variety of locations across Canada as his father was a serviceman with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Ted Follows attended high school in Winnipeg.[2] He studied psychology at the University of Toronto, also acting in Hart House theatre productions, and following his graduation he had his first professional acting role in 1945.[2]

Career

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Over the next number of years, Follows regularly toured Canada and the United Kingdom with the Canadian Players and the Canadian Repertory Theatre Company, before being invited to join the Stratford company in 1955.[2]

In 2001, Follows directed a production of Noël Coward's Hay Fever in Gravenhurst, with a cast that included himself, his ex-wife Dawn Greenhalgh, all of their children and their children's spouses.[3] They subsequently mounted a tour of the production to several Southern Ontario cities in 2003.[4]

Personal life

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He married actress Dawn Greenhalgh in 1958.[2] The couple had four children, including actress Megan Follows and television writer and producer Edwina Follows, before divorcing in 1979.[2] Follows later remarried to Susan Trethewey, a musician with the Stratford Festival Orchestra in 1988.[2][5]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role
1953 Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue Douglas MacGregor
1957 Oedipus Rex Chorus
1973 Paperback Hero Cagey
1980 Virus Dr. Baines
1989 Cold Comfort Roy

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1954 Sunday Night Theatre Pvt. Brown Episode: "The Promised Years #2: The Good Partners"
1956–1961 General Motors Theatre Various roles 12 episodes
1959 Hudson's Bay Sam Gifford 2 episodes
1960 The Unforeseen Charles Episode: "Desire"
1960 Startime Raphael Episode: "The Zeal of Thy House"
1960–1962 Festival Hurst / Mickser / Major 4 episodes
1961 Macbeth MacDuff Television film
1961 The Conquest of Cobbletown Fred Cobble Television film
1961 Quest Wu 2 episodes
1961–1962 Playdate Various roles 6 episodes
1963 The United States Steel Hour Seaton Episode: "The Troubled Heart"
1966 Seaway David Miller / Darby 3 episodes
1966–1968 Wojeck Arnie Bateman 20 episodes
1969 Quentin Durgens, M.P. Cabinet minister Episode: "Master of the House"
1969–1970 McQueen McQueen 14 episodes
1974 The National Dream Charles Tupper Episode: "The Great Debate"
1974 Performance Immigration Officer Episode: "Find Volopchi!"
1979 The Spirit of Adventure: Night Flight Leblanc Television film
1979 The Great Detective Percy Episode: "Death Takes a Curtain Call"
1980–1982 The Littlest Hobo Various roles 5 episodes
1988 War of the Worlds General Arquette 2 episodes
1992 E.N.G. Commissioner Episode: "True Patriot Love"
1992 Counterstrike Unknown Episode: "Cyborg"
1992 Wojeck: Out of the Fire Arnold Bateman Television film
1993 Matrix Mr. Preston Episode: "The Yellow Chamber"
1993 Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story Airplane Man Television film
1993 JFK: Reckless Youth Patsy Mulkern 2 episodes

References

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Ted Follows

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''Ted Follows'' is a Canadian actor and director known for his distinguished career spanning more than 70 years in theatre, television, and film, establishing him as a prominent figure in Canadian performing arts. [1] Born Edward James Follows on November 30, 1926, in Ottawa, Ontario, to Isabella and Edward Follows, he grew up in a military family due to his father's service in the Royal Canadian Air Force. [2] He embarked on his acting career in the mid-20th century, performing with groups such as Hart House Theatre and gaining recognition for his work in Canadian stage productions. [3] Follows became particularly associated with the Stratford Festival, and appeared in numerous classical and contemporary roles across decades. His credits extended to television and film, including Macduff in the 1961 CBC Television film of Macbeth and later works like Virus (1980). [4] He continued performing actively into his late 80s, demonstrating remarkable energy and dedication that impressed colleagues. [1] Follows was married to actress Dawn Greenhalgh from 1958 to 1979, with whom he shared the stage in productions like Heloise and Abelard at the Stratford Festival in 1978, and they had four children, including actress Megan Follows. [1] [2] He later married Susan Trethewey in 1988. [4] Follows passed away on October 21, 2016, in Kitchener, Ontario, leaving a legacy of contributions to Canadian theatre and entertainment. [2]

Early life and education

Childhood and family background

Edward James "Ted" Follows was born on November 30, 1926, in Ottawa, Ontario, to Edward James Follows, a Royal Canadian Air Force serviceman, and Isabella (née Latimer) Follows.[2][1] He had a younger brother named Jack Follows.[1] Due to his father's military career, the family relocated frequently among various Canadian air force bases, including Trenton, Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Dauphin, and Toronto.[2] This peripatetic childhood as an "air force brat" meant constant moves across the country, rarely allowing time to form lasting friendships, which led Follows to describe himself as a loner, although he could be extremely gregarious at times.[1] As a teenager, Follows developed a fascination with film, captivated by the sense that everything was possible in that medium, and decided to pursue acting as a career.[1] He attended high school in Winnipeg, where he won an acting award that included a scholarship to the Banff Centre.[1]

Education and early acting experience

Ted Follows demonstrated early intellectual promise by skipping two grades in school, where he was occasionally called upon to read Shakespeare aloud to older students.[1] After his father's military posting brought the family to Toronto, Follows enrolled at the University of Toronto, where he earned an honours BA in psychology while hoping that higher education and insights into the human psyche would strengthen his prospects as an actor.[1] During his university years, he gained initial acting experience through performances in Hart House Theatre productions, appearing alongside notable figures such as Kate Reid and William Hutt.[3][5] He began his professional acting career in 1945 with his first appearance at Vancouver's Everyman Theatre, following a scholarship to the Banff School of Fine Arts.[1][2]

Career

Early professional work and theatre companies

Ted Follows made his professional debut in 1945 with Vancouver’s Everyman Theatre shortly after completing his education. [6] In the following years, he became a founding member of the Straw Hat Players, a summer theatre company that later evolved into the Muskoka Festival, contributing to the growth of regional theatre in Ontario. [7] He was also a founding member of Halifax’s Neptune Theatre, where his efforts in establishing the company were recognized with the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal. [7] [2] Follows toured extensively with the Canadian Players across Canada, performing in diverse venues ranging from small towns to major cities and often directing improvisationally to adapt to varying performance conditions. [6] From 1952 to 1955, he toured Britain with the Canadian Repertory Theatre Company, appearing at venues such as the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre and Chesterfield Repertory among others, gaining international experience in repertory theatre. [7] Throughout his early career, Follows worked with several other notable Canadian theatre companies, including Theatre New Brunswick, the Atlantic Theatre Festival, and the Vancouver Playhouse. [7] After his time in Britain, he returned to Canada and continued his contributions to the theatre scene. [6]

Stratford Festival contributions

Ted Follows established a longstanding association with the Stratford Festival, joining the company in its early years and contributing across multiple seasons. He appeared in productions from 1955 to 1959 and returned for engagements in 1972, 1978, and 1979, ultimately performing in 18 productions at the Festival. [3] [1] Among his notable performances was his role in Michael Langham's acclaimed 1956 production of Henry V. [3] He also played Abelard opposite Dawn Greenhalgh in the 1978 staging of Heloise and Abelard. [1] Follows further contributed as a director, staging one of Four Plays by Samuel Beckett at the Festival. [1] He was particularly recognized for his portrayal of Macduff in the 1961 CBC Television adaptation of Macbeth, where he participated in a notable sword fight with Sean Connery as Macbeth. [6] [8]

Television and radio roles

Ted Follows built a prolific career in Canadian television and radio, participating in numerous productions, most notably for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). [4] Between 1956 and 1961, he took on multiple roles across 12 episodes of the CBC anthology series Encounter. [4] From 1966 to 1968, Follows portrayed Crown Attorney Arnold Bateman in the acclaimed CBC drama Wojeck, appearing in 20 episodes, and he reprised the character for the 1992 television movie Wojeck: Lonely Hearts. [4] He starred in the title role of the CBC series McQueen from 1969 to 1970, featuring in all 14 episodes of the short-lived program. In 1974, he appeared as Charles Tupper in the CBC historical miniseries The National Dream: Building the Impossible Railway. Follows made guest appearances in several other notable series, including five episodes of The Littlest Hobo between 1980 and 1982, two episodes of War of the Worlds in 1988, and a role in the 1993 miniseries J.F.K.: Reckless Youth. [4] His limited film work included playing Dr. Baines in the 1980 horror film Virus. In 1961, he performed as Macduff in a CBC television production of Macbeth, where he engaged in a notable sword fight scene opposite Sean Connery as Macbeth.

Directing and producing work

Ted Follows pursued directing and producing work alongside his acting career, contributing to Canadian theatre and public broadcasting. He directed productions during tours with the Canadian Players and at Theatre New Brunswick. He also directed a production of Four Plays by Samuel Beckett at the Stratford Festival. Follows produced several shows for CBC and TVO, supporting educational and dramatic programming. In 2001, he directed Noël Coward’s Hay Fever at the Gravenhurst Opera House with family members in the cast; the production toured in 2003. In his later years, Follows offered mentorship and direction in the local arts community.

Personal life

Marriages and family

Ted Follows married actress Dawn Greenhalgh in September 1958.[1] The couple had four children—Edwina Follows, Laurence Follows (actor, director and theatrical producer), Samantha Follows, and Megan Follows (known for playing Anne in the TV miniseries Anne of Green Gables)—during their 21-year marriage, which ended in an amicable divorce in 1979.[1] They were known in the acting community as “The Fighting Follows” due to their passionate arguments, exacerbated by alcohol and leading to notorious public rows.[1] In 1978, Follows appeared opposite Greenhalgh in the Stratford Festival production of Heloise and Abelard.[1] All four children entered the entertainment industry.[2] In 2001, the family appeared together in Noël Coward’s Hay Fever at the Gravenhurst Opera House, directed by Ted Follows.[1] He particularly enjoyed working with his children.[2] Despite the intensity of his first marriage, Greenhalgh described Follows as an excellent parent.[1] Follows later married Susan Trethewey, a musician and educator with the Stratford Festival, in December 1988 after she proposed on February 29.[1] They lived happily in Kitchener.[2]

Awards and recognition

Death

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