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Jonathan Crombie, the actor who played Gilbert Blythe in the CBC miniseries Anne of Green Gables, has died. He was 48.
His family announced the tragic news on Saturday, April 18.
“We’ve been going through lots of stories the last couple days,” his sister, Carrie Crombie told CBC news
“He was funny, he was sweet, he loved acting, he loved comedy and singing and dancing. As a little kid, he just loved Broadway shows and all of that kind of stuff and would sing and dance in the living room.”
She says he always embraced his ANNE OF GREEN GABLES fans and even answered to the name “Gilbert.”
“I think he was really proud of being Gilbert Blythe and was happy to answer any questions…he really enjoyed that series and was happy, very proud of it – we all were,” she added.
“I think his proudest part was when he played the lead in Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway. That was just an amazing thing for him to be able to do.”
He led the Tony Award-winning musical in 2007 as Man in Chair on Broadway, and performed the role in the subsequent U.S. Tour.
Born October 12, 1966, Jonathan Crombie was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for his role in the Canadian Stage Company’s 1997 production of Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia. He has appeared on stage in The Dishwashers by Morris Panych (Tarragon Theatre, 2005) and The Oxford Roof Climbers Rebellion by Stephen Massicotte (Tarragon Theatre/Great Canadian Stage Company, 2006). He spent four seasons at Ontario’s Stratford Festival appearing in “A Comedy Of Errors’, “Hamlet”, “As You Like It”, “Taming Of The Shrew”, and as Romeo in Diana Leblanc’s “Romeo and Juliet”. He was also featured in the second season of Slings & Arrows (2005), as playwright Lionel Train. More recently, Crombie performed at Centerstage (theater) in Baltimore for the Rasin Cycle featured on PBS in Clybourne Park (2013) and Benetha’s Place (2013), as well at Denver Theater Center in the world premier of “Benediction” (2015), based on Kent Haruf’s novel.
Crombie’s father, David Crombie, is a former mayor of Toronto and former Canadian federal Cabinet Minister.
Agencies/Canadajournal
I loved him as Gilbert Blythe. Time to watch my Anne of Green Gables DVDs as a tribute to an endearing actor. Rest in peace, Jonathan.