Director Michael Langham Dies at 91

Michael Langham, who directed a dozen Broadway productions over a career spanning more than six decades, died at age 91 at his Kent, England home on Saturday following a chest infection. 

Langham attended the University of London, pursuing law; however, after enlisting in the British army and spending five years as a prisoner of war where he directed other prisoners of war in plays, he focused on theater. He became artistic director of the Stratford Festival, and eventually directed the Drama Department at the prestigious Juilliard School for more than a decade. 

Arguably Langham's most recognizable work, however, was at the helm of several plays, including directing Zoe Caldwell in Love's Labour's Lost, Julie Harris in Romeo and Juliet, and Lauren Becall and RoseMary Harris in Waiting in the Wings. 

Michael Langham is survived by his wife of 63 years, Laurence Oliver Award-winning actress Helen Burns; his son, Chris; his half-sister Susan, and five grandchildren.

"When he was doing a play he thought about nothing else," Actor Brian Bedford - currently appearing in Roundabout's The Importance of Being Earnest at the American Airlines Theatre - told the New York Times. "He was absolutely meticulous, and unrelenting, and of course it drove some actors crazy because he would work for hours on one speech. I consider Michael a great director, a great man of the theater. He lived it, breathed it and was totally occupied with it."

Read the full New York Times article here.