Edward Wilson

Edward William "Ed" Wilson, FRSA (13 July 1947 – 2 February 2008) was an English actor and the artistic director of the National Youth Theatre from 1987 to 2003; he later moved to Los Angeles.

Early life Born in South Shields, County Durham, the son of Thomasina (née Moore), and William James Wilson, a pitman, he attended the local grammar school.

While still a schoolboy, Wilson performed at the National Youth Theatre (NYT) in London during his summer holidays, having auditioned for its founder-director Michael Croft.

Productions and performances His NYT production of Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot, performed in Christ Church, Spitalfields, St Pancras and Westminster Cathedral was widely acclaimed by audiences and praised by Eliot's widow. Ambitiously, he also arranged to take the production to Moscow Arts Theatre in 1989, where it was very well received.

The success of Nightshriek led to a number of successful international collaborations between the NYT and the Spanish Shakespeare Foundation, including productions of Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Blood Wedding by Lorca, performed in London, Madrid and Valencia.

He was a determined and successful fund-raiser for the NYT, winning major sponsorship for the company on many occasions throughout his tenure as Artistic Director. The highlight was his successful bid for a National Lottery grant in 1996 (the NYT's 40th anniversary) which enabled the company to purchase its first permanent headquarters.

He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and had an honorary doctorate from the University of Sunderland.