Jonathan Crombie

Jonathan Crombie (12 October 1966 – 15 April 2015) was a Canadian actor and voice-over artist, best known for playing Gilbert Blythe in CBC Television's 1985 telefilm Anne of Green Gables and its two sequels.

Early life Crombie was born on 12 October 1966, in Toronto, Ontario, the son of David Crombie, who was the mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978 and a Canadian federal Cabinet Minister in the 1980s. Crombie attended Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute, where he was spotted by casting agent Diane Polley (mother of Sarah Polley) performing in a production of The Wizard of Oz.

Career Television Crombie had no previous acting experience and used a photo he took at a kiosk in Union Station when he auditioned for the role of Gilbert Blythe in the 1985 TV miniseries Anne of Green Gables. The documentary was financed by an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. It premiered at Cinecycle in Toronto on 14 December 2017. It was dedicated to the memory of Jonathan Crombie.

Theatre Crombie 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 Shakespeare 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 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 returned to the production beginning 21 August, and performed the role during the show's tour through the United States.

In 2013, Crombie performed at Centerstage, Baltimore, in Clybourne Park and Benetha's Place for the Rasin Cycle featured on PBS. His final appearance on stage was playing two roles in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company's 2015 world premiere of Benediction, based on the novel by Kent Haruf.

Death Crombie's family announced on 18 April 2015, that he had died suddenly three days earlier of a brain hemorrhage in New York City. His organs were donated. News of his death led to "Gilbert Blythe" trending on Twitter as fans shared their condolences.

Personal life Crombie never married and had no children. At his memorial service in 2015, livetweeted by TVOntario journalist Steve Paikin, and his sister Robin said: "Jonathan was also a gay man who didn't come out until his 40s ... He was a very private person."

Filmography