Michael Bryant, 74; Respected, Popular British Theater Actor

Michael Bryant, whose subtlety and power onstage made him a favorite of critics and audiences during nearly 25 years of acting at the National Theatre in London, has died. The actor was 74.

Bryant died at his home in Richmond, southwest of London, on April 25, a statement from the theater said. It did not give the cause of death.

Bryant threw himself into both starring and supporting roles, quickly becoming one of the National’s strongest and most reliable actors after his debut there in 1977.

“Michael Bryant was the spirit and essence of the National Theatre,” artistic director Trevor Nunn said in a statement. “He embodied the ideas of ensemble, continuity and loyalty; he played mighty leading roles and crucial smaller parts with equal passion and commitment.”

Bryant acted in scores of National Theatre productions, including a long list of Shakespeare plays. He was Lenin in Robert Bolt’s “State of the Revolution,” Uncle Vanya in Anton Chekhov’s play by that name, and Badger in Alan Bennett’s production of “The Wind in the Willows,” among many others.

His final performance at the National was as Firs in Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” in 2000.

Before joining the National, he played frequently in London’s West End and acted for several years with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

His performance as Willie Oban in “The Iceman Cometh” in the mid-1950s prompted critic Kenneth Tynan to write that he “got closer to the raw nerve than any West End debutant I can remember.”

Bryant won Olivier awards, the British equivalent of Broadway’s Tonys, for his performances in “Antony and Cleopatra,” “Hamlet,” “The Voysey Inheritance” and “Racing Demon.”

Born in London, Bryant studied at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He became an associate director of the National Theatre in 1996.

He is survived by his second wife, Judy Coke, and four children from his first marriage.