Albert Schultz

Albert Hamilton Schultz was just 12 years old when he got his big break landing the coveted role of Sherlock Holmes in an elementary school play. He went on to study drama at York University from 1981 to 1982, at the Banff Centre in 1983 and then at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) from 1984 to 1985. Back home, he played Laertes in Hamlet and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet for Guy Sprung’s Toronto Free Theatre before joining Phillips’ Young Company at Stratford in 1987 where he met and later married Susan Coyne. In the late 1990s, both were involved in the founding of Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre Company where he served as the company’s Artistic Director. His many honours include the City of Toronto’s Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award, the DareArts Foundation Cultural Award, the Toronto Arts Council William Kilbourn Award, the Salute to the City Award and the Joan Chalmers National Award for Artistic Direction. For his work on behalf of UNICEF, Schultz received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. He has also received honorary degrees from Queen’s and Bishop’s universities in recognition of his contribution to Canadian theatre. It was announced in late December 2013 that Albert Shultz would receive the Order of Canada at a ceremony to be held in 2014. He resigned his position with the Soulpepper Theatre Company after sexual allegations against Schultz became public in January 2018.

Soulpepper website.