Seattle activist, actor, bookseller dies at 67

John Gilbert was a man with a passion for theater, social justice and good books.

In Seattle, where he trained at the University of Washington drama school and spent much of his adult life, Mr. Gilbert was best known as an admired and accomplished actor. In a career spanning four decades, his roles stretched from the young prince Hamlet to the old skinflint Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol."

An original member of acting ensembles at both the Seattle Repertory Theatre and Intiman Theatre, Mr. Gilbert impressed audiences with his resonant voice and commanding stage presence.

Colleagues and those close to Mr. Gilbert, who died in Seattle last week after battling cancer and emphysema, look back on him as a man who could be frustrated and acerbic, but also witty, generous and caring.

"He was 'Johnny' to me, and 'Uncle Johnny' to my daughter Annie," recalled Jo Leffingwell, a close friend and fellow Seattle actor. "He really loved the idea of family or community. Community in the theater, in politics, and certainly in day-to-day living."

Larry Albert, who played Dr. Watson to Mr. Gilbert's Sherlock Holmes in a popular radio series produced by Jim French Productions, noted, "He was a wonderful actor. I learned more about acting from John than anyone I've worked with."

The son of a Unitarian minister, Mr. Gilbert was born on July 30, 1939, in Bloomington, Ill. According to his brother Stephen Gilbert, he discovered acting in high school and went on to study at UW.

After his stint with Seattle Rep in the 1960s, Mr. Gilbert worked around the U.S. as a freelance performer and in 1972 joined the original acting company at Intiman Theatre, under founding director Margaret Booker.

Later he worked in shows at ACT Theatre, The Group Theatre and other local playhouses, did commercial voice work and radio drama, and appeared with the Seattle Labor Chorus.

Political activism was essential to Mr. Gilbert. "He was a citizen first, [an] actor second," remembered Seattle actor Todd Jefferson Moore. "John always strove to use his talents to support local and national political causes such as rent control, housing for the homeless, relief for the poor, peace groups. ... "

One of Mr. Gilbert's favorite roles was as Father Damien, the courageous Belgian priest who tended to lepers in Hawaii, in a play by Aldyth Morris at Intiman. The actor's many political activities included organizing a 1983 benefit to raise money for medical care in war-torn El Salvador. (Mr. Gilbert served as the model for the character of a staunchly leftist actor in ex-Seattle Rep head Daniel Sullivan's widely produced holiday comedy, "Inspecting Carol.")

Moore recalls co-narrating a Seattle Labor Choir program with Mr. Gilbert in recent years. "John was too ill to do it by himself," Moore said. "But his voice was so rich and strong, his timing so perfect. ... Mostly I just tried to copy John."

To serve his passion for literature, in 1998-2000 Mr. Gilbert ran a West Seattle book shop with his son, Noah, called Old Actor's Used Books.

Mr. Gilbert was married and divorced twice. He is survived by his son, Noah Gilbert, of Seattle, and brother Stephen Gilbert, of Mexico.

A public memorial service for Mr. Gilbert will take place at 6 p.m. Nov. 27 at Seattle Repertory Theatre's Leo K. Theatre, Seattle Center.

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com