Gordon Heath (September 20, 1918 – August 27, 1991) was an American actor and musician who narrated the animated feature film Animal Farm (1954) and appeared in the title role of The Emperor Jones (1953) and Othello (1955), both live BBC telecasts, respectively directed by Alvin Rakoff and Tony Richardson.
[1] Gordon Heath showed an early talent for both music and art, but opted to pursue an acting career, working on stage and radio.
[1] In 1945 he appeared on Broadway to great success in the play Deep Are the Roots, written by Arnaud d'Usseau and James Gow, directed by Elia Kazan, and starring Barbara Bel Geddes.
The play ran for 447 performances, and when it was subsequently produced in London's West End, Heath reprised his co-starring role in it.
[2] He and his music and life partner Lee Payant operated a Left Bank café in Paris called L'Abbaye, whose clientele included Josephine Baker, Yves Montand, Eartha Kitt, Rita Hayworth and other celebrities of the era, and where Heath and Payant were the entertainers.