Arthur Hill, a Canadian-born actor, was raised in the small town of Melfort, Saskatchewan. He was the son of a lawyer and followed in his father's footsteps by serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. After the war, Hill attended the University of British Columbia, where he earned a college education and supported himself by working in radio theatre for the Canadian Broadcasting Co.
Following his education, Hill pursued his passion for acting, initially in Seattle, where he married fellow actress Peggy Hassard. In 1948, at the age of 26, Hill made a significant move to England, where he slowly built a reputation for himself in theatre, radio, film, and television.
Hill's London stage debut came in 1948 with the production "Home of the Brave," and he went on to achieve major attention playing Cornelius Hackl in the Thornton Wilder classic "The Matchmaker." He also appeared in "Man and Superman" in 1951 and "Look Homeward Angel" in 1957.
In 1962, Hill starred alongside Uta Hagen, George Grizzard, and Melinda Dillon in Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" on Broadway, earning both the Tony and New York Drama Critics awards for his role as George, the browbeaten academician and husband of Martha.
This success led to a steady stream of work in Hollywood films in the 1960s, including "The Ugly American" (1963),"Harper" (1966),"Rabbit, Run" (1970),and "The Andromeda Strain" (1971). Hill's television work in the 1970s found him playing mild-mannered, gray-haired professionals and occasional shady villains, earning him star status with his own series "Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law" (1971) and appearances in quality mini-movies such as "Death Be Not Proud" (1975) and "Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys" (1976).
Hill retired in the 1990s and later suffered from Alzheimer's disease, which claimed his life at an assisted-living facility in Pacific Palisades, California. He was survived by his second wife, Anne-Sophie Taraba, and his son, Douglas, at the time of his death on October 23, 2006.
