Former Concordia English professor Harry Hill died August 18 at Notre Dame Hospital. He was 64 years old.
Hill was born in Aberdeen Scotland on October 17, 1940. After studying English at the University of Aberdeen, he decided to pursue his studies abroad and came to Canada in 1961 to study at the University of Alberta. In 1970, Hill came to Montreal to teach at Loyola College.
In addition to teaching, Hill was also a devoted freelance actor. Gordon McCall, the Centaur Theatre’s artistic director since 1997, worked with Hill on several productions and sat in on some of his lectures.
“Harry was a very educated actor and professor,” he said.
McCall remembered Hill most by his 1998 performance in Ron Harwood’s Taking Sides. In the performance, Hill portrayed Wilhelm Furtwangler, a renowned orchestra conductor accused of being a Nazi in post-WWII Germany.
McCall said he did a great job every time he was onstage.
Hill also received rave reviews for his performance in The Montreal Mirror and The Gazette. Mirror critic Amy Barratt wrote that Hill gave “a fine performance.”
Credited with developing Concordia’s University Writing Test, Hill retired from teaching six years ago.
Loyola College Chapel will hold a memorial service on Oct 17 at 2 p.m.
