William "Bill" Swan

1928 - 2019

William Swan (Bill), age 90, of Monterey, Massachusetts, passed away on January 20, 2019 in Lee, Massachusetts. Bill was born in Amherst, New York. He was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Irene Hall Swan, and his life partner of 40 years, Richard D. Dunlap. He is survived by his sister, Barbara Dominski of Encinitas, California and his nephew Jeffrey Dominski, living in Idaho.

Bill joined the Army immediately upon graduating from high school. He served in the Occupation troops in Italy at the conclusion of World War Two, and was honorably discharged at the completion of his service. He immediately headed to California to pursue an acting career, and became a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). Mr. Swan had recurring roles on the daytime dramas "All My Children", "The Young and the Restless", "As the World Turns" and "Dr. Kildare". His television guest appearances include roles on "The Twilight Zone", The Streets of San Francisco", "Quincy", "Perry Mason", "The Rockford Files", and many others.

Bill acted in more than 100 stage productions, beginning at the Berkshire Playhouse in 1952 as a member of the resident company under producer Billy Miles. He acted in 49 productions with the company, encompassing 1952 - 1955, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961 and 1964. After his many years in California, Bill returned to the Berkshires and Monterey, and returned to the stage of the Berkshire Playhouse, which had been reorganized as the Berkshire Theatre Festival in 1967. He continued acting at the BTF until 2006 in The Night of the Iguana. Other memorable performances at the BTF from 1982 until 2006 include A Delicate Balance, The Cocktail Party, Moby Dick Rehearsed, The Miracle Worker, The Middle Ages, All the Way Home, and Blithe Spirit. Mr. Swan acted in more productions at the BTF than any other actor.