Theatre & Film History
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William Grange is Hixson-Lied Professor in the Johnny Carson School. The author of nine books, several essays, book chapters, journal articles, reviews, and encyclopedia entries, he was recently named Guest Professor for American film and drama at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. His other awards include the Distinguished Chair in Humanities and Cultural Studies at the University of Vienna and a Fulbright Professorship at the University of Cologne.
In both Cologne and Vienna he has taught courses in German, concentrating on American actors, actresses, and acting. At the University of Nebraska his teaching is almost exclusively in English.
Dr. Grange has received research awards from the German Academic Exchange Service, the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas, the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C., the Dorot Foundation in Providence, Rhode Island, the Mellon Foundation in New York City, the International Institute of Education, the Hixson-Lied Trust Endowment, the Jane Harrison Lyman Research Trust Fund, and several others. For his research efforts he received the University of Nebraska Vice-Chancellor's Award for Research in the Humanities.
Dr. Grange has also won numerous awards for his teaching and his service to students; he teaches both academic and performance courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Dr. Grange has been an Equity actor for over thirty years, appearing in several professional productions throughout the United States, most recently as Caldwell B. Cladwell in the award-winning Broadway musical "Urinetown" at Lincoln's Haymarket Theatre. His other musical roles include Prof. Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady" with Gwynne Geyer, Capt. von Trapp in "The Sound of Music" with Lindsey Alley, and El Gallo in "The Fantasticks!". He was a member of the original Light Opera of Manhattan company, appearing in numerous Gilbert and Sullivan productions while still a graduate student.
His directing credits include a number of musicals in student productions at colleges and universities. He was also a founding member of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, playing Polonius in "Hamlet", Duncan in "Macbeth", Cleante in "Tartuffe", Amiens in "As You Like It", Leonato in "Much Ado About Nothing", and Balthasar in "Comedy of Errors".
With student film directors in the Johnny Carson School he has played several oddball characters in thesis films. They range from despondent police detectives to murderous CIA agents and philosophical fishermen. He has most frequently played dyspeptic professors in student films â although he can't quite figure out why students keep casting him in such roles.
If you would like to receive copies of films in which he has appeared, he welcomes inquires by e-mail. His books are readily available on the "William Grange Page" of Amazon Books.
