# Jonathan Crombie
**Jonathan Crombie** (full name Jonathan David Crombie; October 12, 1966 – April 15, 2015) was a Canadian actor best known for playing [Gilbert Blythe](https://www.edgepedia.org/gilbert-blythe), Anne Shirley's schoolmate and eventual husband, in [CBC Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbc-television)'s adaptations of *Anne of Green Gables*[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jonathan-crombie). He was cast in the part at a young age after a casting director saw him in a high-school play, and he worked steadily on Canadian and American stage and screen for three decades[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188592/bio/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1966, Toronto, Ontario; April 15, 2015, New York City, of a brain hemorrhage, at age 48[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jonathan-crombie) • [3](https://time.com/3827516/jonathan-crombie-anne-green-gables-dies/) |
| Signature role | Gilbert Blythe in *Anne of Green Gables* (1985), its sequel (1987), *The Continuing Story* (2000), and an episode of *Road to Avonlea*[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jonathan-crombie) |
| Discovery | Spotted by casting director Diane Polley in a high-school production of *The Wizard of Oz*; Gilbert was his first professional role[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188592/bio/) • [4](https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Crombie%2C+Jonathan) |
| Family | Son of David Crombie, mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978 and later a federal cabinet minister[3](https://time.com/3827516/jonathan-crombie-anne-green-gables-dies/) • [4](https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Crombie%2C+Jonathan) |
| Theatre | Four seasons at the Stratford Festival; Broadway lead in *The Drowsy Chaperone* (2007)[4](https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Crombie%2C+Jonathan) |
| Awards | Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Outstanding Performance as Valentine Coverly in *Arcadia* (1996)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188592/bio/) |
## Discovery and the Gilbert Blythe role
Crombie did not plan an acting career. He was spotted by casting director Diane Polley, mother of actress [Sarah Polley](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-polley), while performing in a high-school production of *The Wizard of Oz* at Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute in Toronto[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188592/bio/) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jonathan_crombie). Polley introduced him to the producers of Kevin Sullivan's screen adaptation of [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucy-maud-montgomery)'s 1908 novel, and accounts differ on his age at the time: *Time* reported he was cast at 17[3](https://time.com/3827516/jonathan-crombie-anne-green-gables-dies/), while the Television Academy's biography says the part came when he was 19[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jonathan-crombie). *Time* also reported that he won the role over many other actors, including [Jason Priestley](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-priestley)[3](https://time.com/3827516/jonathan-crombie-anne-green-gables-dies/).
The 1985 miniseries, opposite [Megan Follows](https://www.edgepedia.org/megan-follows) as [Anne Shirley](https://www.edgepedia.org/anne-shirley), was a staple of Canadian television, and Crombie's Gilbert combined what *The New Yorker* described as dreaminess and respectfulness[6](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/sarah-larson/how-not-to-adapt-anne-of-green-gables). The character's introduction, in which he teases Anne with the nickname "Carrots" and receives a broken slate over his head, begins a relationship that moves from schoolyard rivalry through friendship to marriage[7](https://www.anneofgreengables.com/cast-and-characters/gilbert-blythe).
Crombie returned to Gilbert repeatedly across 15 years: the television movie *Anne of Avonlea* (also released as *Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel*) in 1987, *Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story* in 2000, and a 1992 episode of the spin-off series *Road to Avonlea*, in which Gilbert returns to Avonlea on the occasion of Marilla's death[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jonathan-crombie) • [8](https://www.anneofgreengables.com/blog-posts/how-road-to-avonlea-came-to-be). His sister Carrie recalled that when fans recognized him on the street and called him by his character's name, he responded happily rather than rejecting the association[9](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jonathan-crombie).
## Stage career
Crombie built a substantial theater career in parallel with his television work. He performed sketch comedy and improv, including with the troupe Skippy's Rangers, and spent four seasons at the [Stratford Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/stratford-festival), playing the lead in *Romeo and Juliet* (1997), Orlando in *As You Like It* (1996), Lucentio in *The Taming of the Shrew* (1997), and *Hamlet* (1994)[4](https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Crombie%2C+Jonathan). His Valentine Coverly in *Arcadia* for the Canadian Stage Company earned a 1997 Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Outstanding Performance[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188592/bio/). He also appeared at Tarragon Theatre in *The Dishwashers* (2005) and *The Oxford Roof Climbers Rebellion* (2006), and his final stage appearance was in *Benediction* at the Denver Theatre Center[4](https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Crombie%2C+Jonathan).
In 2007 he played the lead in *The Drowsy Chaperone* on Broadway and on its subsequent tour[4](https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Crombie%2C+Jonathan). His sister said he had loved Broadway shows from childhood and would sing and dance in the family living room[9](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jonathan-crombie).
## Television, voice work, and later credits
Beyond the *Anne* films, Crombie's television credits included the series *Alfred Hitchcock Presents*, *Knightwatch*, *21 Jump Street*, *Class of '96*, *Slings and Arrows*, and *Earth: Final Conflict*[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jonathan-crombie). He voiced the title character in the children's show *The Secret World of Benjamin Bear* and its related films; IMDb lists 20 episodes as Benjamin Bear between 2004 and 2010[7](https://www.anneofgreengables.com/cast-and-characters/gilbert-blythe) • [10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188592/). He was credited as a writer, director, and producer on the documentary *Waiting for Ishtar*[11](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jonathan-crombie/credits/3030360234/). His final screen appearances were guest roles as Inspector Bill Frazier on *The Good Wife* and Young Dave Teague on *Haven*[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188592/).
He interrupted his acting career for education, enrolling at the [University of Toronto](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-toronto)'s Victoria College and graduating in 1995[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jonathan_crombie).
## Death
Crombie died on April 15, 2015, in New York City at the age of 48. His sister Carrie told [CBC News](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbc-news) that a brain hemorrhage caused his death[3](https://time.com/3827516/jonathan-crombie-anne-green-gables-dies/) • [9](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jonathan-crombie). The Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia gives the death year as 2016, while most sources, including *Time*, IMDb, and the Television Academy, give April 15, 2015[4](https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Crombie%2C+Jonathan) • [3](https://time.com/3827516/jonathan-crombie-anne-green-gables-dies/). The obituary noted that although he won acclaim for other work, he never rejected the legacy of his best-known role[9](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jonathan-crombie).
## References
1. [Jonathan Crombie, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jonathan-crombie)
2. [Jonathan Crombie Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188592/bio/)
3. [Anne of Green Gables Star Jonathan Crombie Dead at 48, Time](https://time.com/3827516/jonathan-crombie-anne-green-gables-dies/)
4. [Crombie, Jonathan, Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia](https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Crombie%2C+Jonathan)
5. [Jonathan Crombie, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jonathan_crombie)
6. [How Not to Adapt Anne of Green Gables, The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/sarah-larson/how-not-to-adapt-anne-of-green-gables)
7. [Gilbert Blythe, anneofgreengables.com](https://www.anneofgreengables.com/cast-and-characters/gilbert-blythe)
8. [How Road to Avonlea Came To Be, anneofgreengables.com](https://www.anneofgreengables.com/blog-posts/how-road-to-avonlea-came-to-be)
9. [Jonathan Crombie Obituary, Legacy.com](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jonathan-crombie)
10. [Jonathan Crombie, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188592/)
11. [Jonathan Crombie Credits, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jonathan-crombie/credits/3030360234/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Canadian actors › Surnames Cr to F*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license