Edward Hibbert

Edward Hibbert (born September 9, 1955) is an American-born British actor and literary agent. He played Gil Chesterton in the TV series Frasier. He also voiced Zazu in several installments in The Lion King franchise, replacing Rowan Atkinson.

Early life
Hibbert was born on Long Island, New York, the son of English actor Geoffrey Hibbert. He has one sister. He was raised in England, where he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He returned to the US in the mid-1980s.

Acting career
Hibbert had a starring role as Faulconbridge in the BBC's production of The Life and Death of King John, published in 1984. He has appeared on Broadway and in major regional theatre productions, worked in television as a series regular and guest star and also had roles in major films. In 1993 he won an Obie Award for his co-starring role of "Sterling" in Paul Rudnick's Jeffrey. His "Frederick Fellows/Philip Brent" in the National Theatre revival of Noises Off (presented at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre) was called "delightfully discombobulated" by one reviewer. Hibbert was in the Broadway musicals The Drowsy Chaperone and the 2007 premiere of Curtains (which reunited him with his Frasier co-star David Hyde Pierce). He appeared on Broadway as "Mr. Praed" (the architect) in Roundabout Theatre's 2010 production of Mrs. Warren's Profession starring Cherry Jones. He appeared on Broadway in the new musical It Shoulda Been You in 2015, again working with David Hyde Pierce, this time with Pierce as the director. He appeared in the 2019 Hollywood Bowl production of Into the Woods playing the Narrator.

He guest-starred on TV shows including Cosby, Murder, She Wrote and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit but is probably best known for his recurring role on Frasier as Gil Chesterton, KACL's haughty, effeminate restaurant critic.

As a voice actor, Hibbert has been the voice of Evil the Cat on the Earthworm Jim TV series, and the voice of Zazu in Timon & Pumbaa, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and in The Lion King 1½, replacing Rowan Atkinson, who voiced him in the original film. His appearances in films include The Prestige, Taking Woodstock, and The First Wives Club.

Literary work
He is also a literary agent and was partner in the now-defunct literary agency Donadio & Olson, Inc. He has authors Chuck Palahniuk, Christopher Bram, Steven DeRosa, and Ed Sikov among his clients and has also represented film rights for Fight Club and Gods and Monsters plus others.

In 2018 it was revealed that Hibbert and his partner, Neil Olson, had ignored complaints from clients about missing or late payments, which ultimately led to the discovery that the accountant, under their purview, had embezzled more than $3 million dollars from clients and estates of authors, including Mario Puzo. The author most affected was bestselling author Chuck Palahniuk, who was nearly bankrupted. While Hibbert maintained he knew nothing at all of this, writers with the agency revealed that they had long voiced concerns about their finances. James Curtis, who was represented by Olson for a number of years and sold four books with the agent (including the Pantheon-published 2015 title William Cameron Menzies), said his initial interaction with the bookkeeper, Darin Webb, led him to believe he was dealing with a case of negligence. Theft, Curtis said, was not on his radar. He noted that after contacting Webb repeatedly about a check for a "piddly sum of money" that had gone missing, he just assumed "Darin was incompetent." Adding that he "always had problems dealing with Webb," Curtis said he "brought Neil in" but that "Neil had a hands-off" policy in dealing with his bookkeeper.

The Authors Guild has urged clients to continue with litigation against Hibbert and Olson. Remarkably, Neil Olson is working again as an agent with Massie & McQuilkin, but Hibbert has wisely remained out of the literary world.

Personal life
Hibbert is gay. In a 2001 interview, he said that he had not come out to his family, but had not felt it necessary: "I think in England it's not the same. It's unspoken but understood." In a 2014 interview, he said "Being gay for me in Hollywood was not a problem. Someone once said, 'An Englishman and a homosexual is a distinction without a difference.' Everyone thinks all Englishmen are gay... "