Robert MacNeil was born on 19 January 1931 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was a writer and actor, known for Hamlet (2000), The Story of English (1986) and PBS News Hour (1975). He was married to Donna Joy Nappi, Jane Jacobsen Doherty and Rosemarie Anne Copland. He died on 12 April 2024 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.