In Act III, Scene I of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” the lead character famously notes: “To be, or not to be: that is the question.”

About two weeks ago, Graham Hamilton — who won a prestigious award for his role of Hamlet — excitedly says: “I’m still trying to wrap myself around it. The first thing I have to do is buy a mantle.”

Two quotes from two men roughly 410 years apart. The recent display of words is not from a prince in the Kingdom of Denmark, but from a 1999 Inglemoor High graduate and actor who won a Helen Hayes Award for outstanding lead actor in a resident play in Washington, D.C., last month. Hamilton, 30, who grew up in Bothell, tied with another actor for the Hayes Robert Prosky Award and both received top honors. (Hayes was a renowned theater actress, who lived from 1900-1993; Prosky was an accomplished actor who lived from 1930-2008.)

Graham’s father, Steve, said that the Helen Hayes Awards in D.C. are the equivalent of New York City’s Broadway Tony Awards for the theater scene.

An actor at Inglemoor and a bachelor of fine arts recipient from The Julliard School of dance, drama and music in New York City in 2003, Graham said about the awards ceremony: “I was shocked when they called my name.  The category was stacked with masterful artists whose nominating performances I had seen and been blown away by. I was all but certain it would be going to someone else.”

One of D.C.’s top Hamlets added that a friend told him not to “show up for school without my homework,” so he prepared a short speech before the ceremony. However, the thrill of the moment took over once he hit the stage and he barely remembers what he told the crowd.

He told the Reporter: “Playing Hamlet is an honor in and of itself, but to be recognized for having done well with it by an institution like the Helen Hayes Awards is beyond words.”

A reviewer on the We Love DC Web site gushed: “… a heartbreaking performance by Graham Hamilton … marked by sharp intelligence and sensitivity, not to mention some of the most natural verse speaking I’ve heard ever on a D.C. stage …”

Steve and wife Ilene have seen their son perform 40-50 times. The certified public accountant and dental hygienist, respectively, are not theater aficionados, Steve laughed, but they can tell when Graham is commanding the stage.

“It’s really neat, he’s very believable. You can close your eyes and listen to him and think you’re there in the time of Shakespeare,” Steve said of Graham’s “Hamlet” performance.

Graham was part of the Folger Shakespeare Theatre on D.C.’s Capitol Hill, which also won a Hayes Award for outstanding resident play, “Hamlet,” during 2010.

The play recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering the old King Hamlet (Claudius’s brother and Prince Hamlet’s father) and then succeeding to the throne and marrying Gertrude (the King Hamlet’s widow and mother of Prince Hamlet).

Graham, who lives six months of the year in Los Angeles and six months in New York City, either performs in those areas or travels throughout the country to hone his craft, Steve said.

Over the years, Graham has appeared in many TV, film and Off-Broadway series and productions, including “Big Love,” “Lincoln Heights,” “Guiding Light,” “The Fourth Magi” and “The Merchant of Venice.” He also read “Twelfth Night” with Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson in Simply Shakespeare.