John Gielgud

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April 14, 1904

May 21, 2000 (age 96) in Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Arthur John Gielgud

Actor

2000 Catastrophe (short)

1998 Elizabeth

1998 The Tichborne Claimant

1998 The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot (voice)

1998 Merlin (TV mini-series)

1997 A Dance to the Music of Time (TV mini-series)

1997 David (TV movie) (voice) (uncredited)

1996 Hamlet

1996 The Portrait of a Lady

1996 DragonHeart (voice) (uncredited)

1996 Gulliver's Travels (TV movie)

1996 Shine

1995 Haunted

1995 First Knight

1994 A Summer Day's Dream (TV movie)

1994 Performance (TV series)

1994 Scarlett (TV mini-series)

1994 Under the Hammer (TV series)

1994 Alleyn Mysteries (TV series)

1993 Lovejoy (TV series)

1993 Inspector Morse (TV series)

1992 The Power of One

1992 Shining Through

1992 Swan Song (short)

1991 Prospero's Books

1991 The Strauss Dynasty (TV mini-series)

1991 A TV Dante (TV mini-series)

1991 The Best of Friends (TV movie)

1990 Barbablù, Barbablù

1990 Strike It Rich

1989 Summer's Lease (TV mini-series)

1988-1989 War and Remembrance (TV mini-series)

1989 Getting It Right

1988 A Man for All Seasons (TV movie)

1988 Arthur 2: On the Rocks

1988 Appointment with Death

1987 The Whistle Blower

1986-1987 Screen Two (TV series)

1987 The Canterville Ghost (TV movie)

1985 Leave All Fair

1985 Plenty

1985 Romance on the Orient Express (TV movie)

1985 The Shooting Party

1984 Frankenstein (TV movie)

1970-1984 Hallmark Hall of Fame (TV series)

1984 Six Centuries of Verse (TV series)

1984 The Master of Ballantrae (TV movie)

1984 Scandalous

1984 The Far Pavilions (TV mini-series)

1984 Oedipus the King (TV movie)

1984 Antigone (TV movie)

1983 Wagner (TV series)

1983 The Wicked Lady

1983 The Scarlet and the Black (TV movie)

1983 Invitation to the Wedding

1982 Marco Polo (TV mini-series)

1982 Gandhi

1967-1982 BBC Play of the Month (TV series)

1982 Inside the Third Reich (TV movie)

1982 A Christmas Carol (TV movie) Narrator

1981 Brideshead Revisited (TV mini-series)

1981 Priest of Love

1981 Arthur

1981 Lion of the Desert

1981 Chariots of Fire

1981 The Seven Dials Mystery (TV movie)

1981 Sphinx

1980 The Formula

1980 The Elephant Man

1980 Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (TV movie)

1980 Dyrygent

1979-1980 Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)

1979 The Human Factor

1979 Caligola

1979 Murder by Decree

1978 Les Miserables (TV movie)

1978 King Richard the Second (TV movie)

1978 Romeo & Juliet (TV movie)

1978 No Man's Land (TV movie)

1977 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

1977 Joseph Andrews

1977 Providence

1976 Aces High

1976 Peter Pan (TV movie) Narrator

1975 Shades of Greene (TV series)

1975 Edward the Seventh (TV series)

1975 Galileo

1974 Murder on the Orient Express

1974 11 Harrowhouse

1974 Gold

1974 QB VII (TV mini-series)

1973 Frankenstein: The True Story (TV movie)

1973 Menace (TV series)

1973 Lost Horizon

1973 ABC Afterschool Specials (TV series)

1972 Probe (TV movie)

1972 Eagle in a Cage

1972 Play for Today (TV series)

1971 ITV Saturday Night Theatre (TV series)

1971 Hassan (TV movie)

1970 Julius Caesar

1969 Oh! What a Lovely War

1968 The Shoes of the Fisherman

1968 Assignment to Kill

1968 The Charge of the Light Brigade

1968 NET Playhouse (TV series)

1968 From Chekhov with Love (TV movie)

1968 Sebastian

1966 The Wednesday Play (TV series)

1966 ABC Stage 67 (TV series)

1965 Chimes at Midnight

1965 The Loved One

1964 Hamlet (voice)

1964 Becket

1963 ITV Play of the Week (TV series)

1962 The Cherry Orchard (TV movie)

1959 The DuPont Show of the Month (TV series)

1957 Saint Joan

1957 The Barretts of Wimpole Street

1956 Around the World in Eighty Days

1955 Richard III

1954 Romeo and Juliet

1953 Julius Caesar

1941 An Airman's Letter to His Mother (short) Narrator

1941 The Prime Minister

1936 Secret Agent

1933 The Good Companions

1932 Insult

1929 The Clue of the New Pin

1924 Who Is the Man?

Director

1964 Hamlet

1938 Spring Meeting (TV movie)

Writer

1966 ITV Play of the Week (TV series) (adaptation)

Appearances

2003 Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film (video documentary)

2000 Biography (TV series documentary)

1998 The Harvest of Sorrow (TV documentary)(voice)

1998 Arena: The Sir Noel Coward Trilogy (TV documentary)

1997 Dennis Pennis R.I.P. (video)

1997 The Making of 'Dragonheart' (video documentary) (voice)

1997 To Be on Camera: A History with Hamlet (video documentary short)

1996 The Leopard Son (documentary) (voice)

1996 Looking for Richard (documentary)

1995 Westminster Abbey (TV documentary)

1995 Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood (TV mini-series documentary)

1993 Hollywood U.K. (TV series documentary)

1990-1992 The South Bank Show (TV series documentary) (voice)

1991 A Walk Through Prospero's Library (TV documentary short)

1990 Vivien Leigh: Scarlett & Beyond (TV documentary)

1988 War and Remembrance: A Living History (video documentary short)

1969-1988 Omnibus (TV series documentary)

1988 Great Performances (TV series documentary)

1987 Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville (TV documentary)

1987 An Evening with Kiri Te Kanawa (TV documentary)

1985 This Is Your Life (TV series documentary)

1984 Six Centuries of Verse (TV series)

1984 Ingrid (documentary) Narrator

1981 Voyage to the End of the Earth (TV documentary) Narrator

1980 The British Greats (TV series)

1977 Fall In, the Stars (TV movie)

1977 Night of 100 Stars (TV special)

1976 SCTV (TV series)

1974 The Pallisers (TV series)

1969-1972 Stars on Sunday (TV series)

1970 The David Frost Show (TV series)

1970 Camera Three (TV series)

1970 Carol Channing's Mad English Tea Party (TV movie)

1970 NBC Experiment in Television (TV series documentary)

1970 Hamlet Revisited: Approaches to Hamlet (TV documentary)

1969 Thirty-Minute Theatre (TV series)

1968 The Shoes of the Fisherman (documentary short) (uncredited)

1967 Révolution d'octobre (documentary) (English version) (voice)

1966 Ages of Man (TV movie)

1963 Farewell to the Vic (TV documentary)

1963 Mourir à Madrid (documentary) (voice)

1961 The Bell Telephone Hour (TV series)

1960 This Is Your Life (TV series documentary)

1959 The Big Party (TV series)

1951-1959 The Ed Sullivan Show (TV series)

1958 The Immortal Land (documentary short) (voice)

1956 Sunshine in Soho (documentary short)

1951 This Is Show Business (TV series)

1945 A Diary for Timothy (documentary short)

1943 Niedokonczona podróz (documentary short) (voice: English version)

Academy Awards

1982 Won Oscar Best Actor in a Supporting Role for: Arthur (1981).

1965 Nominated Oscar Best Actor in a Supporting Role for: Becket (1964).

American Movie Awards

1982 Won Marquee Best Supporting Actor for: Arthur (1981).

BAFTA Awards

1997 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for: Shine (1996).

1992 Won Academy Fellowship

1990 Nominated BAFTA TV Award Best Actor for: "Summer's Lease" (1989).

1986 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Actor in a Supporting Role for: Plenty (1985).

1982 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Supporting Artist for: Arthur (1981).

1982 Nominated BAFTA TV Award Best Actor for: "Brideshead Revisited" (1981).

1975 Won BAFTA Film Award Best Supporting Actor for: Murder on the Orient Express (1974).

1954 Won BAFTA Film Award Best British Actor for: Julius Caesar (1953).

CableACE Awards

1989 Nominated ACE Actor in a Dramatic or Theatrical Special for: Oedipus the King (1984) (TV).

Emmy Awards

1991 Won Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for: "Summer's Lease" (1989).

1989 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for: "War and Remembrance" (1988). For part VIII.

1985 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for: Romance on the Orient Express (1985) (TV).

1984 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for: The Master of Ballantrae (1984) (TV).

1982 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for: "Brideshead Revisited" (1981). For episode I: "Et in Arcadia Ego".

Golden Globes

1990 Nominated Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for: "War and Remembrance" (1988).

1989 Won Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for: "War and Remembrance" (1988). Tied with Barry Bostwick for "War and Remembrance" (1988).

1982 Won Golden Globe Best Motion Picture Actor in a Supporting Role for: Arthur (1981).

London Critics Circle Film Awards

1996 Won Special Achievement Award

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

1985 Won LAFCA Award Best Supporting Actor for: Plenty (1985) and The Shooting Party (1985).

1981 Won LAFCA Award Best Supporting Actor for: Arthur (1981).

National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA

1986 Won NSFC Award Best Supporting Actor for: Plenty (1985) and The Shooting Party (1985).

New York Film Critics Circle Awards

1981 Won NYFCC Award Best Supporting Actor for: Arthur (1981).

1977 Won NYFCC Award Best Actor for: Providence (1977).

Screen Actors Guild Awards

1997 Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Cast for: Shine (1996).

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Sir John Gielgud was a major star of the British stage for seven decades. There is a sense that he felt obliged to appear in films, but never wholly gave of his talent - he was certainly never a movie star on a level with Laurence Olivier or a screen actor as subtle as Ralph Richardson (the other "knights of the stage").

Born to a family with an acting tradition, Gielgud made his professional stage debut in Shakespeare's Henry V at the age of seventeen. After some early movie appearances (The Clue of the New Pin, 1929; Insult, 1932; The Good Companions, 1933), he worked with Alfred Hitchcock as W. Somerset Maugham's spy Ashenden in Secret Agent (1936). Nobody was happy with the results and he never played a romantic lead onscreen again.

Gielgud quit movies for nearly two decades, returning only when Shakespeare was screenwriter, as a thin, backstabbing Cassius in Julius Caesar (1953), the Chorus in Romeo and Juliet (1954), and the Duke of Clarence n Olivier's Richard III (1955). He also played Henry IV in Orson Welles's Campanadas a medianoche (1965) (Chimes at Midnight), and (interestingly and unconventionally) an ailing, clear-minded Prospero in Peter Greenaway's Tempest-derived Prospero's Books (1991).

Gielgud is one of only nine actors to win an Oscar (as the sniping butler in Arthur, 1981), a Grammy, an Emmy, and a Tony. His screen work loosened up from the mid-1960s, and he showed a gift for stuffy, arch comedy (The Loved One, 1965; The Charge of the Light Brigade, 1968; Murder on the Orient Express, 1974). He specialized in cameos as fussy, obstreperous historical kings, cardinals, ministers, popes, academics, and doctors (Becket, 1964; Galileo, 1975; The Elephant Man, 1980; Chariots of Fire, 1981; Shine, 1996; Elizabeth, 1998). But his best performance came as the aged novelist, struggling with memory, fantasy, deteriorating health, and a werewolf story in Alain Resnais's Providence (1977).

Offscreen, Gielgud succeeded Olivier as director of London's National Theatre and wrote a number of books about his life and career. Having outlived his long-term partner, Martin Hensler, Gielgud died of natural causes, aged ninety-six.

Hamlet of a Generation

Although John Gielgud was hailed as the finest Hamlet of the twentieth century, his own Danish prince was never preserved on celluloid. When he first played Hamlet in 1929, it was the first time that an English actor under the age of forty had played the orle in London's West End. Gielgud made the part his own with the unique speed of his delivery and exquisite vocals. Over the years he would develop and refine his interpretation of Hamlet, and it became his definitive role. He turned down an offer to film his Hamlet in the 1930s, but later took parts in various filmed or televised versions of the play.

Acting is half shame, half glory. Shame at exhibiting yourself, glory when you can forget yourself.

Knighted in 1953 and appointed a Companion of Honour in 1977.