Gielgud, Sir (Arthur) John 1904-2000
English actor and producer

He was born in London and made his debut there in 1921. He established his reputation in The Constant Nymph (1926), Hamlet (1929) and The Good Companions (1931), becoming a leading Shakespearean actor of the British theatre and directing many of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre productions, as well as The Cherry Orchard (1954) and The Chalk Garden (1956) in London. He has also appeared in many films, notably as Disraeli in The Prime Minister (1940) and as Cassius in Julius Caesar (1952). He played Othello at Stratford (1961) and Prospero at the National Theatre (1974). Like Laurence Olivier, he adapted to changing dramatic styles and to the new wave of plays popularized by the Royal Court Theatre, appearing during the 1960s and 1970s in plays by David Storey, Edward Bond and Harold Pinter. Latterly, he appeared increasingly in cameo roles in films, although he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Arthur (1981), and played the lead role and voiced all the others in Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Books (1991). More recent film appearances include Shine (1996) and Portrait of a Lady (1996). He also returned to the stage (1988), playing in Hugh Whitemore's Sir Sydney Cockerell: The Best of Friends. He published an autobiography, An Actor in his Time (1979), and was awarded the BAFTA fellowship award for his lifetime contribution to showbusiness (1992). His other published works include Shakespeare - Hit or Miss (1991) and Notes from the Gods (1994). He was knighthed in 1953 and was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1996.

Bibliography: Ronald Hayman, John Gielgud (1971)