John Gielgud

John Gielgud (1904-2000), English actor, director, and producer. Born in London and educated at the Westminster School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Gielgud made his stage debut in London in 1921 with the Old Vic Repertory Company. His success in the title role of Richard II in 1929 established him as a leading Shakespearean actor. He is perhaps best known for his interpretation of the title role in Hamlet, which he first played in 1929 and has repeated many times. Gielgud also became a director of Shakespearean and other plays. In 1959 he performed in The Ages of Man, a program of readings from the works of Shakespeare. Roles in contemporary drama include Edward Albee's Tiny Alice (1964) and Home (1970) by David Storey. He has appeared in many motion pictures, notably as Cassius in Julius Caesar (1952) and as the Duke of Clarence in Richard II (1955). Other films include Becket (1964), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Chariots of Fire (1980), Arthur (1981; Academy Award for best supporting actor), and Prospero's Books (1991). Notable was his role as the narrator's father, Edward Ryder, in the television series Brideshead Revisited (1981). His autobiography, Early Stages, published in 1939, was revised in 1976. He also collaborated in the writing of Gielgud: An Actor and His Time (1980). He was knighted in 1953.