British actor Sir John Gielgud dead at age 96

Actor John Gielgud

May 22, 2000
Web posted at: 9:31 a.m. EDT (1331 GMT)

In this story: From classics to comedy A working retirement RELATED STORIES, SITES

LONDON -- British actor Sir John Gielgud, who held his place alongside Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson as Britain's leading actors, has died at age 96, his family said on Monday.

Gielgud was perhaps best known to American audiences for his portrayal of the butler Hobson opposite Dudley Moore's spoiled, drunken playboy in the movie "Arthur." Gielgud's work as the sharp-witted character earned him his only Oscar in 1981.

The actor was born in 1904 in London. He made his first appearance at London's Old Vic Theatre in 1921 and was knighted in 1953 in the midst of a successful stage and film career.

VIDEO CNN's Dennis Michael reviews Gielgud's career. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     MESSAGE BOARD Remembering Sir John Gielgud     ALSO Sir John Gielgud's filmography

Gielgud was known for his elegant bearing and silken voice.

"I have been extraordinarily lucky," Gielgud told The Associated Press in a 1991 interview.

From classics to comedy

Gielgud won wide fame for his Shakespearean roles in the theater. He first played "Hamlet" at age 26 and performed as "Prospero" in his own old age.

Other film roles included a master spy in Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 thriller "The Secret Agent," opposite Peter Lorre.

Gielgud received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the king of France in the 1964 film version of Jean Anouilh's "Becket."

His refined manner made him a gentleman's gentleman in "Murder on the Orient Express."

In the early 1980s he appeared in "The Elephant Man" and "Chariots of Fire."

Ironically, the actor had to be coaxed into taking the role in "Arthur" that brought him the Oscar.

A working retirement

Gielgud's last years were spent at his country home in England. He retired from the stage in 1988, but he continued acting in select films.

In "Prospero's Books," shot in 1991, the actor performed in his first nude scene at the age of 86.

In 1996, he appeared in "Shine," "Portrait of a Lady," the television miniseries "Gulliver's Travels," and in Kenneth Branagh's version of "Hamlet."

Speaking of his long career, Gielgud once said of acting, "It's my whole life. It's all I can do."

Correspondent Dennis Michael, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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