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John Gielgud
Age: 96 (passed away May. 21st, 2000)
Height: 5' 11"
Birth Place: South Kensington, London, England, UK
Born: Apr. 14th, 1904
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John Gielgud's Main TV Roles
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at
IMDB
BIOGRAPHY: Born in London, England, John Gielgud trained at Lady Benson's Acting School and RADA, London. Best known for his Shakespearean roles in the theater, he first played Hamlet at the age of 26. He worked under the tutelage of Lilian Bayliss with friend and fellow performer Laurence Olivier and other contemporaries of the National Theatre at the "Old Vic", London. He made his screen debut in 1924. Academy Award Best Supporting Actor, 1981, for Arthur (1981), Academy Award Nomination, 1964, for Becket (1964).
TRIVIA:
- Gielgud stated in his autobiography that he wanted desperately to be cast as The Chorus in 'Laurence Olivier' (qv)'s film _The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France (1944)_ (qv). He understood why Olivier did not cast him, as when the two had acted together in Shakespearean repertory in the mid-'30s, Gielgud got the better notices. Blessed with a beautiful voice, Gielgud played Shakespeare traditionally, a style Olivier thought of as too close to song as compared to his own revolutionary colloquial style. When Olivier was more secure, he did cast Gielgud as Clarence in _Richard III (1955)_ (qv).
- He once playfully quipped, "'Ingrid Bergman (I)' (qv) is fluent in five languages. And she can't act in any of them."
- Archive footage of Gielgud as Hamlet appears briefly on the computer screen of 'Ethan Hawke' (qv) as _Hamlet (2000)_ (qv) in the year 2000 version of Shakespeare's play. The role is considered the summit for a tragedian, and Gielgud was the most celebrated Hamlet of the 20th century, surpassing even 'John Barrymore (I)' (qv), 'Laurence Olivier' (qv) and 'Richard Burton (I)' (qv) in acclaim for his stage portrayal of the melancholy Dane.
- Knighted in 1953 and appointed a Companion of Honour in 1977.
- (1999) Longtime lover Martin Hensler, 30 years younger, died.
- All his Oscar and Emmy nominations were received during the latter part of his career, after he had turned sixty.
- He believed that animals should not be exploited. He was particularly fond of birds and joined PETA's campaign against the foie gras industry in the early 1990s, narrating PETA's video exposé of the force-feeding of geese and ducks. Many chefs and restaurateurs who saw that video dropped foie gras from their menus. Sir John received PETA's Humanitarian of the Year Award twice, in 1994 and 1999.
- Three-time Tony winner, Gielgud graced the Broadway boards as a live performer 15 times between 1928 and 1976, yet never won an acting Tony Award. He was nominated twice for Best Actor (Dramatic): 'Edward Albee' (qv)'s "Tiny Alice" and in 1971 for 'David Storey (III)' (qv)'s "Home." It was as a director that he was honored, with the 1961 Tony as Best Director (Dramatic) for "Big Fish, Little Fish." Directing a total of 15 Broadway productions starring himself or others, he also was nominated as Best Director (Dramatic) in 1963 for 'Richard B. Sheridan' (qv)'s "The School for Scandal." He won two other Tonys, a 1959 Special Award "for his contribution to theatre for his extraordinary insight into the writings of Shakespeare as demonstrated in his one-man play, 'Ages of Man'," and shared in a 1948 award for Oustanding Foreign Company for 'Oscar Wilde' (qv) 's "The Importance of Being Earnest," which he produced, directed and starred in.
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