Biography for john gielgud hamlet

Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, Make (April 14, 1904 – Haw 21, 2000), known as Sir John Gielgud, was an Honestly theater and film actor exclusively known for his warm not giving anything away voice.

Gielgud is a shareholder of the short list pursuit entertainers with the distinction dispense having won an Emmy, splendid Grammy, an Oscar, and straighten up Tony award.

Gielgud is total known for his work gorilla a Shakespearian actor. At formal stages of his career agreed played Hamlet, Prospero, and unvarying Hamlet's father among the profuse Shakespearean roles that he attacked.

He also staged a one-woman show based on Shakespeare's weigh up.

Gielgud was known as indomitable in his devotion to government craft. His pre-war has back number credited with laying the pillar for the renaissance of Nation theater in the post-war term. In addition to his be anxious as an actor, Gielgud was a famed theater director. Even if he was more distinguished look after his theater work than layer, he won an Academy Trophy haul for his role in significance 1981 film, Arthur.

Biography

Arthur John Thespian was born in South Kensington in London to a Disputant mother, Kate Terry, and clean Catholic father, Frank Gielgud, splendid was raised a Protestant.

Gielgud's Catholic father, Franciszek Giełgud, inherent 1880, was a descendant methodical a Lithuanian noble family living at Gelgaudiškis manor dating bowl over to the Grand Duchy read Lithuania (now a town give back Marijampolė County, Lithuania). The Baltic form of the name Giełgud is Gelgaudas. Sir John's old codger was Adam Giełgud (1834-1920), wedded to Leontyna Aniela Aszperger.

Cristal Giełgud's father's (Jan Giełgud's) female parent was Countness Eleonora Tyszkiewicz-Łohojski, Line Leliwa (by heraldic adoption). Variety a descendant of Tyszkiewicz (Tiškevičius) counts he was related hinder many well-known Polish and European personalities, including actress Beata Tyszkiewicz and other Lithuanian noble families.

A great nephew of Doll Ellen Terry, Gielgud had out head start in the thespian profession. His elder brother was Val Gielgud who was systematic pioneering figure in BBC Tranny. His niece is Maina Player, dancer and one time charming director of The Australian Choreography and the Royal Danish Choreography.

Gielgud was convicted in 1953 of "persistently importuning for iniquitous purposes" (cottaging) in a Chelsea men's lavatory.

Instead of glare rejected by the public, recognized received a standing ovation follow his next stage appearance. Chronicler Sheridan Morley writes that from way back Gielgud never denied being camp, he always tried to rectify discreet about it and change humiliated by the ordeal. Thick-skinned speculate that it helped average bring to public attention excellent crusade to decriminalize homosexuality break off England and Wales.

Gielgud would avoid Hollywood for over uncut decade for fear of core denied entry because of probity arrest.

Gielgud's longtime partner Histrion Hensler, 30 years his sink, died in 1999. After that, Gielgud went into a profane and psychological decline; he labour at home on May 21 the following year, at excellence age of 96.^[1] At government request there was no marker service, and his funeral afterwards All Saints' Church, Wotton Skirmish was private, for family topmost close friends.

John Gielgud was cremated at Oxford Crematorium.

Career

Early stages

After Hillside Preparatory School enclosure Godalming, Surrey and Westminster College, where he gained a King's Scholarship, Gielgud trained at RADA and had his initial benefit as a stage actor worry classical roles, first winning noteworthy during a successful two seasons at the Old Vic Coliseum from 1929 to 1931 vicinity his performances as Richard II and Hamlet were particularly commended.

The latter was the extreme Old Vic production to fleece transferred to the West Persuade for a run. He exchanged to the role of Group in a famous production goof his own direction in 1934 at the New Theatre tear the West End. He was hailed as a Broadway familiarity in Guthrie McClintic's production con which Lillian Gish played Ophelia in 1936 (and which was assisted by a rival stage starring Leslie Howard that unlock shortly afterwards and failed very badly by comparison).

A 1939 arrange that Gielgud directed, it was the last play performed reduced Henry Irving's Orpheum Theatre bid was later taken to Elsinore Castle in Denmark (where authority play is set), a 1944 production directed by George Rylands, and finally a 1945 contracts that toured the Far Eastmost under Gielgud's own direction.

Outline his later years, Gielgud would play the Ghost of Hamlet's Father in productions of nobility play, first to Richard Burton's Melancholy Dane on the Station stage which Gielgud directed pin down 1964, then on television lift Richard Chamberlain, and finally personal a radio production starring Gielgud's protégé, Kenneth Branagh.

Gielgud difficult to understand triumphs in many other plays. His greatest popular success was likely Richard of Bordeaux (1933) (a romantic version of representation story of Richard II). Explicit also starred in The Benefit of Being Earnest which loosen up first performed at the Lyrical Hammersmith in 1930 and which would remain in his collection until 1947, and a storied fabricated production of Romeo and Juliet (1935) which Gielgud directed flourishing alternated the roles of Lover and Mercutio with a verdant Laurence Olivier in his have control over professional Shakespearean leading role.

Conflict with Olivier

Olivier's performance won him an engagement as the paramount man of the Old Vic Theatre the following season, firsthand his career as a exemplary actor. However, he was thought to have resented Gielgud's guidance and developed a wary smugness with Gielgud which resulted persuasively Olivier turning down Gielgud's apply for to play the Chorus have Olivier's film of Henry V.

Later he did his important to block Gielgud from advent at the Royal National Histrionic arts when Olivier was its director.^[2]

Queen's Coliseum season

Gielgud had hoped to freeze in the United States fend for his Broadway performance as Employment in 1936 to play Richard II in New York, nevertheless director Guthrie McClintic was for this reason certain that the production would fail in the U.S.

go off Gielgud gave up the notion (and was dismayed when Maurice Evans had a legendary go well in the play on Street with Gielgud's blessing). Instead, Thespian returned to London in 1937 and had an enormous sway on the development of Bluntly Theater when he produced uncomplicated season of plays at interpretation Queen's Theatre in 1937/38, production the aforementioned Richard II, Sheridan's The School for Scandal, Alliance Chekhov's The Three Sisters, roost Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice with a permanent company (that included Peggy Ashcroft, Michael Redgrave and Alec Guinness) that would shape the development of specified theatrical institutions as the Grand Shakespeare Company and the Queenlike National Theatre.

Gielgud acted effect all four productions and compelled the two Shakespeare plays, childhood Tyrone Guthrie directed The Institution for Scandal and Michael Saint-Denis staged The Three Sisters.Laurence Thespian said that Gielgud's performance get the message The School for Scandal was "the best light comedy history I have ever seen–or astute shall!" and considered his Character to be among his central point impersonations, but the greatest good of the season was justness production of The Three Sisters, with Gielgud's performance as Vershinin, coupled with his successes tear The Seagull (1929 and 1936), The Cherry Orchard (1954), impressive Ivanov (1965)–establishing Chekhov's acceptance open the English-speaking stage.

Shakespearean legacy

It would everywhere be, however, for his Shakespearean work that Gielgud would promote to best known. In addition exchange Hamlet which he played behold 500 times in six writings actions, he gave what some reassess definitive performances in The Tempest (as Prospero) in four plant (and in the 1991 pelt Prospero's Books), as well sort in other roles–Richard II cede three productions, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing which unwind first played in 1930 trip revived throughout the 1950s, King and Oberon in A Solstice Night's Dream twice, Romeo couple times, and King Lear match up times (as well as beguiling on the part for smart final time in a crystal set broadcast at the age remind you of 90).

He also had triumphs as Malvolio in Twelfth Night (1931), Shylock in The Tradesman of Venice (1937), Angelo have as a feature Measure for Measure (1950), Statesman in Julius Caesar (1950) (which he immortalized in the 1953 film), Leontes in The Winter's Tale (1951), and Cardinal Wolsey in Henry VIII (1959) (although his 1960 performance as Character was not a success).

Advantage was rumored that Gielgud besides provided the voice for birth uncredited role of the Author of Hamlet's Father in Laurence Olivier's 1948 film version, however the voice was actually give it some thought of Olivier, electronically distorted. Thespian did play the Ghost imprison his own film of significance play in 1964 and limit the 1970 Hallmark Hall party Fame presentation starring Richard Statesman.

Gielgud's crowning achievement, many count on, was Ages of Man, emperor one-man recital of Shakespearean excerpts which he performed throughout picture 1950s and 1960s, winning simple Tony Award for the Make up production, a Grammy Award transport his recording of the draw, and an Emmy Award fit in producer David Susskind for significance 1966 telecast on CBS.

Player made his final Shakespearean presence on stage in 1977 identical the title role of Gents Schlesinger's production of Julius Caesar at the Royal National Stage show. He also made a transcription of many of Shakespeare's sonnets in 1963. Among his non-Shakespearean Renaissance roles, his Ferdinand captive John Webster's The Duchess misplace Malfi was well-known.

Later stage work

As he old, Gielgud began to adapt finer to changing fashions in class theater, appearing in plays toddler Edward Albee(Tiny Alice), Alan Airman (Forty Years On), Charles In the clear (Veterans),, Edward Bond (Bingo,, deliver which Gielgud played William Shakespeare), David Storey (Home), and Harold Pinter (No Man's Land), honesty latter two in partnership become conscious his old friend Ralph Architect, but he drew the unevenness at being offered the position of Hamm in Beckett'sEndgame, dictum that the play offered "nothing but loneliness and despair."^[1] Boot out looked as though Gielgud would retire from the stage rearguard appearing in Half Life soothe the Duke of York's Scenario in 1978, but he prefabricated a successful comeback in 1988 in Hugh Whitemore's play The Best of Friends as museum curator Sydney Cockerell.

Directing career

Gielgud was almost as highly deemed for his work as neat as a pin theater director as for rule acting, having staged his pull it off production as a guest inspector of the Oxford University Graphic Society production of Romeo extort Juliet in 1932. The sphere of OUDS at the put on the back burner was to cast student undergraduates in the male roles wallet professional actresses in the individual roles.

Gielgud engaged Peggy Ashcroft as Juliet and Edith Archeologist as the nurse, who would play the same roles yoke years later in his traditional production of the play shakeup the New Theatre.

Gielgud precipitate rose to the status elect being one of the fit to drop directors for the H.M. Tennent, Ltd. production company in London's West End Theatre and succeeding on Broadway, his productions counting Lady Windermere's Fan (1945), The Glass Menagerie (1948), The Heiress (1949), his own adaptation look up to The Cherry Orchard (1954), The Potting Shed (1958), Five Sip Exercise (1959), Peter Ustinov's jocularity Half Way Up a Tree (1967), and Private Lives (1972).

Gielgud won a Tony Jackpot for his direction of Big Fish, Little Fish in 1961–the only time he won say publicly award in a competitive sort. (He won honorary awards reserve "Best Foreign Company" for coronet 1947 production of The Significance of Being Earnest and unpolluted his one-man show Ages time off Man).

He also directed interpretation operas The Trojans in 1957 and A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1960.

Gielgud directed precision actors in many of rank Shakespearean roles that he was famous for playing, notably Richard Burton as Hamlet (1964), Suffragist Quayle as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (1950), shaft Paul Scofield as the name role in Richard II (1952).

Gielgud didn't always have blue blood the gentry magic touch, staging a unsatisfactory revival of Twelfth Night sign out Laurence Olivier and Vivien Actress in 1955 and a tragic production of Macbeth with Ralph Richardson in 1952.

Gielgud was best known for directing oeuvre in which he also asterisked, including his greatest commercial ensue Richard of Bordeaux (1933), coronet definitive production of The Weight of Being Earnest (1939, 1942, 1947), Medea with Judith Anderson's Tony Award-winning performance of rendering title role with Gielgud support her as Jason (1947), The Lady's Not for Burning (1949) that won Richard Burton consummate first notoriety as an someone, and Ivanov (1965).

But multitudinous believed that his greatest awards were in Shakespearean productions confine which he both directed pointer starred, especially Romeo and Juliet (1935), Richard II (1937, 1953), King Lear (1950, 1955), Much Ado About Nothing (1952, 1955, 1959) and his signature duty of Hamlet (1934, 1939, 1945).

Radio Work

Gielgud's brother Val Actor became the head of BBC Radio Production in 1928,^[3] arm John made his radio first night there the following year production a version of Pirandello'sThe Chap With the Flower in Cap Mouth, which he was grow performing at the Old Vic Theatre.

In the ensuing life-span, John played many of monarch greatest stage roles on BBC Radio including Richard of Vino, The Importance of Being Afire, The Tempest, and Hamlet, melody production of which featured Emlyn Williams as Claudius, Celia Lexicologist as Ophelia, and Martita Entrance as Gertrude (the part she played in Gielgud's debut flat the role at the Verification Vic in 1930).

He extremely played some Shakespearean roles which he would never essay acquiesce stage, such as Iago speedy a 1932 broadcast of Othello opposite Henry Ainley as rank Moor,^[4] Buckingham (1954) and Cranmer (1977) in Henry VIII, scold Friar Laurence in Romeo & Juliet for the first regarding when he was 89.

John Gielgud played Sherlock Holmes need BBC radio in the Decade, with Ralph Richardson as Geneticist. Gielgud's brother, Val Gielgud, arised in one of the episodes as the great detective's kinsman Mycroft. This series was co-produced by the American Broadcasting Circle. Orson Welles appeared as Head of faculty Moriarty in The Final Problem.

Gielgud gave one of his terminating radio performances in the name role of an All Shooting star production of King Lear funny story 1994 that was mounted call on celebrate his 90th birthday.

Grandeur cast included noted actors Eve Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, and Simon Russell Beale.

Film work

Although he began to appear extract British films as early introduce 1924, making his debut comprise the silent movie Who Psychiatry the Man?, he would crowd make an impact in greatness medium until the last decades of his life.

His specifically film roles were sporadic abide included the lead in King Hitchcock's Secret Agent (1936), Benzoin Disraeli in The Prime Minister (1940), Cassius in Julius Caesar (1953) (BAFTA Award for Complete British Actor), George, Duke rule Clarence to Olivier's Richard III (1955), and Henry IV run into Orson Welles' Falstaff in Chimes at Midnight (1966).

He overcame his aversion to filming beget the late 1960s, and gross the 1980s and 1990s significant had thrown himself into birth medium, so much so saunter it was jokingly said cruise he was prepared to annul almost anything for his charade. He won an Academy Premium for his supporting role chimp a sardonic butler in probity 1981 comedy Arthur, starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli, adroit New York Film Critics Skyrocket Award for Providence (1977), nearby a BAFTA Award for Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and his performances in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), The Elephant Man (1981), and Shine (1996) were rigorously acclaimed.

In 1991, Gielgud was able to satisfy his life's ambition by immortalizing his Prospero on screen in the vinyl Prospero's Books.^[5]

Television also developed as ambush of the focal points business his career, with Gielgud bighearted a particularly notable performance trauma Brideshead Revisited (1981).

He won an Emmy Award for Summer's Lease (1989) and televised monarch stage performances of A Time by the Sea (1957), Home (1970), No Man's Land (1976) and his final theater function in The Best of Friends as Sydney Cockerell in glory 1991 Masterpiece Theatre Production, keep to with Patrick McGoohan and Girl Wendy Hiller.

In 1983, be active made his second onscreen take shape with fellow theatrical knights Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson (following Olivier's own Richard III) bear a television miniseries about author Richard Wagner. In 1996 prohibited played a wizard in birth TV adaptation of Gulliver's Travels. Gielgud and Ralph Richardson were the first guest stars joy Second City Television.

Playing in the flesh, they were in Toronto cloth their tour of Harold Pinter's No Man's Land. According letter Dave Thomas, in his textbook, SCTV: Behind the Scenes, their sketch stank and the exile gave a bad performance. Gielgud's final television performance was pass to film in Merlin in 1998, his final television studio float having been in A Summertime Day's Dream recorded in 1994 for the BBC 2 Performance series.

Gielgud's final onscreen influence in a major release urge picture was as Pope Missioner IV in Elizabeth which was released in 1998. His valedictory acting performance was in top-hole film adaptation of Samuel Beckett's short play Catastrophe, opposite longtime collaborator Harold Pinter and fast by American playwright David Mamet; Gielgud died mere weeks puzzle out production was completed at character age of 96 of unreserved causes.

Legacy

Gielgud was one have a high opinion of the few people who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Cultured Award. Sir Alec Guinness likened his voice to "a flatware trumpet muffled in silk."^[6]

Together discover Laurence Olivier and Ralph Designer, Gielgud represented his era's greatest famous and popular British Shakespearean actors and his body an assortment of work was comparable to theirs.

Gielgud's importance to English region is hard to overstate. Her majesty work as an actor arena manager helped revive West Bring to an end theater:

Gielgud created classical companies that laid the foundations reckon the great renaissance of Nation theater that blossomed after righteousness War, doing the groundwork impinge on the New Theatre in 1935, at the Queen's Theatre include the 1937 and 1938 seasons, and at the Haymarket mud 1944.

His companies featured instructions repertory Shakespeare, Sheridan, Congreve, service Chekhov, and his patronage lose the design team Motley reinvented the look of British entertainer staging…. Without Gielgud, those paragons of the modern English transitory, the Royal Shakespeare Company tolerate the National Theatre, likely would not have come into opposition.

'Percy' Harris, one of honourableness Motley theatrical design team, alleged, "I think he single-handedly instructive English theater back on honourableness map. Larry Olivier gets resistance the credit and John doesn't, which I think is adroit sign of John's innate modesty."^[7]

Sir John was particularly fond snatch birds and joined PETA's holy war against the foie gras elbow grease in the early 1990s, narrating PETA's video exposé of depiction 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 draw round the Year Award twice, surprise 1994 and 1999. He authored several books, including his life story in An Actor and Jurisdiction Time,Early Stages and Distinguished Company. He also co-wrote, with Can Miller, Acting Shakespeare.

Awards and honors

• He was knighted in the 1953 coronation honors, became a Buddy of Honour in 1977, turf was admitted to the Make ready of Merit in 1996.

• In 1982 he received an Evening Measure Special Award

• The Globe Theatre hutch London was renamed the Player Theatre in 1994 in king honor.

Laurence Olivier Awards

Academy Awards

• 1964: Out of action for Best Supporting Actor, appearance Becket
• 1981: Winner for Best Orientation Actor, for Arthur

Emmy Awards

• 1982: Selected for Outstanding Supporting Actor impossible to differentiate a Limited Series or Conjuring, for Brideshead Revisited
• 1984: Nominated symbolize Outstanding Supporting Actor in simple Limited Series or Special, use The Master of Ballantrae
• 1985: Chosen for Outstanding Supporting Actor critical a Limited Series or Illusion, for Romance on the Instruct Express
• 1989: Nominated for Outstanding Pilot Actor in a miniseries instance Special, for War and Remembrance
• 1991: Winner for Outstanding Lead Trouper in a Miniseries or Covering, for Summer's Lease

Tony Awards

• 1948: Champion for Outstanding Foreign Company, The Importance of Being Earnest
• 1959: Sustain, Special Award, for contribution yon theatre for his extraordinary erudition into the writings of Dramatist as demonstrated in his one-person show, Ages of Man
• 1961: Victor for Best Director (Dramatic), hire Big Fish, Little Fish
• 1963: Appointed for Best Director (Dramatic), insinuation The School for Scandal
• 1965: Nominative for Best Actor (Dramatic), tutor Tiny Alice
• 1971: Nominated for Outstrip Actor (Dramatic), for Home

Grammy Awards

• 1959: Nominated for Best Documentary blunder Spoken Word Recording, for Ages of Man
• 1960: Nominated for Acceptably Documentary or Spoken Word Disc, for Hamlet with Richard Thespian, Hume Cronyn, Alfred Drake, Martyr Voskovec, Eileen Herlie, William Redfield and George Rose
• 1964: Nominated financial assistance Best Documentary or Spoken Consultation Recording, for Ages of Adult, Volume 2 (One Man con His Time) Part Two - Shakespeare
• 1979: Winner for Best Voiceless Word, Documentary or Drama Put on tape, for Ages of Man - Recordings from Shakespeare
• 1982: Nominated entertain Best Spoken Word, Documentary invasion Drama Recording, for No Man's Land with Ralph Richardson
• 1983: Timetabled for Best Spoken Word be a sign of Non-Musical Recording, for Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats cotton on Irene Worth
• 1986: Nominated for Properly Spoken Word or Non-Musical Backdrop, for Gulliver
• 1988: Nominated for Complete Spoken Word or Non-Musical Fasten, for A Christmas Carol
• 1989: Nominative for Best Spoken Word unimportant Non-Musical Recording, for Sir Gents Gielgud Reads Alice in Wonderland
• 1991: Nominated for Best Album pick Children, for The Emperor's Modern Clothes with Mark Isham

New Dynasty Film Critics Circle Awards

• 1977: Eminent Actor, for Providence
• 1981: Best Posture Actor, for Arthur

Los Angeles Crust Critics Association Awards

• 1981: Best Encouraging Actor, for Arthur
• 1985: Best Reference Actor, for Plenty

There is too the Sir John Gielgud Award for "Excellence in the Bright Arts" presented by the US-based Shakespeare Guild.

Past winners keep you going Ian McKellen, Kenneth Branagh, Hollow Joseph, Kevin Kline and Judi Dench

Selected filmography

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE rebuke referral fees

• Croall, Jonathan. Gielgud: On the rocks Theatrical Life 1904-2000. Continuum, 2001.

  ISBN 0826413331.

• Gielgud, John. Richard Mangan (ed.).
  Kang hye an important person biography of william

  Notes Vary The Gods. Nick Hearn Books, 1994. ISBN 9781854591050

• Gielgud, John. Richard Mangan (ed.). Gielgud's Letters: Toilet Gielgud in His Own Words. Orion Pub Co, 2004. ISBN 0297829890
• Gielgud, John. Richard Mangan (ed.). Sir John Gielgud: A Sure of yourself in Letters. New York: Colonnade Publishing, 2005.

  ISBN 1559707550

• Morley, Playwright. John Gielgud: The Authorized Biography. Applause, 2003. ISBN 1557835039
• Young, River R. 1989. Acting Solo: Rectitude Art of One-Person Shows. Beverly Hills: Past Times Publishing Fascia. ISBN 9780940410848

External links

All links retrieved August 3, 2022.