John Gielgud
British actor and theatre director (1904-2000) · United Kingdom · On the map · Actors · Died at 96
Sir Arthur John Gielgud was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century.
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Something wrong?A life in dates
MerlinSeries, King Constant
ElizabethFilm, 1998The Pope1996
DragonHeartFilm, King Arthur (voice) (uncredited)1994Praemium ImperialeAward
ScarlettSeries, 1994Pierre Robillard1992
Shining ThroughFilm, Sunflower1991Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a MovieAward
Prospero's BooksFilm, 1991Prospero1987
Inspector MorseSeries, Lord Hinksey1986
The Whistle BlowerFilm, Sir Adrian Chappie1985
Screen TwoSeries, Eddie Loomis1982Academy Award for Best Supporting ActorAward
GandhiFilm, 1982Lord Irwin1980Honorary DoctorateAward
The Elephant ManFilm, 1980Carr Gomm1979
Tales of the UnexpectedSeries, Jelks1977
ProvidenceFilm, Clive Langham1975BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting RoleAward1974
GoldFilm, Farrell1972
ABC Afterschool SpecialSeries, Various Roles1970
Play for TodaySeries, Harry1968
The Charge of the Light BrigadeFilm, Lord Raglan1967
OmnibusSeries1964
The Wednesday PlaySeries, Gabriel Quantara
BecketFilm, 1964King Louis VII of France1961Tony Award for Best Direction of a PlayAward1955
Richard IIIFilm, George, Duke of Clarence1948
The Ed Sullivan ShowSeries1936
Secret AgentFilm, Richard Ashenden / Edgar Brodie1904Born14 April 1904People around John
Richard Attenborough Produced Gandhi (1983)
Claude Rains Taught John
Tony Richardson Directed The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
Helen Haye Taught John
Kenneth Branagh Directed Hamlet and Swan Song
Otto Preminger Produced Saint Joan and The Human Factor
Peter Greenaway Produced Prospero's Books (1991)
John G. Avildsen Directed The Power of One and The Formula
Trevor Howard Also in Gandhi and Around the World in 80 Days
Michael Anderson Directed Around the World in 80 Days (1958)
Rob Cohen Directed Dragonheart and Scandalous
Menahem Golan Produced Appointment with Death (1989)
Michael Winner Produced Appointment with Death (1989)
Yoram Globus Produced Appointment with Death (1989)
Michael Balcon Produced Secret Agent and The Good Companions
Sean Connery Also in Murder on the Orient Express (1977)
Laurence Olivier Directed Richard III (1955)
Charlton Heston Directed A Man for All Seasons (1988)
Richard Burton John directed Richard Burton's Hamlet (1964)
Dudley Moore Produced Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988)
John Mills Also in Gandhi and Around the World in 80 Days
Nigel Davenport Duets: Lord Henry Wotton
Alfred Hitchcock Directed Secret Agent (1936)
David Lynch Directed The Elephant Man (1981)
Parents
John GielgudBrothers and sisters
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View all 40 titles
The Elephant Man 1980
Gandhi 1982
The Power of One 1992
Shine 1996
Hamlet 1996
Also in Deutsch
Filmography 40
199 credits on file
Television 24
Media & music
Photos 9
Gielgud as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, 1959
Noël Coward with Lilian Braithwaite, his, and later Gielgud's, co-star in The Vortex
The Old Vic (photographed in 2012), where Gielgud honed his skill as a Shakespearean
Peggy Ashcroft in 1936
Gielgud in a publicity photograph for Secret Agent (1936)
Interior of the Queen's Theatre
Gielgud and Dolly Haas in Crime and Punishment, Broadway, 1947
Edmond O'Brien (Casca, left) and Gielgud (Cassius) in Julius Caesar (1953)Awards
About this person
A member of the Terry family theatrical dynasty, he gained his first paid acting work as a junior member of his cousin Phyllis Neilson-Terry's company in 1922. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked in repertory theatre and in the West End before establishing himself at the Old Vic as an exponent of Shakespeare in 1929-31.
