Sir John Gielgud, an actor whose name has been synonymous with acting excellence for more than half a century, died Sun., May 21 at his home west of London. He was 96.
Born April 14, 1904, Gielgud seemed destined for a life upon the stage: his great-aunt was Ellen Terry, the best-known actress of the time, and his cousin was the designer and director Gordon Craig. Gielgud later said he originally intended to work as a set designer, but turned to acting partly "to please [his] parents" and partly because he "fell in love with [his] own voice." Whatever the reason, it proved a good career choice.
Gielgud made his theatrical debut in 1921, playing a minor role in Shakespeare's "Henry V," and gained fame in 1926 for (among other things) replacing Noel Coward in Coward's hit play "The Vortex." He made his first Broadway appearance in 1928, in "The Patriot," and made his final New York appearance in "No Man's Land" in 1977, the year that Queen Elizabeth made him a Companion of Honor. Gielgud had already been knighted for his service to the theatre, in 1953 (ironically, the same year he was arrested and fined ten pounds for "importuning," or homosexual cruising) and would go on to receive the Order of Merit in 1992.
Although Gielgud began making films in 1924, starting with "Who Is the Man?" (a silent with Isobel Elsom), he achieved his greatest cinematic fame in "Arthur," the 1981 film in which he played Dudley Moore's butler. Using his characteristic silken tones, Gielgud devastated audiences-and won an Oscar-in scenes such as the one where he dryly inquired of his employer, "Perhaps you would like me to wash your dick for you, you little shit."
He made, by one count, 61 film and television appearances after "Arthur," the last of which was as Pope Paul VI in the 1998 film "Eliz-abeth." He did his first nude scene in "Prospero's Books" in 1991, at the age of 87. It was, he said, "the best part I've had-ever."
As a director, Gielgud was adept at both classical and contemporary theatre. He won a Tony Award for directing Hugh Wheeler's "Big Fish, Little Fish" in 1961, and was nominated two years later for his direction of "The School for Scandal." He also received a special Tony in 1959 and was nominated for two more for performances in "Tiny Alice" in 1965 and "Home" in 1971.
He also won Grammy Awards for six spoken-word recordings, beginning with his one-man show, "The Ages of Man" in 1979, and in later years for "No Man's Land," "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," "Gulliver," "A Christmas Carol," and "Alice in Wonderland."
Gielgud was also a writer, whose books included "An Actor & His Time," "John Gielgud's Notes from the Gods: Playgoing in the Twenties," "Acting Shakespeare," "Backward Glances: Times for Reflection & Distinguished Company," and "Stage Directions." As a prolific reader, he delighted in gleefully reporting that he loved trashy romance novels.
Until his death, Gielgud served as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1994, the former Globe Theatre in London's West End was renamed The Gielgud. At the dedication ceremony, he surprised many in attendance by admitting he no longer wanted to act on stage. Even so, he continued to act on film and on radio.
Martin Hensler, his companion of more than 35 years, preceded him in death in 1999.