Age, Biography and Wiki

John Gielgud was an English actor, director, and producer who was one of the most celebrated and influential figures in British theatre for more than 60 years. He was knighted in 1953 and was made a Companion of Honour in 1977. Gielgud was born in South Kensington, London, on 14 April 1904, the son of Frank Gielgud, an English actor, and his wife, Kate Terry-Gielgud. He was educated at Westminster School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Gielgud made his stage debut in 1921 and went on to become one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation. He was particularly renowned for his Shakespearean roles, and was the first actor to play Hamlet on the London stage in over 50 years. He also appeared in a number of films, including Chariots of Fire (1981) and Gandhi (1982). Gielgud was married twice, first to actress Mary Merrall from 1931 to 1940, and then to actress Rachel Kempson from 1945 until his death in 2000. He had two sons, David and Jonathan, with Merrall, and two daughters, Kate and Emma, with Kempson. Gielgud's net worth at the time of his death was estimated to be around $10 million.

Popular As Arthur John Gielgud
Occupation actor,writer,director
Age 96 years old
Zodiac Sign Aries
Born 14 April, 1904
Birthday 14 April
Birthplace South Kensington, London, England, UK
Date of death 21 May, 2000
Died Place Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Nationality United Kingdom

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 14 April. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 96 years old group.

John Gielgud Height, Weight & Measurements

At 96 years old, John Gielgud height is 5' 11" (1.81 m) .

Physical Status
Height 5' 11" (1.81 m)
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Not Available
Sibling Not Available
Children Not Available

John Gielgud Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2022-2023. So, how much is John Gielgud worth at the age of 96 years old? John Gielgud’s income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. He is from United Kingdom. We have estimated John Gielgud's net worth , money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2023 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2023 Under Review
Net Worth in 2022 Pending
Salary in 2022 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Actor

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Timeline

2018

Pictured with Ralph Richardson on one of a set of eight British commemorative postage stamps celebrating the 200th anniversary of The Old Vic Theatre, issued 30 August 2018. The stamp shows Gielgud and Richardson in a 1975 performance of "No Man's Land". Other performers appearing on stamps in this set are Laurence Olivier, Glenda Jackson, Albert Finney, Maggie Smith, Sharon Benson, Judi Dench, John Stride, and Richard Burton.

2000

Archive footage of him as Hamlet appears briefly on the computer screen of Ethan Hawke as Hamlet (2000) 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, Laurence Olivier and Richard Burton in acclaim for his stage portrayal of the melancholy Dane.

1998

He was predeceased by his longtime lover, Martin Hensler (who was almost four decades younger than Gielgud), in December 1998.

1996

In December 1996 he was made a member of "Order of Merit" by Queen Elizabeth II for exceptional contributions to the arts.

1990

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. He received PETA's Humanitarian of the Year Award twice, in 1994 and 1999.

1986

He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Special Award in 1986 (1985 season) for lifetime achievement to theatre.

1985

He has two roles in common with both Malcolm McDowell and Michael York: (1) McDowell played King Arthur in Arthur the King (1985), York played him in The Wonderful World of Disney: A Knight in Camelot (1998) and Gielgud played him in DragonHeart (1996) and (2) McDowell played Merlin in Kids of the Round Table (1995), York played him in A Young Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1995) and Gielgud played him in Quest for Camelot (1998).

1982

He was awarded the 1982 London Evening Theatre Award's Special Award for lifetime achievement to the theatre.

1981

He had minor roles in two consecutive films which won the Academy Award for Best Picture: Chariots of Fire (1981) and Gandhi (1982).

1979

He was considered for the cameo role of Sir Michael Hughes in Meteor (1979). Trevor Howard was eventually cast.

1968

He played three Popes, all of whom were named Pius: the fictional Pope Pius XIII in The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Pope Pius XII in The Scarlet And The Black (1983) and Pope Pius V in Elizabeth (1998).

1964

William Redfield, who appeared as Guildernstern in the Gielgud-directed stage version of Richard Burton's "Hamlet" (a filmed version of the stage production was released in 1964, as Hamlet (1964)) wrote in his 1967 memoir of the event, "Notes of an Actor", that Gielgud had an encyclopedia knowledge of the play and could play any and all parts of it from memory for his cast as he directed the production.

1961

Won a Tony in 1961 for Best Director of a Play for "Big Fish, Little Fish".

1957

He was succeeded by Helen Mirren in two roles after the characters' gender was changed: (1) Gielgud played Prospero in a 1957 production of "The Tempest" in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane while Mirren played Prospera in The Tempest (2010) (2) Gielgud played Hobson in Arthur (1981) and Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988) while Mirren played Lillian Hobson in Arthur (2011).

1956

He appeared in three Best Picture Academy Award winners, the last two of which were in consecutive years: Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Chariots of Fire (1981) and Gandhi (1982). Trevor Howard and John Mills also appeared in both Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and Gandhi (1982) while Ian Charleson and Richard Griffiths also appeared in both Chariots of Fire (1981) and Gandhi (1982). Besides that, John Gielgud has also appears in five other films nominated for Best Picture: Julius Caesar (1953), Becket (1964), The Elephant Man (1980), Shine (1996) and Elizabeth (1998).

1955

He was the only actor to appear in a Shakespearean film directed by Laurence Olivier (Richard III (1955)) and one directed by Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet (1996)).

1953

Knighted in the Coronation Honours List of 1953 and made a Companion of Honour in the 1977 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

1945

A blue plaque commemorating him is on the 18th century terraced house in Cowley Street, Westminster where he lived 1945 -1976. His great aunt, actress Dame Ellen Terry has one in Earls Court.

1944

Gielgud stated in his autobiography that he wanted desperately to be cast as The Chorus in Laurence Olivier's film Henry V (1944). 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).

1941

He played Benjamin Disraeli in both The Prime Minister (1941) and Edward the King (1975).

1936

In 1936 he and Leslie Howard appeared on Broadway in "rival" productions of "Hamlet". Gielgud's was the more successful of the two.

1935

Appeared with Laurence Olivier in a 1935 production of "Romeo and Juliet" in which he and Olivier alternated the roles of Romeo and Mercutio. Gielgud got the better reviews in the lead as Romeo, which spurred Olivier on to become a better actor.

1933

Is one of 13 actors who have received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of a real-life king. The others in chronological order are Charles Laughton for The Private Life of Henry VIII. (1933), Robert Morley for Marie Antoinette (1938), Basil Rathbone for If I Were King (1938), Laurence Olivier for Henry V (1944) and Richard III (1955), José Ferrer for Joan of Arc (1948), Yul Brynner for King and I, The (1956), Peter O'Toole for Becket (1964) and The Lion in Winter (1968), Robert Shaw for A Man for All Seasons (1966), Richard Burton for Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), Kenneth Branagh for Henry V (1989), Nigel Hawthorne for The Madness of King George (1994), and Colin Firth for The King's Speech (2010).

1928

A three-time Tony winner, he graced the Broadway boards as a live performer 15 times between 1928-76, yet never won an acting Tony Award. He was nominated twice for Best Actor (Dramatic): Edward Albee's "Tiny Alice" and in 1971 for David Storey'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'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's "The Importance of Being Earnest," which he produced, directed and starred in.

1924

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.

1860

Son of Franciszek Henryk (later Frank Henry) Gielgud (1860-1949) and Mabel Terry-Lewis (1868-1958). Brother of Val Gielgud. Cousin of Phyllis Neilson-Terry. Uncle of Maina Gielgud. Great-uncle of dancer/choreographer Piers Gielgud. Great-nephew of Dame Ellen Terry.