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John Gielgud

John Gielgud

Acting

Born: April 14, 1904London, England

Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH, was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937. He was known for his beautiful speaking of verse and particularly for his warm and expressive voice, which his colleague Sir Alec Guinness likened to a silver trumpet muffled in silk. Gielgud is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award.

Known For
Filmography
Nothing Like a Dame

Nothing Like a Dame

Self (archive footage)

2018
Play On!  Shakespeare in Silent Film

Play On! Shakespeare in Silent Film

Self

2016
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

Hogarth (archive footage) (uncredited)

2014
Discovering Hamlet

Discovering Hamlet

King Hamlet's Ghost (archive footage)

2011
Behind The Scenes of Caligula

Behind The Scenes of Caligula

2009
Revisiting Brideshead

Revisiting Brideshead

Self (archive footage)

2005
Catastrophe

Catastrophe

The Protagonist

2001
The Tichborne Claimant

The Tichborne Claimant

Cockburn

1999
Elizabeth

Elizabeth

The Pope

1998
Quest for Camelot

Quest for Camelot

Merlin (voice)

1998
Rachmaninoff: The Harvest of Sorrow

Rachmaninoff: The Harvest of Sorrow

1998
David

David

Stimme Gottes

1997
Hamlet

Hamlet

Priam

1996
The Portrait of a Lady

The Portrait of a Lady

Mr. Touchett

1996
Looking for Richard

Looking for Richard

Self - Interviewee

1996
The Leopard Son

The Leopard Son

Narrator

1996
Shine

Shine

Cecil Parkes

1996
DragonHeart

DragonHeart

King Arthur (voice) (uncredited)

1996
Haunted

Haunted

Dr Henry Doyle

1995
First Knight

First Knight

Oswald

1995
The Thomas The Tank Engine Man

The Thomas The Tank Engine Man

Self (Voice)

1995

A Summer Day's Dream

1994
The Power of One

The Power of One

St. John

1992
Shining Through

Shining Through

Sunflower

1992

A Walk Through Prospero's Library

Prospero

1992

Swan Song

Svetlovidov

1992
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

Self (archive footage)

1991
Prospero's Books

Prospero's Books

Prospero

1991
A TV Dante (Cantos 9 to 14)

A TV Dante (Cantos 9 to 14)

Virgil (voice)

1991
The Strauss Dynasty

The Strauss Dynasty

Drechsler

1991
The Best of Friends

The Best of Friends

Sydney Cockerell

1991
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond

Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond

Self

1990

Rabbit Ears - The Emperor's New Clothes

Narrator (voice)

1990
A TV Dante

A TV Dante

Virgil

1990
Strike It Rich

Strike It Rich

Herbert Dreuther

1990
Barbablù, Barbablù

Barbablù, Barbablù

Barbablù

1989
Getting It Right

Getting It Right

Sir Gordon Munday

1989
A Man for All Seasons

A Man for All Seasons

Cardinal Wolsey

1988
In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton

In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton

Self

1988
Arthur 2: On the Rocks

Arthur 2: On the Rocks

Hobson

1988
Appointment with Death

Appointment with Death

Colonel Carbury

1988
Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville

Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville

British Lord

1987
Quartermaine's Terms

Quartermaine's Terms

Eddie Loomis

1987
The Canterville Ghost

The Canterville Ghost

Sir Simon de Canterville

1986
The Whistle Blower

The Whistle Blower

Sir Adrian Chappie

1986
Theban Plays: Antigone

Theban Plays: Antigone

Tiresias

1986
Theban Plays: Oedipus the King

Theban Plays: Oedipus the King

Tieresias

1986
Time After Time

Time After Time

Jasper Swift

1986
Plenty

Plenty

Sir Leonard Darwin

1985
Leave All Fair

Leave All Fair

John Middleton Murry

1985
Romance on the Orient Express

Romance on the Orient Express

Theodore Woodward

1985
The Shooting Party

The Shooting Party

Cornelius Cardew

1985
To Be Hamlet

To Be Hamlet

Self

1985
Camille

Camille

Duke de Charles

1984
Frankenstein

Frankenstein

De Lacey

1984
The Master of Ballantrae

The Master of Ballantrae

Lord Durrisdeer

1984
Scandalous

Scandalous

Uncle Willie

1984
James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate

James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate

Self - on the set of 'The Shooting Party' (uncredited)

1984
The Wicked Lady

The Wicked Lady

Hogarth

1983
The Scarlet and the Black

The Scarlet and the Black

Pope Pius XII

1983
Invitation to the Wedding

Invitation to the Wedding

1983
Gandhi

Gandhi

Lord Irwin

1982
Laurence Olivier: a life

Laurence Olivier: a life

Self

1982

The Critic

Lord Burleigh

1982
The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Charmolue

1982
Priest of Love

Priest of Love

Herbert G. Muskett

1981
Arthur

Arthur

Hobson

1981
Chariots of Fire

Chariots of Fire

Master of Trinity

1981
Lion of the Desert

Lion of the Desert

Sharif El Gariani

1981
Agatha Christie's Seven Dials Mystery

Agatha Christie's Seven Dials Mystery

Marquis of Caterhan

1981
Sphinx

Sphinx

Abdu-Hamdi

1981
The Formula

The Formula

Dr. Abraham Esau

1980
The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man

Carr Gomm

1980
Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

Reverend Jones

1980
The Conductor

The Conductor

John Lasocki

1980
The Human Factor

The Human Factor

Brigadier Tomlinson

1979
Caligula

Caligula

Nerva

1979
Murder by Decree

Murder by Decree

Prime Minister

1979
Les Misérables

Les Misérables

Gillenormand

1978
Richard II

Richard II

John of Gaunt

1978
Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Chorus

1978
No Man's Land

No Man's Land

Spooner

1978
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

The Preacher

1977
Heartbreak House

Heartbreak House

Captain Shotover

1977

The Grand Inquisitor

Inquisitor

1977
Joseph Andrews

Joseph Andrews

The Doctor

1977
Providence

Providence

Clive Langham

1977
Peter Pan

Peter Pan

Narrator

1976
The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Lord Henry Wotton

1976
Aces High

Aces High

Headmaster

1976
Galileo

Galileo

The Old Cardinal

1975
Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express

Mr. Beddoes

1974
11 Harrowhouse

11 Harrowhouse

Meecham

1974
Frankenstein: The True Story

Frankenstein: The True Story

Chief Constable

1974
Gold

Gold

Farrell

1974
Lost Horizon

Lost Horizon

Chang

1973
William: The Life, Works and Times of William Shakespeare

William: The Life, Works and Times of William Shakespeare

Various

1973
Probe

Probe

Harold L. Streeter

1972
Eagle in a Cage

Eagle in a Cage

Lord Sissal

1972
Home

Home

Harry

1972
Hamlet

Hamlet

The Ghost

1970
Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

1970
Oh! What a Lovely War

Oh! What a Lovely War

Count Leopold Von Berchtold

1969
The Shoes of the Fisherman

The Shoes of the Fisherman

The Elder Pope

1968
The Love Song of Barney Kempinski

The Love Song of Barney Kempinski

Rich Man

1968
Assignment to Kill

Assignment to Kill

Curt Valayan

1968
The Charge of the Light Brigade

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Lord Raglan

1968

From Chekhov with Love

Anton Chekhov

1968
Sebastian

Sebastian

Head of Intelligence

1968
October Revolution

October Revolution

Narrator (voice)

1967
Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Chorus

1967
Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Mock Turtle

1966

The Mayfly and the Frog

Gabriel Quantara

1966
Ivanov

Ivanov

Nikolai ivanov

1966
Ages of Man

Ages of Man

1966
Chimes at Midnight

Chimes at Midnight

Henry IV

1965
The Loved One

The Loved One

Sir Francis Hinsley

1965
Hamlet from the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Hamlet from the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Ghost (voice)

1964
Becket

Becket

King Louis VII of France

1964
To Die in Madrid

To Die in Madrid

Narrator (English version) (voice)

1963
The Cherry Orchard

The Cherry Orchard

Gaev

1962

The Immortal Land

1958
Saint Joan

Saint Joan

Earl of Warwick

1957
The Barretts of Wimpole Street

The Barretts of Wimpole Street

Edward Moulton-Barrett

1957
Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days

Foster

1956
Richard III

Richard III

George, Duke of Clarence

1955

ITV Opening Night at the Guildhall

John Worthing, JP

1955
Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Chorus

1954
Hamlet: The Actor's View

Hamlet: The Actor's View

Self

1954
Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

Cassius

1953
Ariel’s Song / Full Fathom Five

Ariel’s Song / Full Fathom Five

Narrator

1953
A Diary for Timothy

A Diary for Timothy

Hamlet

1945

An Airman's Letter to His Mother

Narrator

1941
The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister

Disraeli

1941
Heredity in Man

Heredity in Man

Self

1937
Secret Agent

Secret Agent

Richard Ashenden / Edgar Brodie

1936
The Good Companions

The Good Companions

Inigo Jollifant

1933
Insult

Insult

Henri Dubois

1932

The Clue of the New Pin

Rex Trasmere

1929

Who Is the Man?

Daniel

1924