John Gielgud 10x8 signed photograph

10x8 Colour portrait dressed in black coat & hat with stick

Signed in fountain pen ink

Date of Birth

14 April 1904, South Kensington, London, England, UK

Date of Death

21 May 2000, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

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. Academy Award Best Supporting Actor, 1981, for Arthur (1981), Academy Award Nomination, 1964, for Becket (1964). Sir John Gielgud was a highly distinguished and prolific performer who is considered to be one of the finest actors of his generation. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, Gielgud played his first Hamlet in 1930 and quickly established himself as one of the most eminent Shakespearean interpreters of his time, as well as a respected director. He made his screen debut in 1924 in Who Is the Man? (1924) and appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Secret Agent (1936) in 1936 as well as several Shakespearian adaptations such as Julius Caesar (1953) in 1953 and Olivier's Richard III (1955) in 1955. Since the late 1960s he has increasingly appeared in character roles. Other film credits include: Becket (1964) (for which he was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of King Louis VII of France); The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) ; Oh! What a Lovely War (1969); A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1977); The Elephant Man (1980); Arthur (1981); Chariots of Fire (1981); Gandhi (1982); Scandalous (1984); The Shooting Party (1985); "The Far Pavilions" (1984); Plenty (1985); The Whistle Blower (1987); Barbablù, Barbablù (1987); Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988); Prospero's Books (1991); Shining Through (1992); The Best of Friends (1991) (TV); The Power of One (1992), and First Knight (1995) with Sean Connery and Richard Gere. The more recent of his numerous television credits include the BBC's acclaimed series "Brideshead Revisited" (1981); Wagner; The Master of Ballantrae (1984) (TV); "The Theban Plays by Sophocles: Oedipus the King" (1986); "War and Remembrance" (1988); "Screen Two: Quartermaine's Terms (#3.12)" (1987); A Man for All Seasons (1988) (TV); "A TV Dante" (1989); "Scarlett" (1994) ; and "Alleyn Mysteries" (1990) . Sir John also wrote three novels - Early Stages (in 1939), Stage Directions (in 1963) and Distinguished Company (1972).