ACTOR
John Gielgud
Known for Great Performances · The Dick Cavett Show · Play for Today
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…
Snapshot 2026-10-13
- Born
- Apr 14, 1904
- Died
- May 21, 2000
- Birthplace
- London, England
- Known For
- Acting
Biography
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.
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Known For
Filmography
Movies
WI
Who Is the Man?Daniel
1924TC
The Clue of the New PinRex Trasmere
1929
InsultHenri Dubois
1932
The Good CompanionsInigo Jollifant
1933
Secret AgentRichard Ashenden / Edgar Brodie
1936
Heredity in ManSelf
1937AA
An Airman's Letter to His MotherNarrator
1941
The Prime MinisterDisraeli
1941
A Diary for TimothyHamlet
1945
Ariel’s Song / Full Fathom FiveNarrator
1953
Julius CaesarCassius
1953
Hamlet: The Actor's ViewSelf
1954
Romeo and JulietChorus
1954IO
ITV Opening Night at the GuildhallJohn Worthing, JP
1955
Richard IIIGeorge, Duke of Clarence
1955
Around the World in 80 DaysFoster
1956
Saint JoanEarl of Warwick
1957
The Barretts of Wimpole StreetEdward Moulton-Barrett
1957TI
The Immortal Land
1958
The Cherry OrchardGaev
1962The Cherry OrchardWriter
1962
To Die in MadridNarrator (English version) (voice)
1963
BecketKing Louis VII of France
1964
HamletGhost (voice)
1964HamletDirector
1964
Chimes at MidnightHenry IV
1965
The Loved OneSir Francis Hinsley
1965
Ages of Man
1966
Alice in WonderlandMock Turtle
1966
IvanovNikolai ivanov
1966IvanovDirector
1966TM
The Mayfly and the FrogGabriel Quantara
1966
October RevolutionNarrator (voice)
1967
Romeo and JulietChorus
1967
Assignment to KillCurt Valayan
1968FC
From Chekhov with LoveAnton Chekhov
1968
SebastianHead of Intelligence
1968
The Charge of the Light BrigadeLord Raglan
1968
The Love Song of Barney KempinskiRich Man
1968
The Shoes of the FishermanThe Elder Pope
1968
Oh! What a Lovely WarCount Leopold Von Berchtold
1969
HamletThe Ghost
1970
Julius CaesarJulius Caesar
1970
Eagle in a CageLord Sissal
1972
HomeHarry
1972
ProbeHarold L. Streeter
1972
Lost HorizonChang
1973
William: The Life, Works and Times of William ShakespeareVarious
1973
11 HarrowhouseMeecham
1974
Frankenstein: The True StoryChief Constable
1974
GoldFarrell
1974
Murder on the Orient ExpressMr. Beddoes
1974
GalileoThe Old Cardinal
1975
Aces HighHeadmaster
1976
Peter PanNarrator
1976
The Picture of Dorian GrayLord Henry Wotton
1976
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young ManThe Preacher
1977
Heartbreak HouseCaptain Shotover
1977
Joseph AndrewsThe Doctor
1977
ProvidenceClive Langham
1977TG
The Grand InquisitorInquisitor
1977
Les MisérablesGillenormand
1978
No Man's LandSpooner
1978
Richard IIJohn of Gaunt
1978
Romeo and JulietChorus
1978
CaligulaNerva
1979
Murder by DecreePrime Minister
1979
The Human FactorBrigadier Tomlinson
1979
The ConductorJohn Lasocki
1980
The Elephant ManCarr Gomm
1980
The FormulaDr. Abraham Esau
1980
Why Didn't They Ask Evans?Reverend Jones
1980
Agatha Christie's Seven Dials MysteryMarquis of Caterhan
1981
ArthurHobson
1981
Chariots of FireMaster of Trinity
1981
Lion of the DesertSharif El Gariani
1981
Priest of LoveHerbert G. Muskett
1981
SphinxAbdu-Hamdi
1981
GandhiLord Irwin
1982
Laurence Olivier: A LifeSelf
1982TC
The CriticLord Burleigh
1982
The Hunchback of Notre DameCharmolue
1982
Invitation to the Wedding
1983
The Scarlet and the BlackPope Pius XII
1983
The Wicked LadyHogarth
1983
CamilleDuke de Charles
1984
FrankensteinDe Lacey
1984
James Mason: The Star They Loved to HateSelf - on the set of 'The Shooting Party' (uncredited)
1984
ScandalousUncle Willie
1984
The Master of BallantraeLord Durrisdeer
1984
Leave All FairJohn Middleton Murry
1985
PlentySir Leonard Darwin
1985
Romance on the Orient ExpressTheodore Woodward
1985
The Shooting PartyCornelius Cardew
1985
To Be HamletSelf
1985
The Canterville GhostSir Simon de Canterville
1986
The Whistle BlowerSir Adrian Chappie
1986
Theban Plays: AntigoneTiresias
1986
Theban Plays: Oedipus the KingTieresias
1986
Time After TimeJasper Swift
1986
Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional VaudevilleBritish Lord
1987
Quartermaine's TermsEddie Loomis
1987
A Man for All SeasonsCardinal Wolsey
1988
Appointment with DeathColonel Carbury
1988
Arthur 2: On the RocksHobson
1988
In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard BurtonSelf
1988
Barbablù, BarbablùBarbablù
1989
Getting It RightSir Gordon Munday
1989
A TV DanteVirgil
1990
Rabbit Ears - The Emperor's New ClothesNarrator (voice)
1990
Strike It RichHerbert Dreuther
1990
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and BeyondSelf
1990
A TV Dante (Cantos 9 to 14)Virgil (voice)
1991
Preminger: Anatomy of a FilmmakerSelf (archive footage)
1991
Prospero's BooksProspero
1991
The Best of FriendsSydney Cockerell
1991
The Strauss DynastyDrechsler
1991AW
A Walk Through Prospero's LibraryProspero
1992
Shining ThroughSunflower
1992SS
Swan SongSvetlovidov
1992
The Power of OneSt. John
1992AS
A Summer Day's Dream
1994
First KnightOswald
1995
HauntedDr Henry Doyle
1995
The Thomas The Tank Engine ManSelf (Voice)
1995
DragonHeartKing Arthur (voice) (uncredited)
1996
HamletPriam
1996
Looking for RichardSelf - Interviewee
1996
ShineCecil Parkes
1996
The Leopard SonNarrator
1996
The Portrait of a LadyMr. Touchett
1996
DavidStimme Gottes
1997
ElizabethThe Pope
1998
Quest for CamelotMerlin (voice)
1998
Rachmaninoff: The Harvest of Sorrow
1998
The Tichborne ClaimantCockburn
1999
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate BalanceSelf
2000
CatastropheThe Protagonist
2001
Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on FilmSelf - The Protagonist ("Catastrophe")
2003
Revisiting BridesheadSelf (archive footage)
2005
Behind The Scenes of Caligula
2009
Discovering HamletKing Hamlet's Ghost (archive footage)
2011
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon FilmsHogarth (archive footage) (uncredited)
2014
Boys On Film 15: Time & TiedWriter
2016
Play On! Shakespeare in Silent FilmSelf
2016
Trouser BarWriter
2016
Nothing Like a DameSelf (archive footage)
2018Television
The Ed Sullivan ShowSelf · 2 eps
1948
Hallmark Hall of FameThe Ghost · 1 eps
1951Hallmark Hall of FameCharmolue · 1 eps
1951Hallmark Hall of FameLord Durrisdeer · 1 eps
1951Hallmark Hall of FameDuke · 1 eps
1951
Tonight Starring Jack PaarSelf · 1 eps
1957
The Bell Telephone HourSelf · 1 eps
1959TB
The Big PartySelf · 1 eps
1959
The Wednesday PlayGabriel Quantara · 1 eps
1964
BBC Play of the MonthChorus · 1 eps
1965BBC Play of the MonthThe Inquisitor · 1 eps
1965BBC Play of the MonthCharles II · 1 eps
1965BBC Play of the MonthLord Henry 'Harry' Wotton · 1 eps
1965BBC Play of the MonthCapt. Shotover · 1 eps
1965BBC Play of the MonthLord Burleigh · 1 eps
1965
Thirty-Minute TheatreThe Writer · 1 eps
1965
ABC Stage 67Rich Man · 1 eps
1966
OmnibusSelf · 3 eps
1967
The Dick Cavett ShowSelf - Guest · 2 eps
1968M
MenaceFrederick William Densham · 1 eps
1970
Play for TodayHarry · 1 eps
1970F'
Film '72Self · 2 eps
1971
Great PerformancesSelf · 3 eps
1971
ABC Afterschool SpecialVarious Roles · 1 eps
1972
Frankenstein: The True StoryChief Constable · 2 eps
1973
QB VIIClinton-Meek · 2 eps
1974
Second City TelevisionSelf · 1 eps
1976
The BBC Television ShakespeareChorus · 1 eps
1978The BBC Television ShakespeareJohn of Gaunt · 1 eps
1978
Tales of the UnexpectedJelks · 1 eps
1979Tales of the UnexpectedCyril Boggis · 1 eps
1979
Brideshead RevisitedEdward 'Ned' Ryder · 5 eps
1981
Inside the Third ReichAlbert Speer Sr. · 2 eps
1982
Marco PoloDoge di Venezia · 1 eps
1982
WagnerPfistermeister · 10 eps
1983
Six Centuries of VerseSelf - Presenter · 16 eps
1984
The Far PavilionsCavagnari · 2 eps
1984
Screen TwoEddie Loomis · 1 eps
1985Screen TwoJasper Swift · 1 eps
1985
LovejoyLord Wakering · 1 eps
1986
Inspector MorseLord Hinksey · 1 eps
1987
War and RemembranceAaron Jastrow · 11 eps
1988
Summer's LeaseHaverford Downs · 4 eps
1989
A TV DanteVirgil(voice) · 4 eps
1990
PerformanceStephen Dawlish · 1 eps
1991The Strauss DynastyDrechsler · 6 eps
1991
Hollywood U.K.: British Cinema in the SixtiesSelf · 1 eps
1993
ScarlettPierre Robillard · 1 eps
1994SW
Stick with Me, KidGrandpa · 13 eps
1995
Gulliver's TravelsProfessor of Light · 2 eps
1996
A Dance to the Music of TimeSt. John Clarke · 4 eps
1997
MerlinKing Constant · 2 eps
1998Photos
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