When a great Shakespearean actor delivers his immortal lines, it’s as if the words come spontaneously, refining our understanding of the play, deepening our appreciation of the human condition, even defining our age. It can also feel dizzily, as if you’re in touch with Shakespeare’s mind, which contained, to quote Hazlitt, “a universe of thoughts … Read more
The actor Ian Gelder, who has died of cancer aged 74, was a notable supporting player at the National Theater and the Royal Shakespeare Company, in the West End and in leading fringe theaters for decades before finding television fame as Kevan Lannister, brother of the feared patriarch Tywin (Charles Dance), who planned a Shakespearean … Read more
James Laurenson, the actor who has died aged 84, arrived in Britain from his native New Zealand in the early 1960s and enjoyed a varied career in theatre, television and film. He made his film debut in 1969 with a small role in Ken Russell’s Women In Love and his other film roles ranged from … Read more
8. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) 10 Things I Hate About You – Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo The Taming of the Shrew is another play that now finds itself in ‘problematic’ territory. However, the Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles-led romcom 10 Things I Hate About You breathes new life into … Read more
Sir Ian McKellen plays Falstaff in Player Kings – Rii Schroer When Gregory Doran asked Ian McKellen to play Falstaff for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2014 production of Henry IV, he declined. “I told Greg the role was too hard,” says McKellen, “and I wasn’t sure if I would feel fat enough inside if I … Read more