Farewell to Sir Nigel Hawthorne

The funeral was a private affair

The funeral of distinguished UK actor Sir Nigel Hawthorne has taken place in the village of Thundridge, near Ware, in Hertfordshire.

The service was a private affair for family and close friends only.

In attendance were fellow actors Charles Dance, Maureen Lipman, Derek Fowlds, Loretta Swit and author Frederick Forsyth.

Sir Nigel: Remembered as a great actor

The service was led by the Bishop of St Albans, the Right Reverend Christopher Herbert, and the vicar of Thundridge, the Reverend Hilary Sharman.

The congregation sang the hymn Morning Has Broken and Lord Of The Dance, and there were readings of two of Sir Nigel's favourite poems.

Trevor Bentham, his partner since 1979, was one of the pallbearers and the actor's coffin was adorned with a wreath of white lilies and orchids.

The bishop said it was a "terrifying privilege" to be asked to deliver the sermon, and said the actor's family and friends "loved him dearly".

Yes, Minister co-star Derek Fowlds was at the funeral

He praised the actor's craft and his performance in Shadowlands, the play about the life and bereavement of CS Lewis, citing "the silence that followed his roar of grief in Shadowlands - a silence which is eloquent of the mystery and the beauty of God, the Word made flesh".

And he defended Sir Nigel's recent and much-criticised performance in Shakespeare's King Lear.

"Those of us who saw Nigel's King Lear will have recognised, in a way that the too-talkative and too-knowing critics did not seem to be able to, that this was a magisterial performance based on self-awareness and tenacious vulnerability."

Author Frederick Forsythe paid his respects

He said Sir Nigel "gave us with a winning smile the ability to be honest about our own absurdities, every single one of us".

"We have all loved Nigel dearly and continue to love him still, and place him now with gratitude and joy beyond words into the hands of God."

Derek Fowlds, one of Sir Nigel's co-stars in Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister said: "We had eight years together, 40 programmes.

"He was wonderful to work with, we never had a cross word, we never had an argument."

Actress Maureen Lipman was among the mourners

"But the marvellous thing was that after the series ended we remained friends and colleagues and he was always a wonderful support to me.

"I was thrilled with his success and admired his acting so much and loved him dearly as a friend, because he was a very special man."

"He should have won the Oscar for The Madness of King George and I was sad about that for him.

"He was a dear, dear friend and I will miss him very much," added Fowlds.

'Sadness'

Frederick Forsyth said: "He was a consummate actor - and it's not a profession always associated with modesty, but he was incredibly modest."

Sir Nigel died from a heart attack on 26 December at his Hertfordshire home, aged 72.

He had been fighting cancer for the last 18 months, but had been responding well to treatment and his death was unexpected.

Mr Sharman said: "He was a busy man, but he would occasionally read lessons in church and involved himself.

"What was more special was his informal manner. He was more than an actor, he was the epitome of realised humanity."

Baftas

Sir Nigel was best known for his roles of Sir Humphrey Appleby on television in Yes, Minister, and as King George III in The Madness of King George.

He was born in Coventry but was brought up in South Africa, eventually returning to Britain.

After an unsuccessful time seeking theatrical work he returned to South Africa and found work in the first overseas production of Beyond the Fringe.

He then made a second attempt at a career in the UK, beginning with minor parts on stage and in television.

He was in his fifties by the time he enjoyed television success and was a notoriously insecure actor.

Yet he won five Bafta awards, four of them for Yes, Minister, and the Oscar nomination for The Madness of King George.