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Monday, 22 May, 2000, 17:23 GMT 18:23 UK
Gielgud acclaimed as 'greatest actor'
![]() "Greatest actor of all time"
The worlds of art, entertainment and politics have been paying tribute to Sir John Gielgud, who has died aged 96.
"The prime minister was very sad to hear of the death of Sir John Gielgud. He was one of the great English figures and one of the finest actors of the last century. He was much loved and will be much missed."
"He was probably the greatest theatre actor, the greatest classical actor. Not all the theatre actors, particularly in the UK, understood the difference between theatre and film. What John did absolutely extraordinarily was to change his whole manner of performance... so that he became a consummate film actor."
"Working with John Gielgud was one of the great thrills of my
life."
"His last play was about 10 years ago but he never stopped making movies. He was still filming, broadcasting and recording right up until April. He has only had four weeks without working since the age of 17. With him we have lost not only the best actor of all time but a man who was a link back to the Victorian theatre."
"We shall not see his like again - it is the end of an era."
"In person he was unfailingly courteous, kind and an inspiring and
encouraging example to all who followed. His influence is enormous and his
absence will be deeply felt."
Helen Mirren, actress.
"He was a remarkable man, as well as being a quite
extraordinarily gifted actor."
"This is a very great loss - he was one of the greatest actors of all time and his manners were impeccable."
Richard Briers, actor. "He was one of my three great heroes and will never be
forgotten."
"He was remarkable in his kindness and great feeling for people. There is nobody remotely like him and there won't be again. "
"He took those great Shakespearean roles, those big roles and reinvented them for the public."
Trevor Nunn, director of the Royal National Theatre.
"When we showed the film at a premiere there was a spontaneous round of applause for his performance because it was so magical. I think that's what he brought to the screen, a magic that can never be trained or nurtured or anything else. It's just he had it."
Brian Blessed, actor.
"He was someone whose performances in both the classical theatre and more recently in mainstream film and television have entranced audiences around the world."
"I represented Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud and with his death on Sunday it really does represent the end of a great age. I suppose of the three, Sir John was really the greatest actor. The other two were wonderful personalities and Lord Olivier was a film star but John Gielgud was not - he was a wonderful actor with a wonderful reputation."
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