Actor, born in Ilford, E Greater London, UK. He was a member of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company at Stratford (19545), toured Europe with Laurence Olivier in Titus Andronicus, and returned to Stratford in 1957, where he achieved a major success playing Prince Hal, Henry V, and Richard III in The Wars of The Roses (19634). He won an award for his part in the film Chariots of Fire (1981, Cannes, Best Supporting Actor), and among many later films are Blue Ice (1993), Big Night (1997), The Lord of the Rings (2001), and Lord of War (2005). After a period away from the stage, he played a widely acclaimed Lear in Richard Eyre's 1997 production. In 1998 he received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Dramatic Actor, and was knighted the same year. Television appearances include The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000). An autobiography, Acting My Life, appeard in 2004.
| Ian Holm | |
|---|---|
| Born |
12 September 1931 Goodmayes, Essex, England, UK |
Sir Ian Holm CBE (born 12 September 1931 as Ian Holm Cuthbert), is a Tony Award-winning English actor known for his stage work and for many film roles, including the hobbit Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and Father Vito Cornelius inThe Fifth Element.
Background
Holm was born in Goodmayes, Essex, and was educated at Chigwell School and then the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
In 1989 Holm was created a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to drama, and in 1998 he was knighted.
Career
Holm was an established star of the Royal Shakespeare Company before making an impact on television and film.
In 1965, Holm played Richard III in the BBCs serialisation of the Wars of the Roses plays, and gradually made a name for himself with minor roles in films such as Oh!
In 1967, he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play, for playing the role of Lenny in The Homecoming by Harold Pinter.
In the 1980s, he had memorable roles in Greystoke - The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) and Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985).
He raised his profile in 1997 with two prominent roles, as the stressed but gentle priest Vito Cornelius in the The Fifth Element and the tormented plaintiff's lawyer in The Sweet Hereafter. The same year he appeared as Bilbo Baggins in the blockbuster film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, having previously played Bilbo's nephew Frodo Baggins in a 1981 BBC Radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.
Trivia
Holm is a favorite actor of Terry Gilliam, having appeared in Time Bandits and Brazil.
Holm is also Harold Pinter's favourite actor, the playwright once stating: "He puts on my shoe, and it fits!" Holm made a stir as Lenny in the first ever performance of Pinter's masterpiece The Homecoming.
Holm was slated to star in a CBS miniseries titled Pope John Paul II playing the late pontiff, but, on August 14, 2005, decided against it for "personal reasons."
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