Sir Antony Sher KBE (born 14 June 1949) is an actor, novelist and painter. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire (Military division) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ...

Biography

He has a South African background, being born into a Lithuanian-Jewish family in Cape Town (his cousin is Ronald Harwood), but he has worked mainly in the United Kingdom and is now a British citizen. For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... City motto: Spes Bona (Latin: Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Province Western Cape Mayor Helen Zille Area  - % water 2,499 km² N/A Population  - Total (2004)  - Density Not ranked 2,893,251 1,158/km² Established 1652 Time zone SAST (UTC+2... Ronald Harwood (born November 9, 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa) is a playwright and writer. ...

In 1968, after completing his compulsory military service, he left for London to audition at the Central School of Speech and Drama, but was unsuccessful. Instead, he studied at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art from 1969 to 1971. After training, and some early performances with the theatre group Gay Sweatshop, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982. His big breakthrough came in 1985, when he played the title role in Shakespeare's Richard III. This won him the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award. Since then he has played the lead in many big productions, including Tamburlaine, Cyrano de Bergerac, Stanley, and Macbeth. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Central School of Speech and Drama is a United Kingdom government funded higher education college in London. ... The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London was a drama school in the UK which offers comprehensive training for those intending to pursue a professional career. ... Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon The Royal Shakespeare Company is a British theatre company. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Frontispage of the First Quarto Richard The Third. ... The Laurence Olivier Awards, previously known as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, were renamed in honour of British actor Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier in 1984, having first been established in 1976. ... An anonymous portrait, often believed to show Christopher Marlowe. ... Cyrano de Bergerac is a play by Edmond Rostand based on the life of the real Cyrano de Bergerac. ... Stanley is an old masculine name from the 11th and 12th century English contraction of Stoney Meadow. It is also the name of a number of places, and has other miscellaneous uses. ... Scene from Macbeth, depicting the witches conjuring of an apparition in Act IV, Scene I. Painting by William Rimmer Macbeth is among the most famous of William Shakespeares plays, as well as his shortest tragedy. ...

Despite his success, a shy and insecure Sher turned to cocaine as an antidote and by 1996 spent three weeks in rehabilitation. Cocaine (or crack in its impure freebase form) is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... Substance-abuse rehabilitation is a process of medical and/or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances. ...

In 1997, his portrayal of Disraeli in the film Mrs. Brown was well received, and he won his second Laurence Olivier Award for his role as Stanley Spencer. Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was an English statesman and literary figure. ... Categories: Movie stubs | 1997 films | Best Actress Oscar Nominee (film) ... Stanley Spencer (1891 - 1959) was an English painter. ...

In television, he starred in the miniseries The History Man (1981) and The Jury (2002). A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... The History Man (1975) is a campus novel by British author Malcolm Bradbury set in 1972 in the fictional seaside town of Watermouth in the South of England. ... The Jury was a British miniseries which aired in 2002. ...

In 2005 he and his partner, the director Greg Doran, became one of the first gay couples to form a civil partnership in Britain. Metropolitan Community Church vicar Debbie Gaston (right) with partner Elaine celebrating their Civil Partnership outside Brighton Town Hall on Dec 21, 2005 Civil partnerships in the United Kingdom, granted under the Civil Partnership Act 2004, give same-sex couples rights and responsibilities identical to civil marriage. ...

On 30th January 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Letters) at the University of Warwick.

Writing

Antony Sher's books include the memoirs Woza Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus in South Africa, with Gregory Doran (1997), Year of the King (1985), Beside Myself (2002), Characters (1990), and Primo Time (2005); the novels, Cheap Lives (1995), The Indoor Boy (1996), Middlepost (1989), and The Feast (1999); and the play ID (2003).

Honours and awards

• 1985: Laurence Olivier Award for best actor, for Richard III
• 1985: Evening Standard Award for best actor, for Richard III
• 1997: Laurence Olivier Award for best actor in a play, for Stanley
• 1998: Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Liverpool University.
• 2000: Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) for services to theatre.

The Laurence Olivier Awards, previously known as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, were renamed in honour of British actor Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier in 1984, having first been established in 1976. ... Frontispage of the First Quarto Richard The Third. ... The Evening Standard Awards are presented annually for oustanding achievements in London Theatre. ... Frontispage of the First Quarto Richard The Third. ... The Laurence Olivier Awards, previously known as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, were renamed in honour of British actor Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier in 1984, having first been established in 1976. ... The University of Liverpool is a university in the city of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire (Military division) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority...

External links

• Antony Sher Appreciation Site: WOZA ANTONY!
• Antony Sher Pages
• IMDb entry