- Born
- Died
- Height5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
- Born in 1949, Antony Sher was raised in South Africa before going to London to study at the Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art between 1969 and 1971. After performing for the Gay Sweatshop theatrical group in "Thinking Straight" (1975), "The Fork" (1976), and "Stone" (1976), he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982. Three years later, his performance in the title role of "Richard III" won him a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and, in 1997, he won another Laurence Olivier Award for "Stanley".
Although he spent more time onstage, Sher appeared in a number of films and TV series, including The History Man (1981), Shadey (1985), The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1995) and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (1996). He gave a charming performance as Benjamin Disraeli in Mrs. Brown (1997), and played "Dr. Moth" in Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Sher was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2000.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Michael Fryer
- SpouseGregory Doran(December 30, 2015 - December 2, 2021) (his death)
- RelativesRonald Harwood(Cousin)
- He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
- After 19 years together, registered his civil partnership with long-term partner theatre director Gregory Doran in December 2005, as soon as civil unions became legal in England and Wales. He had previously been briefly married to a female choreographer, then had a serious relationship with actor Jim Hooper.
- Author of the novels Middlepost, Cheap Lives and Indoor Boy. Also of Characters, a collection of his paintings and sketches.
- Trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, whose alumni include Terence Stamp, Hugh Bonneville, Rupert Friend, Angela Lansbury, Matthew Goode, Sue Johnston, Daniel Hunt, Minnie Driver, Nicholas Courtney, Katy Manning, Ross Kemp and Julian Fellowes.
- He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 (1999 season) for Best Actor for his performance in "The Winter's Tale" at the Barbican Theatre.
- Young kids coming out of drama school don't want to go into theatre any more, they all want to be film or TV stars. And so when the RSC for example have to audition for a new production of Romeo and Juliet, it's always really hard playing or finding that whole group of young actors that can play those parts, because they're not interested any more.
- Gay, Jewish, white South African, that's three minority groups. I wasn't ready to come out as gay. Jewish I was a bit worried about because I couldn't see any examples of great leading classical actors who were Jewish, and white South African was a problem because my political education didn't really start until I got here (Britain) and I suddenly realised I'd been part of one of the most abhorrent societies on earth. Apartheid is an atrocity to rank alongside some of the most appalling atrocities of the last century.
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