Remembering Sir Ian Holm

Last week the world said farewell to the accomplished British actor Sir Ian Holm. A classically trained performer, his career spanned almost six decades. Mr. Holm’s talents were generously displayed through the mediums of stage, television, and film. He received his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 for his services to drama.

Sir Ian had been battling Parkinson’s disease for a number of years and, according to his agent, died peacefully in hospital surrounded by his family. He was 88 years old

Born in Essex, England in 1931, Holm took to acting at an early age by joining an amateur dramatic society. He completed his drama school training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1953. For the next quarter-century, Sir Ian was a celebrated stage actor lauded for his performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as for originating the role of Lenny in Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming, which eventually earned him a Tony when the production moved to Broadway.

In 1976, Ian suffered a severe case of stage fright during a performance of The Iceman Cometh and abandoned stage acting for almost two decades. Thus began a new phase of his career which increasingly featured the chameleon-like actor on the big screen.

Holm had been working as an actor for decades when he first caught the attention of American audiences for his work as Ash, the treacherous android in 1979’s Alien.