Trivia

Derek Fowlds, co-star from Yes Minister (1980), said of him; "together, with Paul Eddington, the three of us were together for seven or eight years. We were really good mates. We had many happy hours doing those shows ... they were very special times".

He resided quietly in a 15th-century manor house.

He didn't get along well with Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes during the making of Demolition Man (1993).

Although he played Dame Maggie Smith's son in Richard III (1995), he was more than five years her senior in real life.

He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1987 Queen's New Years Honours List and Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 1999 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to drama.

Battled a recurrence of pancreatic cancer which was believed in remission after surgical therapy. (2001)

Was originally cast as Sir William Gull in From Hell (2001) but, when his cancer prevented him from working in the film, was replaced by Sir Ian Holm.

Educated by the Christian brothers in South Africa.

One of his last major projects was the Anglo-Japanese stage adaptation of "King Lear" in Japan.

Generally regarded as the first openly gay actor to be nominated for an Academy Award (for the film La folie du roi George (1994)).

He was awarded the 1991 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actor for his performance in "The Madness of King George III".

His performance in "Shadowlands" on Broadway won him the 1991 Tony Award for Best Actor (Play) and the 1991 New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actor.

He had done a small uncredited cameo in the Crimson Insurance short film by Terry Gilliam that is part of Monty Python : Le Sens de la vie (1983) - he is the man that is walking by the building when the anchors are raised.

Was added the 1992 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award (1991 season) for best actor for his performance in "The Madness of George III" at the Royal National Theatre. For his performance in its film adaptation La folie du roi George (1994), he was nominated an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Survived by his partner, writer Trevor Bentham.

Among the actors offered the role of Captain Striker (played by Keith Barron) in Docteur Who (1963) (five-part serial "Enlightenment").

Has played a former King of England (George III in La folie du roi George (1994) ) and a former President of the United States (Martin Van Buren in Amistad (1997)).

He was awarded the 1992 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in "The Madness of George III".

Has received numerous awards including: Clarence Derwent and SWET Awards for "Privates on Parade" - and the 'Broadcasting Press Guild' Award, plus two BAFTA Awards (1981) and (1982), for his role as "Sir Humphrey Appleby" in Yes Minister (1980).

Is one of 13 actors who have received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of a real-life king. The others in chronological order are Charles Laughton for La vie privée d'Henry VIII (1933), Robert Morley for Marie-Antoinette (1938), Basil Rathbone for Le roi des gueux (1938), Laurence Olivier for Henry V (1944) and Richard III (1955), José Ferrer for Jeanne d'Arc (1948), Yul Brynner for Le roi et moi (1956), John Gielgud for Becket (1964), Peter O'Toole for Becket (1964) and Le Lion en hiver (1968), Robert Shaw for Un homme pour l'éternité (1966), Richard Burton for Anne des mille jours (1969), Kenneth Branagh for Henry V (1989), and Colin Firth for Le Discours d'un roi (2010).

In London, he understudied Leslie Phillips for 19 months but never made to the stage for even one performance, so he returned to South Africa then in 1963 came back to the United Kingdom.

Honorary Patron of independent film production company, Incognita Enterprises, headed by actress and author Sally McLean.

His Academy Award nominated performance in La folie du roi George (1994) turned him into an international star.

At one point, his family emigrated to Cape Town, South Africa when he was three.