Sir Tom Stoppard, Acclaimed Playwright of ‘rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ and ‘Shakespeare in Love,’ Dies at 87
Sir Tom Stoppard, the internationally celebrated playwright renowned for his dazzling wit, intellectual rigor, and innovative theatricality, has died at the age of 87. His death, announced today, marks the end of an era for British and world theater, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking works that challenged and delighted audiences for decades. Stoppard’s plays, including the absurdist masterpiece Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and the Oscar-winning screenplay Shakespeare in Love, consistently explored philosophical themes wiht linguistic brilliance and a playful sensibility.
Born Tomáš straussler in Czechoslovakia in 1937,Stoppard fled with his family to Singapore during the Second World War before settling in England. He initially worked as a journalist before turning to playwriting, achieving rapid success with Rosencrantz and guildenstern Are Dead in 1966, a reimagining of Hamlet from the outlook of two minor characters. This established his signature style – intellectually stimulating dialog, intricate wordplay, and a fascination with the nature of reality and language.
Stoppard’s prolific career spanned stage and screen. His stage works included Jumpers (1972), Travesties (1974), The Real Thing (1982), Arcadia (1993), and The hard Problem (2015).He also collaborated with leading filmmakers, contributing to screenplays for Brazil (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Enigma (2001), The Bourne ultimatum (2007), and Anna Karenina (2012), winning an Academy Award for Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Beyond his celebrated plays and screenplays, Stoppard demonstrated a commitment to adaptation and collaboration. He adapted Ford Madox Ford’s Parade’s End for the BBC in 2012, a critically acclaimed five-part series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall. He also engaged with the work of others, including Chekhov’s Ivanov starring Kenneth Branagh in 2008, and Ken Stott and Richard Griffiths in Heroes in 2005. His love for radio drama was evident in Darkside (2013), a surreal comedy inspired by Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
Stoppard served on the board of the National Theatre between 1982 and 2003 and was a proactive president of the London Library.He was appointed CBE in 1978, knighted in 1997, and made a member of the Order of Merit in 2000. He is survived by his third wife, Sabrina guinness, and four sons – Oliver and Barnaby from his first marriage to jose ingle, and William and Edmund from his second marriage to Miriam Moore-Robinson.
