Award-winning playwright Tom Stoppard has died aged 88.
The writer, known for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Arcadia and the film Shakespeare In Love, died “peacefully” at his home in Dorset “surrounded by his family”, United Agents said in a statement.
The statement added: “He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language.
“It was an honour to work with Tom and to know him.”
Stoppard amassed three Olivier Awards, five Tonys, and an Oscar throughout his decades-long career in television, theatre, and film. He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 for his contributions to the theatre.
Among those to pay tribute to Stoppard was the King, who described him as “one of our greatest writers”.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, Charles said: “My wife and I are deeply saddened to learn of the death of one of our greatest writers, Sir Tom Stoppard.
“A dear friend who wore his genius lightly, he could, and did, turn his pen to any subject, challenging, moving and inspiring his audiences, borne from his own personal history. We send our most heartfelt sympathy to his beloved family.
“Let us all take comfort in his immortal line: ‘Look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else’.”
Born in Czechoslovakia, Sir Tom was forced to flee his home during the Nazi occupation and found refuge in Britain.
After working as a journalist and theatre critic he began writing plays for radio and TV.
His career as a playwright did not take off, however, until the 1960s with Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before going on to the National Theatre and later Broadway.
The play, which focuses on two minor characters from Hamlet, won several awards including four Tonys in 1968.
He went on to write a number of plays including Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Arcadia, and The Coast of Utopia trilogy set in 19th century Russia.
In 2020 he released Leopoldstadt, a play set in Vienna’s Jewish Quarter in the early 20th century. The semi-autobiographical piece won him an Olivier for best new play as well as four Tony Awards.
Stoppard’s plays explored politics, philosophy, and human nature, and were often complex yet thought-provoking. His clever wordplay helped coin the phrase “Stoppardian,” describing works that rely on wit and comedy to advance philosophical themes.
The playwright added an Oscar to his collection in 1999 when he won Best Adapted Screenplay with Marc Norman for Shakespeare in Love. The hit film won seven Oscars in total, including Best Picture.
His other film credits included co-writing the script for Brazil (1985), and several adaptations, including J.G. Ballard’s novel for the 1987 Steven Spielberg film Empire of the Sun, John le Carre’s The Russia House (1990), E.L. Doctorow’s Billy Bathgate (1991), and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (2012).
After finding success with plays, Stoppard also became a sort of script doctor with uncredited roles on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, among others.
Lead singer and co-founder of the Rolling Stones Sir Mick Jagger paid tribute to Sir Tom in a post shared on X, describing him as his “favourite playwright”.
“Tom Stoppard was my favourite playwright. He leaves us with a majestic body of intellectual and amusing work. I will always miss him,” he said.
Rupert Goold, artistic director of the Almeida Theatre, also paid tribute to the “most supportive, most generous man”.
He said: “Tom Stoppard’s magic was present in everything he wrote but he was also the kindest, most supportive, most generous, man.
“With Pinter you always knew you were in the presence of genius but with Tom you somehow felt you might participate in it too. Et in Arcadia est.”
Stoppard was married three times: first to Josie Ingle from 1965 to 1972, then to Miriam Stoppard from 1972 to 1992. He married Sabrina Guinness in 2014.
His four sons survive him.
