In 1965, he played Richard III in the BBC serialisation of The Wars of The Roses, based on the RSC production of the plays. Holm was an established star of the Royal Shakespeare Company before gaining notice in television and film. Two years later, he made his London stage debut in Love Affair. He made his stage debut in 1954, at Stratford-upon-Avon, playing a spear-carrier in a staging of Othello. Holm graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1953. They were interrupted a second time when he volunteered to go on an acting tour of the United States in 1952. His studies were interrupted a year later when he was called up for National Service in the British Army, during which he was posted to Klagenfurt, Austria, and attained the rank of Lance Corporal. Ī chance encounter with Henry Baynton, a well-known provincial Shakespearean actor, helped Holm train for admission to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he secured a place from 1950. His parents retired to Mortehoe in Devon and then to Worthing, where he joined an amateur dramatic society. Holm was educated at the independent Chigwell School in Essex. He had an older brother, who died when Ian was 12 years old. His father was a psychiatrist who worked as the superintendent of the West Ham Corporation Mental Hospital and was one of the pioneers of electric shock therapy his mother was a nurse. Ian Holm Cuthbert was born on 12 September 1931 in Goodmayes, Essex, to Scottish parents, James Harvey Cuthbert and his wife Jean Wilson (née Holm). His other well-known film roles include Ash in Alien, Mr Kurtzmann in Brazil, Francis Willis in The Madness of King George, Father Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element, Mitchell Stephens in The Sweet Hereafter, the voice of Chef Skinner in Ratatouille, and elderly Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film series.
His latter performance as athletics trainer Sam Mussabini was also nominated for an Academy Award. He was nominated for seven BAFTA Awards, winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role twice for The Bofors Gun (his film debut) and Chariots of Fire. Holm won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear. On film he portrayed a variety of both supporting and leading characters, earning critical acclaim and many accolades in the process. Beginning his career on the British stage as a standout member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he later transitioned into a successful and prolific screen career. Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert CBE (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020), professionally known as Ian Holm, was an English actor who was knighted in 1998 for his contributions to theatre and film. Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Playġ967 The Homecoming Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role