# Sir Anthony Sher passed away **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2021, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828 "2021-12-10T11:01:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/1 "2021-12-10T11:01:27Z")
[A week ago,](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-59520117) I only just learned. One of the greatest contemporary Shakespearean actors, and a son of Cape Town. I had the pleasure of seeing him and John Kani in _The Tempest_, he was an awesome Prospero. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/2 "2021-12-10T21:49:29Z")
The BBC has a good article with a quote from John Kani "Fellow actor and playwright John Kani said in a tribute: "Both Tony Sher and I were born when our country, South Africa, was the worst place a child could be born let alone to be raised by parents who worked very hard to prepare their children for a difficult future - Apartheid South Africa. By the grace of his God and my ancestors, like Romeo and Juliet we found each other in 1973. “We travelled together as compatriots, comrades in the struggle for a better South Africa, as fellow artists… I am at peace with you my friend and myself. Exit my King. Your Brother.” > **[Sir Antony Sher: Actor dies of cancer aged 72](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-59520117)** > > His film work included Shakespeare in Love while his stage work included Richard III and Macbeth. Here’s a video with his reflection on playing King Lear [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Gy0vahJhJ1I/maxresdefault.jpg "Sir Antony Sher on playing Lear, Shakespeare's misogyny and Kevin Spacey - BBC Newsnight") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy0vahJhJ1I) And a documentary about his breakthrough performance as Richard III in 1984 > **[Shakespeare Uncovered | “Richard III” with Sir Antony Sher | Season 3 |...](https://www.pbs.org/video/richard-iii-with-sir-antony-sher-preview-2p6q8k/)** > > Learn about the historical figure behind Shakespeare’s “Richard III” with host Antony Sher ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/3 "2021-12-13T04:47:21Z")
One of the greatest classical actors of our generation dies : 1 reply, 150 views (thanks, @gkster , for the links). Monkees member dies - 71 replies, thousand+ views. Says it all, really. Maybe if Sher had done Star Trek or was an X-Man… ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/4 "2021-12-13T14:00:21Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > 1 reply, 150 views - It was not to be. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/5 "2021-12-13T14:05:23Z")
And Vicente Fernandez gets a single sentence in the death pool thread. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/6 "2021-12-13T14:27:09Z")
Not an actor i am terrible familiar with, being US based, I never saw any of the RSC performances mentioned. I have seen some of the movies he was in, though. A loss for the Shakespearean when’s, without doubt. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/7 "2021-12-14T02:32:56Z")
I just exchanged emails with the friend who introduced me to Antony Sher. He teaches Theatre & Acting on the high school and college level and says that Sher was a real inspiration to him. As well as Shakespeare, Sher did other theater including an adaptation of Primo Levi’s Auschwitz memoir, which was shown on PBS as _Primo_: [Primo | Introduction | Great Performances | PBS](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/primo-introduction/147/) It’s available on HBO Max and the reviews on Amazon are glowing. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/8 "2023-07-03T21:59:54Z")
Bumped. Just saw this, and hadn’t heard of his passing earlier. I will always remember how very, very good he was as Disraeli in _Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown,_ with Dame Judi Dench as Queen Victoria. A relatively small part, but he was just wonderful. May he rest in peace. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/9 "2023-07-03T23:09:51Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I will always remember how very, very good he was as Disraeli in _Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown,_ with Dame Judi Dench as Queen Victoria. A relatively small part, but he was just wonderful. You are forgetting his performance as “bellboy” in _Superman II_! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/10 "2023-07-04T14:15:05Z")
That is certainly true. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/11 "2023-07-04T15:01:06Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nCAo4ve_bhM/maxresdefault.jpg "Superman II - Niagara Falls - Honeymoon Suite Arrival scene") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCAo4ve_bhM) That particular scene is cursed. Within 41 years of procucing it, all three actors involved died! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/12 "2023-07-04T15:08:31Z")
Wow. I had completely forgotten that scene! ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2023, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/13 "2023-07-09T23:05:15Z")
I first encountered Sher in the 90s, before I ever saw him act in anything. His _The Year of the King_ is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a year in the RSC. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2023, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sir-anthony-sher-passed-away/955828/14 "2023-07-09T23:15:47Z")
Wow, that was a real Brad and Janet moment at the beginning of the scene. Awkward American accent.