Home > Ian Holm

Holm in Atom Egoyan's
The Sweet Hereafter ( 1997)

In 1965, Holm played Richard III in the BBCs serialisation of the Wars of the Roses plays, and gradually made a name for himself with minor roles in films such as Oh! What a Lovely WarOh! What A Lovely War began life in 1963 as a stage musical by Joan Littlewood and her London Theatre Workshop based on a book by the historian Alan Clark. This satire on World War I (and by extension against war in general), was a surprise hit. It was ad (1969), Nicholas and AlexandraNicholas and Alexandra is a 1971 biographical film which tells the story of Czar Nicholas II of Russia and his wife, the Czarina Alexandra, the last of Russia's monarchs. It stars Michael Jayston ( Nicholas II), Janet Suzman ( Empress Alexandra), Roderic (1971), Mary, Queen of ScotsMary, Queen of Scots is a 1971 biographical film which tells the story of the life of Queen Mary I of Scotland. It stars Vanessa Redgrave as Mary, Glenda Jackson as Queen Elizabeth I of England, Patrick McGoohan as Mary's brother James Stewart, 1st Earl o (1971) and Young Winston (1972). By the time of AlienAlien ( 1979), directed by Ridley Scott, is an extremely popular and influential science fiction/ horror film that spawned several sequels and imitators. Although the title characters are the highly aggressive extraterrestrial creatures, the real connecti (1979) and Chariots of FireChariots of Fire is a British film from 1981 directed by Hugh Hudson, winner of four Academy Awards, among which that for best picture. The title is an extract from the words of William Blake's poem And did those feet in ancient time''. Great Court at Tri (1981), he was a major star in the UK, and his reputation gradually spread to the USA. He continued to perform ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 ( O. May 3, 1616 ( N. has a reputation as the greatest writer the English language has ever known. Indeed, the English Renaissance has often been called "the age of Shakespe, and appeared with Kenneth BranaghKenneth Charles Branagh (born December 10 1960) is a versatile British actor and film director. Biography He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but when he was nine his family moved to England. Branagh received a honorary doctorate in Literature from in Henry V (1989) and as Polonius to Mel Gibson's Hamlet. He could also be seen as Desmond Cussen opposite Miranda Richardson in Dance with a Stranger.

In 1991 he married, as his third wife, popular actress Penelope Wilton, and they appeared together in The Borrowers (1993) on British television, although in 2001 they divorced. In 1989 Holm was created a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to drama, and in 1998 he was knighted.

In 2001 he starred in From Hell as the physician Sir William Withey Gull. The same year he appeared as Bilbo Baggins in the blockbuster film , having previously played Bilbo's nephew Frodo Baggins in 1981 BBC Radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. He reappeared in the trilogy in the (2003). In 2004, he appeared in The Day After Tomorrow, Zach Braff's Garden State, and Martin Scorsese's The Aviator.

His is one of the most familiar voices in Britain, having been heard in countless TV documentaries and commercials.