The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to his favourite actor, Sir Antony Sher, calling him a “great man and an irreplaceable talent.”
In a statement posted on his official website, Prince Charles wrote that he was “deeply saddened by the news of Sir Antony Sher’s death” at the age of 72. Sher passed away from cancer.
Prince Charles wrote: “As the President of the Royal Shakespeare Company, I had the great joy and privilege of knowing him for many years, and admired him enormously for the consummate skill and passion he brought to every role. My most treasured memory of him was as Falstaff in a brilliant production of Greg Doran’s. I feel particularly blessed to have known him, but we have all lost a giant of the stage at the height of his genius.
“My heart goes out to Greg Doran and to all at the R.S.C. who will, I know, feel the most profound sorrow at the passing of a great man and an irreplaceable talent.”
On a royal visit to India in 2017, Prince Charles was asked by a student in New Delhi who his favourite actor was. Prince Charles replied, “There is a very good actor called Sir Antony Sher who is a brilliant Shakespearean actor, and everything else.”
Sher was born in South Africa in 1949 and moved to London in his early twenties to study drama and acting. After stints with various performance schools, Sher’s professional career began at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre before he moved to the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982.
From there, a storied career as one of his generation’s greatest stage actors began. His many tributes all mention his 1984 performance as the titular king in Shakespeare’s Richard III as his breakthrough and one of his best performances.
He would win the Laurence Olivier Award—the most prestigious theatre award in the United Kingdom—for the performance, and went on to win once more in 1997.
Sher toured the country performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and also appeared in television and film productions from time to time. Behind the scenes, he also worked as a theatre director and writer.
In a statement on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s website, its Executive Director, Catherine Mallyon, and its Acting Artistic Director, Erica Whyman, wrote: “Antony was deeply loved and hugely admired by so many colleagues. He was a ground-breaking role model for many young actors, and it is impossible to comprehend that he is no longer with us. We will ensure friends far and wide have the chance to share tributes and memories in the days to come.”
Sher’s husband, Gregory Doran, is Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, though he has been on compassionate leave since the beginning of the year.
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